Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast

Episode 117: Textiles in Space

04 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The fanciest suit isn't on the runway, it's in orbit. In this follow-up episode, Taylor and Andrew bring back Kate Winning from Oxford Space Systems t...

Episode 116: Textile Materials

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Textiles are all around us, they are literally woven into nearly every part of our daily lives. From the everyday materials in the clothes we wear to ...

Episode 115: Phase Field Modeling

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Many digital models use hard boundaries to simulate how materials change, but the real world is rarely that clean. Phase field modeling takes a more n...

Episode 114: Synchrotron XRD on Demand

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Having access to advanced characterization tools sounds great but sadly they aren't easily attainable. Momentum Transfer seeks to remedy this by offer...

Episode 113: Metal Organic Frameworks

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to pioneers in the field of MOFs, but what exactly is a MOF? We sit down with Dr. Matthew J. Cliffe, an ...

Episode 112: Merging 3D Printing and SPS

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

3D printing and SPS(Spark Plasma Sintering) are two incredible techniques that are best suited for different purposes, but what if there was a way to ...

Episode 111: The Science of Gemstones

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a lot more to gems than just sparkly rocks. While we can’t promise they’ll cleanse bad vibes, we can dive into the incredible science be...

Episode 110: LionGlass

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You may not think of glass production as a significant source of CO₂, but the stats may surprise you. Enter Penn State and their LionGlass, a phosph...

Episode 109: Operando Transmission Electron Microscopy

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Seeing atomic scale interactions in real time may sound like science fiction, but operando TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) has made it science ...

Episode 108: The History of Food Packaging

30 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are surrounded by processed and packaged food, but how did we get here? Inspired by "The Material Advantage " by Bernie Bulkin, Taylor an...

Episode 107: Glass Science with Schott

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Glass is all around us but you may not spend much time thinking about it's history and advancements. In this episode we sit down with Colin Schmucker ...

Episode 106: Photoluminescent Materials

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From glowing plastic stars on bedroom ceilings to quirky novelty items, most of us have encountered the magic of things that shine in the dark but wha...

Episode 105: Cooling Paints

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Just because the temperature is rising doesn’t mean your electric bill has to. Introducing cooling paints: Jared and Andrew discuss how painting you...

Episode 104: The Winding Path to Materials Discovery

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Few things in materials science are more interesting and rewarding than discovering new materials. In this episode, Taylor and Andrew sit down with Pa...

Episode 103: MatterGen

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if you could find materials with tailored properties without ever entering the lab? We sit down with Tian Xie from Microsoft to discuss their new...

Episode 102: Integrating Materials and Manufacturing Innovation

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever read a published paper and wished you had access to the raw data? The journal Integrating Materials and Manufacturing Innovation (IMMI) ...

Episode 101: All About Biomatter

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do we turn plants into plastics and polymers? Find out in this episode as Taylor leaves Utah and ventures to Washington to sit down with Eleftheri...

Episode 100: Materials for Bikes

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From antelope skin chains to full beryllium frames its safe to say bikes and the materials that make them have a fascinating history. Join us as we ce...

Episode 99: Bulk Metallic Glasses

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How does a metal become a glass? By cooling on the order of 10^6 K/s. We sit down with Jan Schroers, a professor of engineering at Yale to discuss the...

Episode 98: Accelerating Catalyst Research with Meta

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What brings a social media company into materials science? In this episode, we talk with Larry Zitnick of Meta's Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) and Aa...

Episode 97: Titanium

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What do a Mach-3 aircraft and a hip replacement have in common? They are both made of titanium. In this episode we dive into this incredible material ...

Episode 96: Spark Ablation with VSParticle

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun (>20,000K), a revolutionary physics-based process is creating the future of nanomaterials - no c...

Episode 95: You Don't Know Anything About Steel

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You probably think you know a lot about steel, you couldn’t be more wrong. In this episode we sit down with Caelan Kennedy from the Steel Founders’...

Episode 94: An Introduction to Quantum Materials

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Quantum isn't just a buzzword used in the movies. In this episode we are joined by Jason Khoury, Assistant Professor at Arizona State University, he h...

Episode 93: An Introduction to Pyrometallurgy

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Pyrometallurgy is one of the oldest branches of materials science, yet it is constantly evolving. Join us as we take a broad look at the process of tr...

