Cell-inspired material captures energy and releases it on demand
June 11, 2026
Shape-shifting liquid transforms into an energy-rich gel that stores power for months
Scientists in the Stupp Lab have developed a new liquid material that charges like a battery, transforms like a living organism and then resets itself in open air.
Traditionally, harvesting energy, storing it and using it require separate materials or devices. The new platform merges all three functions into a single material, opening the door for adaptive, clean, renewable systems that don’t require plastics or metals.
To design the material, the researchers drew inspiration from the cytoskeleton — a cell’s dynamic internal scaffold that enables it to maintain its shape, move and divide. Unlike animals’ rigid skeletons, cytoskeletons constantly build, dismantle and rebuild themselves. Northwestern’s new material behaves in a similar way, repeatedly assembling and disassembling as it stores and releases energy. But instead of running on biological fuels, it is powered by electrons harvested from sunlight, electricity, X-rays and other energy sources.
After absorbing energy, the yellow liquid material transforms into a black gel that can store energy for months. Then users can tap that stored energy to drive chemical reactions, much like drawing electricity from a battery. To reset the process, the material simply needs oxygen from open air, which causes the gel to dissolve back into liquid. Then, the material can be recharged and used again and again.