Materials Science
| Emerging technology | Status | Potentially marginalized technologies | Potential applications | Related articles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerogel | Theory, experiments, diffusion, early uses | Traditional Insulation, Glass | Improved insulation, insulative glass if it can be made clear, sleeves for oil pipelines, aerospace, high-heat & extreme cold applications | |
| Conductive Polymers | Research, experiments, prototypes | Conductors | Lighter and cheaper wires, antistatic materials, organic solar cells | |
| Femtotechnology, Picotechnology | Theory | Present nuclear | New materials; nuclear weapons, power | |
| Graphene | Theory, experiments, diffusion, early uses | silicon-based integrated circuit | Components with higher strength to weight ratios, transistors that operate at higher frequency, lower cost of display screens in mobile devices, storing hydrogen for fuel cell powered cars, sensors to diagnose diseases | |
| High-temperature superconductivity | Cryogenic receiver front-end (CRFE) RF and microwave filter systems for mobile phone base stations; prototypes in dry ice; theory and experiments for higher temperatures | Copper wire, semiconductor integral circuits | No loss conductors, frictionless bearings, magnetic levitation, lossless high-capacity accumulators, electric cars, heat-free integral circuits and processors | |
| High-temperature superfluidity | Superfluid gyroscopes already exist but work at very low temperatures | Mechanical gyroscope | High-precision measure of gravity, navigation and maneuver devices, possible devices to emit gravitomagnetic field, frictionless mechanical devices | |
| Metamaterials | Theory, experiments, diffusion | Classical optics | Microscopes, cameras, metamaterial cloaking, cloaking devices | |
| Multi-function structures | Theory, experiments, some prototypes, few commercial | Composite materials mostly | Wide range, e.g., self health monitoring, self healing, morphing... | |
| Nanomaterials: carbon nanotubes | Theory, experiments, diffusion, early uses | Structural steel and aluminium | Stronger, lighter materials, space elevator | Potential applications of carbon nanotubes, carbon fiber |
| Programmable matter | Theory, experiments | Coatings, catalysts | Wide range, e.g., claytronics, synthetic biology | |
| Quantum dots | Research, experiments, prototypes | LCD, LED | Quantum dot laser, future use as programmable matter in display technologies (TV, projection), optical data communications (high-speed data transmission), medicine (laser scalpel) | |
| Silicene | Theory, research | Field-effect transistors |
Read more about this topic: List Of Emerging Technologies
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