Browse 95 real Materials Science and Engineering projects entered in 2026, with abstracts, awards and links to the original entries.
AJAS · 2026
Materials Science and Engineering (inferred)
Flexible two-dimensional (2D) field-effect transistors (FETs) have gathered great interest, due to the need to solve scalability problems that are commonplace in 3D FETs. Specifically, the r…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
Optoelectronic semiconductors are a critical part of modern technologies, yet 50% of failures are linked to thermal overload. Conventional semiconductor packaging processes employ a single e…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
Postharvest losses of fresh fruits are primarily driven by physiological processes, including respiration, transpiration, and ethylene release, which accelerate ripening and quality deterior…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects 1 in 9 children in the United States. Current stimulant medications carry risks of elevated blood pressure, heart rate, and potential…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
Nickel-Titanium (Ni-Ti) alloys dominate the shape memory alloy (SMA) market, but high costs limit their expansion. While iron-based SMAs (Fe-SMAs) offer a cheaper alternative, discovering co…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
Many advanced technologies, from water purification membranes to battery electrolytes, rely on block copolymers (BCPs) because they can self-assemble into well-defined nanoscale morphologies…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
Antimicrobial resistance is expanding at an alarming rate, becoming the greatest global challenge of the 21st century with bacteria developing resistance to some of the best antibiotics and…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
Angioplasty procedures rely on stents to keep arteries open, but traditional metal stents remain permanently in the body and can lead to long-term complications. Biodegradable stents offer a…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science Fourth Award
Artificial intelligence hardware is increasingly constrained by the energy cost of data movement: a single DRAM access can consume 200× the energy of an on-chip compute operation. Neuromorph…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science Fourth Award
Scanning transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM) is essential for atomic-scale research that drives advances in energy materials and nanotechnology, but its operation is limited by labor-in…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science Third Award
Globally, every 1 in 10 babies are born prematurely, their lives dependent on neonatal incubators to maintain a high humidity environment and reduce water loss through their immature skin. H…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
Food is a basic requirement of life. Despite several measures being taken to increase productivity and nutrient levels in food, food spoilage along the supply chain remains a major challenge…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
Over 50% of applied fertilizer is lost due to leaching and runoff, causing resource wastage, soil degradation, and water pollution. While there are alternatives in the form of controlled - r…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
DNA nanotechnology is a rapidly developing field with broad applications in medicine and engineering. The field concerns itself with understanding DNA's structural applications through build…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science Fourth Award
Large-scale reforestation efforts often struggle due to the large cost associated with seeding and low growth yield due to pest predation on seeds. To negate pests, blanket application of ch…
CSEF · 2026
Materials Science (Junior Division) Second Award
Cities are often warmer than nearby rural areas because of the urban heat island effect, where buildings, roads, and rooftops absorb solar radiation during the day and release heat slowly at…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science Fourth Award
Microbial contamination in healthcare and marine environments compromises safety and incurs billions in costs. To address this, a parametric study was conducted on eight cast Cu-Zn-Al-Sn all…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
Food spoilage causes over 1.3 billion tons of global waste annually, largely due to microbial growth. This project investigated whether a chitosan-based antimicrobial coating applied to 3D-p…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
Over 62 million tonnes of electronic waste are generated yearly, a figure projected to reach 74 million by 2030, with electronic circuit failure as a leading cause. Such failure is especiall…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science Second Award
Arsenic (As) is a known carcinogen, and its contamination of groundwater is a major global public health concern, with approximately 200 million people at risk of arsenic poisoning. Addressi…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science Third Award
Unexpected polymorphic transitions occur in over 50% of pharmaceutical drugs as they pack themselves into 2+ distinct lattice arrangements. These differing molecular structures destabilize t…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science First Award
The pulp and paper industry drives massive deforestation and CO2 emissions, while 1.3 billion tonnes of biopolymer-rich food waste are discarded annually, representing a vast, untapped resou…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
Medication is one of the most significant inventions in human history, often serving as a lifesaving intervention. However, access to medicine remains a major challenge due to high costs, es…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science Fourth Award
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are anthropogenic contaminants used in superomniphobic products, due to the exceptional stability of their carbon–fluorine bonds, that allow them t…
CSEF · 2026
Materials Science (Junior Division) Honorable_mention Award
Commercial menstrual products contain increasing amounts of synthetics, VOCs, PFAs, and heavy metals, raising safety concerns regarding both environmental and physiological health. The goal…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
Glycerol has become an ideal candidate for bio-polymer synthesis with the growth of the biodiesel industry. Glycerol’s molecular structure allows for easy modification with functional groups…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
Human skin scatters light because of collagen fibers and cellular structures. This can make it hard to utilize noninvasive imaging through skin in the medical industry. This project aimed to…
CSEF · 2026
Materials Science (Junior Division) Third Award
In my project, I investigate the workability of soap. Workable soap is soft enough to easily slice, flexible enough to shape, and stretchy enough to bend without cracking. For three years, I…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science Third Award
Over 2 billion people globally lack access to fresh water, and in recent years, fog harvesting has emerged as a promising solution in water-scarce regions. Yet, the only widely implemented s…
ISEF · 2026
Materials Science
Successful biomedical implant surfaces must have antibacterial and cytocompatible properties to promote cell growth and osseointegration. Titanium, the most commonly used material in biomedi…