Materials Science
Featured
15 October 2015
There are over half a million people travelling in the air at any one time. This leads to a whopping 10,000 litres of jet fuel burnt every second, accounting for 2% of global CO 2 emissions. But how...
28 February 2017
We slice open an LED light bulb to see how they work and why we need them.
30 September 2016
Metal fatigue has been responsible for a number of fatal engineering disasters, from the Versailles rail accident to...
21 July 2016
Biological alternatives to oil-based varnish are turning wood into one of the most sustainable building materials...
05 February 2016
The world’s hardest natural material also has the most enthralling sparkle – these two properties mean that tiny...
15 October 2015
A look inside one of the most spectacular feats of engineering: the jet engine.
01 October 2015
Trains are one of the most 'green' forms of travel, but how can we make them even more energy efficient?
13 August 2015
How do we know where planes are in the sky, and why do we occasionally lose them?
20 February 2015
From knights in shining armour to bullet proof vests: what's next for protective materials?
23 November 2014
Jet engines have to keep entire planes in the air, so choosing what to make them from can make all the difference...
20 October 2014
Supported by The Royal Academy of Engineering, the Naked Scientists are offering candidates an opportunity to join...
05 July 2013
With modern computers becoming ever more powerful, they have become an indispensable tool for the design of engineering...
15 October 2012
What is steel? How have the production methods for making it changed over hundreds of years? What are different kinds...
15 October 2012
A new high temperature aerospace material has proved to be elusive so far, however, the candidate materials have to...
15 October 2012
How do materials scientists process strong, deformation-resistant blades for gas turbine engines? What developments...
15 July 2012
In a world with ever-increasing energy demands and pollution, clean and abundant energy is urgently needed. The Sun...
06 July 2011
CSI has come to Swansea. But rather than solving murders, for a team at the University's Technology Centre (UTC)...
07 July 2007
Mention plastics and most people think of polythenes, perspex and other oil-based nasties that never break down. But...