ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JANUARY 2026 7 living material. By genetically modifying the bacterial spores’ surface, the team added the needed functionality. Also, the genetic engineering step enhanced the spores’ ability to bind to the cellulose. “At this stage, our work is at a proof-of-concept level in the laboratory,” says researcher Jeong-Joo Oh. “To use these materials in concrete, for instance, they should match the strength of existing building materials. But the results are already very promising.” www.tudelft.nl. NEW ALLOY DESIGN FOR SOLID-STATE BATTERIES Engineers at the University of California (UC) San Diego, along with colleagues at UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, and LG Energy Solution, developed a novel design strategy for metal alloy negative electrodes. They say the new approach could significantly improve the performance and durability of next-generation solid-state batteries. The work could also help advance progress toward practical, high-performance energy storage for electric vehicles. The team focused on negative electrodes made of lithium-aluminum alloy. They studied how lithium ions move through different phases of the material—a lithium-rich beta phase and lithium-poor alpha phase—and how these phases influence the battery’s performance. By adjusting the ratio of lithium to aluminum, the researchers were able to control distribution of the alloy’s beta phase. The team found that increasing the proportion of the beta phase greatly enhanced the movement of lithium within the metal alloy, as it provided pathways for lithium ions to diffuse up to 10 billion times faster than through the alpha phase. The beta phase also led to denser, more stable electrode structures and enhanced channels of lithium diffusion between the electrode and solid electrolyte. In tests, batteries with beta phase-enriched lithium-aluminum alloy electrodes demonstrated high charge-discharge rates and maintained capacity over 2000 cycles. This is the first study to establish a correlation between the distribution of the beta phase and lithium diffusion behavior in lithium- aluminum alloys, the scientists noted. The findings could guide the design of future alloy-based electrodes with higher energy density, faster charge times, and longer lifespans. ucsd.edu. Microscope images and illustrations of a lithiumaluminum alloy electrode with enhanced lithium diffusion pathways. Courtesy of Yuju Jeon. NASA low outgassing Per ASTM E595 standards Electrically insulative Volume resistivity, 75°F >1015 ohm-cm Very low CTE, 75°F 10-13 x 10-6 in/in/°C Two Part EP30LTE-2 for PRECISE ALIGNMENT LOW CTE EPOXY Hackensack, NJ 07601 USA • +1.201.343.8983 • main masterbond.com www.masterbond.com flowable system for bonding, potting & encapsulation
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