Oxford Materials

13/08/2026

Good luck to everyone recieving their A Level results today!

If you're to read Materials Science, post a 'hello': we're looking forward to you joining!

See you soon!

24/07/2026

AI: ever-evolving, always adapting. We are too.

Find out more: https://www.mpls.ox.ac.uk/women-in-ai/



University of Oxford Oxford Sparks

15/07/2026

More sustainable and efficient solar panels? Yes please!

Click on the link below to read about how tandem solar cells are a game-changer:

'Solar energy will become one of the world's largest sources of electricity over the coming decade. If we want to build the next generation of yet higher efficiency, more reliable, and better cost solar panels at the scale needed to tackle climate change, we must ensure they rely on materials that a...

08/07/2026

📢 Registration is now open for the 14th Oxford Energy Day!

Join-in on Thursday 17 September 2026 at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford (OX2 6GG) for a day of discussion, collaboration and insight on this year's theme: ' Towards resilient energy systems: research, policy and practice'.

The event will bringing together researchers, policymakers, industry professionals and practitioners. Oxford Energy Day explores the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of energy systems.

✅ Free to attend

🔗 Register here: https://shorturl.at/dg02P.

19/06/2026

We enjoyed watching this film by Stanislaw Zankowski, and think you will too!

Click below to watch, and find out how backscattered electron imaging can make the absolutely minute in a sample clearly visible to researchers - in this case polymeric binders within battery electrodes.

VIDEO SERIES: Advanced Characterisation & Fabrication Techniques. E...

08/06/2026

Net Zero aviation: is it pie in the sky, or a genuine scientific aim?

Listen to Dr Tamsin Whitfield as she discusses her research with Oxford Sparks

In 2022, 7% of the UK's total carbon emissions came from the aviation sector - a figure that's on the rise.

02/06/2026

The has announced a major extension to the SOLBAT programme, worth £15.7M to 2030.

Working with Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK and Gelion plc, and supported by the UK Battery Innovation Programme, the project will integrate Gelion's nano-encapsulated sulfur cathode technology into next generation solid-state battery systems. This will be combined with Nissan's advanced battery development capabilities, and Oxford's expertise in lithium alloys and interphases for solid-state batteries.

This coordinated national investment reflects a strategic commitment to advancing the UK's progress with next-generation battery technologies.

Read more on our website: https://www.materials.ox.ac.uk/article/a-new-phase-for-solid-state-batteries.

20/05/2026

Dust, leaves and shade used to be the kryptonite of solar panels - but not for much longer!

The City University of Hong Kong and University of Oxford 's Department of Materials have been working on overcoming this problem with tandem solar cells. If the tandem panels become as robust as the mainstream silicon versions, we could all be paying a lot less for electricity by the mid 2030s, and not need to rely on burning fossil fuels.

Intrigued? Find out more on our website: https://www.materials.ox.ac.uk/article/next-generation-solar-panels

14/05/2026

The has announced a major extension to the SOLBAT programme, worth £15.7M to 2030.
Working with Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK and Gelion plc, and supported by the UK Battery Innovation Programme, the project will integrate Gelion's nano-encapsulated sulfur cathode technology into next generation solid-state battery systems. This will be combined with Nissan's advanced battery development capabilities, and Oxford's expertise in lithium alloys and interphases for solid-state batteries.

This coordinated national investment reflects a strategic commitment to advancing the UK's progress with next-generation battery technologies.

Read more on our website: https://www.materials.ox.ac.uk/article/a-new-phase-for-solid-state-batteries.

06/05/2026

Imagine photonic chips which are programmable after manufacture.

It might seem like science fiction, but Harvard Hem Toftevaag and colleagues have made considerable strides towards achieving this aim.

Read more in Science Advances: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aec7329

Nonvolatile phase-change photonics enable ultracompact, zero–static power programmable networks for scalable photonic computing.