Episode 92: The Quest for Pure Uranium

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we explore the story of Harley Wilhelm, an unsung hero of the Manhattan Project. Discover how the Ames Process revolutionized the pro...

Episode 91: High Entropy Alloys

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new class of material doesn't show up often. In this episode, we dive into the revolutionary discovery of high entropy alloys (HEAs) that revitalize...

Episode 90: The Big Dig Incident

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Choosing the wrong material can have dire consequences. In this episode of our failure series, we discuss how the incorrect choice of epoxy led to a c...

Episode 89: Special Applications of Microscopy Technologies

10 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Electron microscopy is almost a century old, but it continues to play a role in exciting new developments that extend its use well beyond its original...

Episode 88: Accelerating Materials Discovery with Microsoft

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The discovery of new materials is an immense challenge, with a vast design space and numerous success criteria. Microsoft has recently demonstrated an...

Episode 87: Stories of a Materials Salesman

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Designing a great material is only half the battle, now you need to sell it. In this episode we sat down with Dan Wilson from Sintx and took a dive in...

Episode 86: PHAs and Biodegradable Plastic

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The challenge of plastic pollution in our environment will be a defining issue in the coming decades. To address this problem, scientists have develop...

Episode 85: Electron Backscatter Diffraction

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There’s more to a material’s microstructure than meets the eye! In this episode of the Materialism Podcast we dive into the world of Electron Back...

Episode 84: The ICME Method with QuesTek

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Meeting the demands of next-generation technologies will require materials to be designed and qualified at faster rates than ever before. The ICME (in...

Episode 83: Computed Tomography at Zeiss

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Examining the inside of a material is often a destructive process that risks obscuring or deforming critical details. However, advances in computed to...

Episode 82: Radar Absorbing Materials

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The ability to avoid detection is one of the most useful tricks of modern day combat aviation. In this episode we dive into some of the history of var...

Episode 81: New Materials for Carbon Capture

29 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor sits down with Dr. Hayden Evans of NIST and Sir Dr. Anthony Cheetham of UCSB/Cambridge/National University of Singapore to talk about their res...

Episode 80: Ceramic Innovation with Delta Faucet

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join us as we speak to Delta Faucet about a new way of ceramics processing. Learn how the process works and why they aren't pursuing it further at the...

Episode 79: Cryogenic Milling at Cal Nano

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cryogenic Milling, the name may be self explanatory but the process is not. We sit down with Eric Eyerman CEO of at Cal Nano to talk about what Cryoge...

Episode 78: Flash Sintering at Lucideon

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Delve into the new (ish) exciting world of flash sintering and learn how it compares to Spark Plasma Sintering. Also get ready for a little history le...

Episode 77: Circular Construction Economy

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The way in which we are using resources to produce materials is putting unsustainable strain on the ecosystem. The circular economy has the potential ...

Episode 76: Industrial Symbiosis

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There must be closer collaboration between industries and more efficient use of resources to achieve more sustainable industry for the future. Industr...

Episode 75: Large Language Models in Materials Science

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Every aspect of our life has recently been flooded with new AI driven tools as ChatGPT continues to spread. The question is can Materials Science bene...

Episode 74: Digital Tools for MSE

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There are many benefits for the adoption of digital tools, including machine learning, in materials production and development. However, widespread us...

Episode 73: Bio-Inspired Concrete

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Concrete is an essential material in modern society. It is the second most used material after water and it’s demand continues to increase. However,...

Episode 72: Importance of Cross-Sector Collaboration

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The UK foundation industries (chemicals, ceramics, glass, paper, cement and metals) face common challenges to ensure they benefit in the transformatio...

Episode 71: Automating Materials Discovery

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Autonomous labs are poised to revolutionize materials and chemistry research. Tools are both less expensive than they once were, and the techniques to...

Episode 70: Nickel Superalloys at General Electric

17 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Modern engineers work in environments that most metals simply can't withstand. What do you do when you need a metal to go to incredibly high temperatu...

Episode 69: Manufacturing Monitoring at Gefran, Inc.

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Manufacturing mistakes can be costly to both time and money but a large one can even injure or kill workers. The bets way to combat mistakes is to mon...

Episode 68: Thermal Spray Coatings at General Electric

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Learn what Thermal Spray is and how GE is leveraging it in their new projects. From the various types of ignition and feed material to new ways of bon...

