4 May 2022

Engineers Get Under the Skin of Ionic Skin
In the quest to build smart skin that mimics the sensing capabilities of natural skin, ionic skins have shown significant advantages. They're made of flexible, biocompatible hydrogels that use ions to carry an electrical charge. In contrast to smart skins made of plastics and metals, the hydrogels have the softness of natural skin. This offers a more natural feel to the prosthetic arm or robot hand they are mounted on, and makes them comfortable to wear.
12 Apr 2022

Progress with Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells
A team of researchers has leveraged quantum mechanics to optimize the active layer within a device known as an inverted perovskite solar cell - a technology that could one day result in mass-market solar cells that a fraction of those currently on the market.
Full profile interview
16 Sep 2021

CERT Systems
CERT Systems is a Canadian start-up developing electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to produce fuels and chemical feedstocks. In September 2021, IDTechEx technology analyst Dr Hydra Rodrigues spoke to CERT's Co-founder and Director of Partnerships, Dr Alex Ip.
Full profile interview
27 Apr 2021

OTI Lumionics
OTI Lumionics is an early-stage Canadian company that is developing advanced materials using simulations performed using a quantum-inspired computational approach. Its first product is a material that assists in the manufacture of transparent cathodes for OLED displays.
13 Jan 2021

Two Sided Solar Cells to Collect Scattered Light
To increase the performance of solar panels, a team of researchers has created a bifacial, or two-sided, tandem solar cell, built by bringing together the best of the perovskite and silicon technologies.
16 Oct 2020

Self-Driving Laboratories: A Reality Waiting to Happen
Imagine a situation where, given a request, a lab automatically chooses what experiments to do, robotically carries this out, tracks the reaction with integrated sensors, acquires and analyzes the results, and then decides what experiment to do next. This seems like science-fiction, but certain truths may be closer than you think.
15 Sep 2020

Formation of New Alliance is Another Big Step in Materials Informatics
LG and Total become the latest major players to make a significant announcement for their materials informatics intentions.
Full profile interview
2 Sep 2020

Amber Molecular
Amber Molecular Inc. is an early stage Canadian company that is focusing on fluorescent materials for red and orange OLEDs. These are designed to be paired with TADF materials to increase the electrical efficiency, lower the manufacturing costs, and widen the color gamut, of OLED devices. The company's commercialization strategy applies their significant synthetic flexibility to value-added strategic partnerships with TADF companies and OLED manufacturers.
Full profile interview
4 May 2020

Phaseshift Technologies
Phaseshift Technologies are a materials company developing new amorphous alloys with a material informatics and computer modelling approach. IDTechEx spoke with Fazal Mahmood (co-founder and CEO).
26 Feb 2020

McDonald's Deep Fryer Oil Turned into High-End 3D Printing Resin
Researchers have, for the first time, turned waste cooking oil - from the deep fryers of a local McDonald's - into a high-resolution, biodegradable 3D printing resin.
10 Feb 2020

Handheld 3D Skin Printer for Accelerated Healing of Severe Burns
A new handheld 3D printer can deposit sheets of skin to cover large burn wounds - and its "bio ink" can accelerate the healing process.
4 Feb 2020

Graphene Won't Crack Under Pressure
Graphene is a paradox: it is the thinnest material known to science, yet also one of the strongest. Now, research shows that graphene is also highly resistant to fatigue — able to withstand more than a billion cycles of high stress before it breaks.
13 Jan 2020

Stretchy, Skin-Like Sensors Bring a Human Touch to Wearables
Researchers have developed a stretchy, transparent and self-powering sensor that records the complex sensations of human skin.
19 Nov 2019

Proof-of-concept for a loss-free quantum battery
A blueprint for a loss-free quantum battery may be closer than we think, according to new research.
10 Oct 2019

Soft robot programmed to move like an inchworm
Researchers have created a miniature robot that can crawl with inchworm-like motion. The underlying technology could one day transform industries from aviation to smart wearables.