A new review article, from a team of material scientists, is suggesting a leather-like material made from mushroom-derived biomass has the potential to be cheaper, and more environmentally sustainable, than animal leather or its plastic derivations.

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Scientists in Germany have developed a technology that could give a waste product of the paper industry a new lease on life, converting the organic polymer lignin into the basis for a biopaste fit for 3D printing.

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Scientists in Japan working to stretch the limits of super-elastic materials have made a significant breakthrough, demonstrating a new iron-based alloy that can be deformed and regain its original shape even in extreme temperatures.

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A new breakthrough could overcome some of the problems around recycling cotton clothing, with scientists demonstrating a new technique that converts cotton into a yarn suitable for the mass manufacture of textiles

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Researchers have for the first time managed to use electricity to switch on magnetism in a material that’s normally non-magnetic. This could be a step towards making electronic components out of common materials that might not otherwise be suitable.

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Electromagnetic shielding is usually placed around electronics to prevent interference. Now, engineers have found that a 2D material called titanium carbonitride is excellent at the job, absorbing rather than reflecting electromagnetic waves.

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Driven by the huge burden they place on the environment, scientists are continually looking for new ways to manufacture plastic materials that make them easier to recycle, and MIT researchers are now claiming a significant breakthrough in this area.

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Researchers claim they've come up with the world's first manufactured non-cuttable material, just 15 percent the density of steel and impervious to drills or angle grinders. They say it could make for indestructible bike locks and lightweight armor.

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Using just a few hundred identical atoms, physicists at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics have pieced together the world’s lightest mirror, which is invisible to the naked eye and has a surface measured in mere microns.

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A research team from the US Army and the University of Rochester is throwing a new water purification solution into the mix, showing off a “superwicking” aluminum panel that uses solar power to purify water with great efficiency.

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