University of Illinois

"Artificial leaf" systems could play a key role in the fight against climate change, and a team of engineers has just picked up the pace with a solution that captures carbon dioxide at 100 times the rate of current technologies.

Researchers have created a new alloy made up of not two, but five different metals, and put it to work as a catalyst. The 2D material was able to convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide, potentially helping to turn the greenhouse gas into fuels.

Scientists at the University of Illinois Chicago have found a catalyst that allows the methane in natural gas to be converted into methanol at room temperature, providing a far less energy-intensive option than current solutions.

An innovative new battery design makes use of an element we’re producing too much of in carbon dioxide, and boasts an unprecedented ability to recharge 500 times.

Researchers are studying how to use salt-based propellants that can be used to power dual-mode rockets that work as both combustion and ion engines.

NASA is funding a project to develop an aircraft that runs on a cryogenic hydrogen fuel cell system. Under a US$6 million contract, the CHEETA program will investigate the technology needed to produce a practical all-electric design to replace conventional fossil fuel propulsion systems.

In cold places, ice and frost can be more than an annoyance – it can be downright dangerous for cars and planes. Now researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have developed a new anti-icing material that can apparently keep ice at bay much longer than existing technologies.

Over the last few years humans have tried to mimic nature with artificial leaves, but they’re never quite up to scratch. Now, researchers have designed a new version that could work under real-world conditions, sucking carbon dioxide out of the air and creating oxygen and synthetic fuels.

A new technique has been used to turn ordinary metals into "metallic wood" with a greatly improved strength-to-weight ratio. By manipulating materials at the atomic scale, scientists claim to have created a sheet of nickel that is as strong as titanium​, but up to five times lighter.

Readers will be familiar with the mantis shrimp, the marine crustaceans with club-like forelimbs used to overwhelm their prey. But their limbs aren't their only remarkable feature. Their eyes could help self-driving cars to see better in difficult conditions.

Researchers from the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois have developed an artificial muscle made of carbon fiber and rubber that can lift over 12,000 times its own weight.

As any kid knows, brightly colored foods are more fun to eat. But the artificial dyes that give cereals, soda and snack foods their vibrant hues have been debated over safety issues for decades. The need for natural dyes has become clear, and researchers think blue and purple corn can pitch in.