World Solve

Shipping structural habitat materials from Earth is cost-prohibitive. We must develop 3D-sintering or concrete binder technologies that use local soil to withstand vacuum pressure and severe thermal cycling.

Missions passing from the inner solar system to the deep outer cold face severe thermal swings that degrade instruments. Variable emissivity smart materials and active thermal fluid loops are needed.

Micrometeorite punctures or radiation micro-cracking can cause catastrophic slow pressure leaks in space habitats. Elastomeric polymers embedded with self-healing microcapsules need to be validated in orbit.

Many products marketed as biodegradable still break down into tiny plastic particles that persist in the environment for years. A truly safe, fully compostable packaging material remains elusive at scale.

Manufacturing solar panels currently involves energy-intensive processes and some toxic materials, undercutting part of their environmental benefit. A cleaner production process would make solar energy's benefits more complete.

Biodegradable packaging alternatives exist but often don't yet match the protective qualities of traditional plastic needed to keep food safe and fresh for the same duration. Closing this performance gap remains an unresolved materials science challenge.

Many e-waste recycling operations, particularly in lower-income countries, expose workers to toxic materials with inadequate safety protections. Making this growing industry both effective and safe for workers remains an unresolved labor and environmental issue.

Sustainable building materials often cost more or aren't as widely available as traditional concrete and steel, slowing their adoption across the construction industry. Making green materials the default rather than the premium choice remains unresolved.

Certain rare minerals essential for chip production are concentrated in regions with political instability or poor labor practices, creating both ethical and supply chain risks. Finding viable alternatives or more responsible sourcing remains unresolved.

Recycling facilities still rely heavily on human sorters because robotic systems struggle to reliably distinguish between similar-looking but differently recyclable materials. Improving this accuracy could significantly increase recycling efficiency worldwide.

Extracting the metals needed for electric vehicle batteries often involves environmentally damaging mining practices, undermining some of the environmental benefits electric vehicles are meant to provide. Finding cleaner extraction or alternative materials remains an unresolved sustainability challenge.

Old phones, laptops, and batteries pile up in landfills, leaking toxic materials while valuable metals inside go to waste. A cheap, safe recycling process could turn a growing pollution problem into a resource stream.

A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for materials enabling efficient and durable electrochemical synthesis of ammonia and fuels. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.

Current approaches to technologies for the selective recovery of valuable materials from complex waste streams either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.

Current approaches to biotechnologies enabling the production of high-value materials from captured carbon dioxide either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.

Develop affordable, durable coatings, roofs, walls, and textiles that reduce indoor heat without high energy use or toxic material tradeoffs.

Develop drainage, runway materials, power backup, communications, and financing approaches for airports essential to island connectivity and disaster response.

Develop materials, inspection methods, protective coatings, financing, and maintenance plans for roads, ports, bridges, and water systems exposed to salt and humidity.

Create systems to track quality, environmental impact, labor conditions, and price integrity for sand, cement, steel, timber, and aggregates.

The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for biotechnologies for producing high-performance materials from renewable feedstocks creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.