Episode 67: Additive Manufacturing at General Electric

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Additive manufacturing is spreading to every industry and is evolving way past the stringy plastic prints of the past. Learn how GE is utilizing this ...

Episode 66: Ceramic Matrix Composites at General Electric

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ceramics are an incredibly useful yet notoriously difficult material to work with. Learn how the researches at GE are utilizing CMCs to help increase ...

Episode 65: Fusion Reactor Materials

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In light of the recent breakthrough we sit down to discuss the state of fusion as it relates to the materials that makes it possible. From the harsh e...

Episode 64: Bulletproof Materials

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew and Jared are back! After inspiration from the documentary known as Mad Max: Fury Road and The Dark Knight Trilogy we are taking a look at mate...

Episode 63: Spark Plasma Sintering at Cal Nano

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We partnered with the CalNano to revisit Spark Plasma Sintering. How has the industry changed since we last discussed it? What is CalNano doing specif...

Episode 62: Publishing in Scientific Journals

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this special out of studio episode, Taylor sits down with Marlene Silva(publisher for Materials Today) and Susan Sinnott(department head and profe...

Episode 61: Catalysis at the Toyota Research Institute

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We partnered with the Toyota Research Institute to take a dive into the science behind catalysis with researcher Joseph Montoya. Learn how catalytic c...

Episode 60: Materials Modeling at General Electric

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At a time where longevity and product life cycle is becoming increasingly important, learn how materials life can be modeled well before the productio...

Episode 59: Photovoltaic Materials

29 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We all know that solar panels take heat from the sun and turn it into energy/ What you may not know is the science behind that process and the materia...

Episode 58: Materials Informatics at General Electric

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How does a company like GE use machine learning to further their research into new materials and technology? Find out in the first episode of our Gene...

Bonus: Why is Materials Science Important?

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode Taylor is interviewed by the "Breaking Math" podcast about why he is so passionate about the study of materials. You c...

Episode 57: Paper's Possibilities

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Papers future is not written in stone. Taylor sits down with Phil Wild of James Cropper to discuss the past of the company as well as the future and i...

Episode 56: Ceramic Dental Composites

03 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor and Ramsey take you on a journey through the world of modern dentistry. Learn how we evolved from honey to complex composites for teeth repair....

Episode 55: Ceramics in Real Time

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Anyone who has worked with ceramics knows that they are notoriously difficult to work with and gain data on. We sit down with Daniele Paganelli to dis...

Episode 54: μ: Getting The Most Out Of Conferences

15 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew and Taylor come to you from a garage in sunny California to tell you all about conferences. What should you do there? How do you handle hard qu...

Episode 53: μ: The Science of Ski Wax

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Does ski wax harm the ecosystem? What can we do to create a more eco friendly solution? Ramsey and Professor Jeff Bates of the University of Utah chat...

Episode 52: μ: Storing Nuclear Waste

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How do you contain waste that remains hazardous for more than 100,000 years? For decades, the question of what to do with high-level nuclear waste has...

Episode 51: Reverse Engineering Nature's Peel

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We all have experienced the pain of buying produce only for it to spoil before we can finish eating all of it. Apeel Sciences seeks to remedy this by ...

Episode 50: Materialism Retrospective

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A slightly different take on the podcast. Join the gang as we celebrate 50 episodes and dive back through the history of how it all started. Learn the...

Episode 49: μ: Securing Metals Supply

10 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A recent report in the Wall Street Journal pointed out that building one wind turbine requires 900 tons of steel, 2,500 tons of concrete and 45 tons o...

Episode 48: Thermal Barrier Coatings

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know turbine blades operate in environments above their melting temperature? The secret is a barrier, no thicker than your fingernail, that in...

Episode 47: μ: Better Polystyrene Recycling

08 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor and Andrew sit down with Cassie Bradley of INEOS Styrolution to talk about improving polystyrene and reducing its ecological footprint. Article...

Episode 46: Better Nuclear Fuel

13 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Are materials the solution to better, safer nuclear fuels? The tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) fuel particle is the product of a variety of materials...

Episode 45: μ: Was the Challenger an engineering failure?

25 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Space Shuttle Challengers Explosion rocked America to its core. Was this issue actually caused by engineering or was it a management mistake. Delv...

Episode 44: Digital Image Correlation

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine mounting a pair of cameras to watch your sample as it's deformed and recovering microscale information about the strain! That is exactly what ...

