News

Duke–Industry Materials Connect: 2025 Kickoff Event Brings Together Regional Industry and Duke Materials Science

The Duke Materials Initiative and the Duke Critical Minerals Hub, in conjunction with Duke’s Office for External Partnerships, hosted the inaugural Duke-Industry Materials Connect event, an afternoon focused on collaboration, innovation, and networking across the broad space of Materials Science…

1/25/22 Duke Engineering

Hsu Wins NSF CAREER Award to Develop Energy-Saving Wearable Device

Competitive five-year grant will help Po-Chun Hsu develop new wearable technology to manage heat around the human body without using additional power supply

1/18/22 New Atlas

Eco-Friendly Plastics Made From Sugars Boast "Unprecedented" Properties

Pursuing more sustainable alternatives, Duke materials scientist Matt Becker and University of Birmingham colleagues have produced a new form of plastic using sugar alcohols

1/13/22 Duke Engineering

Brinson Named 2022 A.C. Eringen Medalist

The Society of Engineering Science honored Cate Brinson's seminal contributions in modeling and characterization of polymer nanocomposites, shape memory alloys

1/11/22 Duke Engineering

Molecular Paddlewheels Propel Sodium Ions Through Next-Generation Batteries

Insights into the atomistic dynamics of emerging solid-state batteries will help speed their evolution

1/7/22 Duke Engineering

Simple pH Adjustment May Enable a Preventative COVID-19 Nasal and Throat Spray

Higher pH makes a common metabolic inhibitor medication practical for nose and throat spray applications against COVID-19

12/16/21 Duke Engineering

Innovative Textile Vents to Release Heat When You Sweat

Moisture opens the vents, rather than electronics

12/3/21 Duke Engineering

Rapid Test Identifies Antibody Effectiveness Against COVID-19 Variants

Test could measure patient immunity against multiple COVID-19 variants such as Omicron and Delta at once and inform which synthetic monoclonal antibody to use f

11/23/21 Duke Today

Duke Science and Technology is 'Accepting the Challenge'

The faculty recruitment and retention effort, called Duke Science and Technology, will give the university resources to expand core strengths in Duke’s research, extending to nearly every corner of the university.

$headshot of Shyni Varghese at lab bench next to graphic of bone fracture$

11/22/21 Duke Engineering

Reversing Bone Loss Due to Osteoporosis

Current drugs for osteoporosis can only slow or stop progression of bone loss. What’s gone is gone. Duke University Professor Shyni Varghese has built a new molecule that rebuilds bone—and may transform osteoporosis treatment.

11/17/21 Duke Engineering

Identifying Exposure Risks from Common Household Chemicals in Durham Homes

$1 million Durham study examine exposure chemicals building materials and consumer products and evaluate mitigation strategies reduce exposures during pregnancy

From left to right, top to bottom, Stefano Curtarolo, Jie Liu, David Mitzi, David Smith and Mark Wiesner

11/16/21

Six Duke Materials Scientists Named to Global Highly Cited List

Annual Clarivate Analytics list includes 38 Duke researchers

11/10/21 Duke Nicholas School of the Environment

New Tests Track Sources of Lead Contamination in Urban Soils and Assess Its Risks

By distinguishing between lead from modern sources and lead from pre-1970s vehicle exhaust fumes and leaded paint, the new test may be especially useful for assessing the hidden risks of legacy contamination

11/8/21 Neuroscience News

Flame Retardants Cause Brain Changes in Mice of Offspring

Female mice exposed to PBDEs, a type of flame-retardant found on everyday household items, pass on the chemicals to their developing offspring, which can cause alterations in social memories and behaviors reminiscent of human compulsive behaviors associated with autism

11/3/21 American Physical Society

A Less Invasive Approach to Rheology Measurements

Duke University researchers have demonstrated a method of probing a soft material’s properties that could allow them to capture those properties more accurately and for smaller systems than current methods

10/28/21 Duke Engineering

Smart Material Switches Between Heating and Cooling in Minutes

Deployed on roofs or facades, passive technology could greatly reduce HVAC energy consumption in buildings