Linkoping University

Graphene is the Novak Djokovic of materials – it’s so damn talented that it’s getting boring celebrating each new victory. But an exciting new upstart is challenging graphene’s title. Meet goldene, a 2D sheet of gold with its own strange properties.

It’s taken more than three decades, but scientists have cracked the code and created a material that’s near-impossible to break and rivals diamond as the hardest substance on the planet. The applications for this long-sought-after substance are vast.

Wood isn’t usually very good at conducting electricity, but now scientists have created the first functional wooden transistor. It’s not the best, and it requires some processing, but it does work and could help make for biodegradable electronics.

As a storage solution for renewable energy, scientists see great potential in what are known as redox flow batteries. A new design from Linköping University is a decidedly green version of this, being the first made from all-natural materials.

By converting liquid salt water – or tainted water – into steam, it's possible to obtain pure, clean drinking water. Doing so could soon be cheaper and easier than ever, thanks to a newly developed material.

It would be handy if there was a filtration medium that could be electronically "switched" to capture particles of different sizes. It turns out that there soon may be, thanks to a newly-developed conductive polymer that changes state, on demand.

Researchers have developed an organic solar cell that's optimized for use with indoor light.

Lightweight, foldable, and strong sheets of "power paper" have been created by scientists that can store significant amounts of electric charge and may one day provide ultra-thin electricity storage for modern devices.