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2018’s Best Materials Stories

In this age of bioplastics, nanolaminates and leather grown from mushrooms, now is an exciting time to be a designer (assuming you’ve got the juice to spec materials). The trend for researchers to develop stronger, cheaper and/or more sustainable materials for us to make stuff out of is a positive one, and one that we as designers are uniquely in a position to help promote. Here are some of the best materials breakthroughs we saw this year:

Bambooee: Reusable, Cleanable Paper Towels Made from Bamboo

Chinese Scientists Develop Wood Composite Made with the Help of Crabs and Shrimp

From Tree Fibers and Crab Shells, Georgia Tech Researchers Develop Bioplastic Film for Food Packaging

Making Time for Bio-Plastics: Mondaine Experiments with a Castor-Oil-Based Watch

New Materials: Modumetal’s Nanolaminate Alloys, Grown in a Tank, Outperform Steel

Sustainable Mushroom-Grown Leather

This Paint Can Store and Give Off Light for 12 Hours

The Lifestyle Applications of Dyneema