Episode 43: Geopolymers

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Geopolymers are a unique class of materials that may offer a solution to environmental issues in the industrial sector including cement substitutes th...

Episode 42: μ: What Really Sunk the Titanic?

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The sinking of the Titanic is one of the great catastrophes of the modern era. In this latest mini-series on failure of materials, we ask the question...

Episode 41: 3D Printing Case Studies

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After the popular 3D printing episode the gang dives into a conversation about what 3D printing can be used for. Ranging from Aerospace to organs to e...

Episode 40: μ: Aviation Crack Growth

22 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Take a dive into the history of fatigue crack growth with Jared and Taylor. Featuring the history of the equations and the applications they saw in th...

Episode 39: Reshaping Energy Storage

05 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor and Jared give a brief overview of current energy storage devices and the materials that makes them work. Then they dive into an interview with...

Episode 38: μ: Silicon Chip Shortage

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Join Jared, Ramsey, and Andrew in a new type of Micro for a more laidback conversation about the silicon chip shortage plaguing the global economy. Le...

Episode 37: 3D Printing Deep Dive

06 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We finally get to our most requested topic, 3D-printing! This is the first episode in a two part series on 3D printing. This will cover the science an...

Episode 36: μ: Magnetocaloric Materials

27 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor and Ramsey look into the future of refrigeration and how magnetocaloric materials will drive a more efficient system. How soon will you be repl...

Episode 35: Spark Plasma Sintering

01 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A look into Spark "Plasma" Sintering and why the name is a misnomer. Follow the history as it goes from Mayan jewelry making all the way to ...

Episode 34: μ: Cookware

24 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ramsey and Andrew take a look into the surprising science that helps make cooking as easy as can be. They explain the dangers that cooking with some o...

Episode 33: Photography

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The development of photography is inextricably linked to the development of advanced materials and chemicals. In this episode, Andrew and Jared discus...

Episode 32: μ: The Elixir of Civilization

16 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A review of the book "Scientific Freedom: The Elixir of Civilization" by Donald Braben. Taylor and Andrew dive into the radical ideas Braben...

Episode 31: Ionic Conduction

04 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Diffusion is when atoms move through a material in response to a concentration gradient. However, some ions can move through a material in response to...

Episode 30: μ: Engineering a Better Skateboard

18 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Skateboards have some cutting edge polymers, ceramics, metals, & composites. Wood vs carbon-fiber composite lay-ups? Silicon nitride vs steel ball...

Episode 29: Superconducting Materials

07 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Few topics have captivated the imagination of scientists like superconductivity. In this episode, we cover the history of superconductors starting wit...

Episode 28: μ: Investing in Materials Startups

23 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Every new startup requires capital, but most venture capital groups are very cautious about investing in materials companies due to the typically long...

Episode 27: The Materials of Cosplay

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Halloween is right around the corner and like many of you, we’ve been hard at work on our spooky costumes! If you’ve ever been to Comic-Con you’...

Episode 26: μ: When Materials Failure Leads to Wildfire

19 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When you hear of massive wildfires you probably think of the usual suspects: lightning, a campfire carelessly left unattended, maybe a cigarette butt ...

Episode 25: The Materials of Art

05 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Can art make you a better scientist? Can an understanding of materials science make you a better artist? We think so! So does Darryl Butt, dean of the...

Episode 24: μ: Bio-Inspired Materials

18 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In our pursuit of materials design, who better to imitate than Mother Nature? Biomimetic, or bioinspired materials are making huge strides in material...

Episode 23: μ: Bioprinting

21 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Printing human organs? Replacing worn-out body parts with fresh, newly printed ones? This sounds like science fiction but in some ways, it's already h...

Episode 22: Vulcanized Rubber

03 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We usually take modern rubber for granted, but in this episode, Jared and Andrew dive into the incredible history of this miracle material. They discu...

Episode 21: μ: Auxetics

22 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This episode covers a fascinating class of materials called auxetics. Experience tells us that when we pull a material in tension, it should shrink; a...

Episode 20: Materials Informatics

06 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Materials Informatics is the application of data science tools and techniques to materials research. In this episode, we examine how the uses of machi...

Episode 19: μ: Filtering Out The Bad

15 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How do N95 masks work? In this episode we dive into the science of diffusion and the materials that are used to control it. With the lingering threat ...