Recent materials stuff that intrigued me

* The Quest for a New Class of Superconductors – exploration of materials for higher temp superconductivity – basically trying to find materials that conduct without involving phonons * Silicon nanowire battery with much greater energy density. One example of how messing with the nanostructure of materials can have remarkable impacts * Materials with no thermal expansion * Nanorods as measurement devices – measuring cell ph * extra strong metallic foams – another instance of how messing with nano structure can have remarkable macro effects * Turning diamonds into conducters * High performance carbon nanotube fibers.