Nature Index 2021 Materials Science

Stuff of hope in the search for solutions to intractable problems.

Four heavyweights and a rising star, in highlights.

New metal mixes create more efficient catalysts and better jet engines.

Super-black feathers at the interface of biology, photonics and materials science.

Nano immuno-engineering shows promise against autoimmune conditions, cancer and allergies.

Three researchers making a material difference.

Surprising qualities point to next-generation electronics.

Materials genome initiatives sift big data.

A description of the terminology and methodology used in this supplement, and a guide to the functionality that is available free online at nature.com/nature-index/.

A new electrostatic adsorption assembly method promises to release the potential of nanocomposites by bringing a greater precision to the manufacturing process.

Researchers at Chongqing University are putting new lightweight and innovative materials through their paces using pioneering in-house technologies.

By bridging the gap between basic materials science and sustainable technologies, researchers at Seoul National University are realizing new paradigms in sustainable materials, solar-driven hydrogen production and carbon dioxide capture.

To inspire researchers to realize materials science innovations with global impact, CityU is gathering world-class resources

A big-data platform developed by Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science is raising the competitiveness of stakeholders

At National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, innovations in materials science have realized new potential for alloy production and cancer treatment.

Director Elvira Fortunato introduces the Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication.

Research at this Portuguese institute shows the amazing possibilities of a post-silicon electronics industry

A conversation with Paul K. Kearns, Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory.

Amcor is dedicated to developing next-generation packaging for sustainability.

To expedite the weight reduction of vehicles, a unique initiative in Japan is bringing together companies, national research institutes and universities.

A carbon-free extraction technology is highly promising for producing commercially pure grade titanium metal

Chinese-developed composites are bringing new possibilities to solar industries, fluorescence-assisted drug delivery and environmental sensing.

A new microscope provides quick, quantitative materials characterization using a transparent probe indentation system.

A fast-growing institute associated with China’s prestigious Tsinghua University, the Institute of Materials Research has pursued research into fast and targeted new materials development.

High-throughput experimentation and artificial intelligence are helping to identify new catalysts faster than ever before.

A new AI-based technology developed by Sumitomo Rubber Industries and Hokkaido University will lead to tyres that deliver better performance for longer

A groundbreaking innovation platform — powered by artificial intelligence and big data but guided by human experts — promises to accelerate advances in rubber and tyre technology

Control over the nanostructure of steel proved critical to JFE Steel’s efforts to produce lightweight and ultrastrong automobile components

X-ray diffraction technology developed at Rigaku can deliver critical data about working lithium-ion batteries without the need for synchrotron radiation

By seeking inspiration from pizza toppings and the suction cups of octopi, material scientists at Sungkyunkwan University are improving biomedicine and solar cells