display Latest news from Penn State Materials Research Institute on News en-us Copyright 2025 News 115 31 / /images/newswise-logo-rss.gif /articles/material-s-incipient-property-could-jumpstart-fast-low-power-electronics/?sc=rsin /articles/material-s-incipient-property-could-jumpstart-fast-low-power-electronics/?sc=rsin Fri, 14 Mar 2025 08:40:12 EST Scientists at Penn State have harnessed a unique property called incipient ferroelectricity to create a new type of computer memory that could revolutionize how electronic devices work, such as using much less energy and operating in extreme environments like outer space. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/nanodot-control-could-fine-tune-light-for-sharper-displays-quantum-computing/?sc=rsin /articles/nanodot-control-could-fine-tune-light-for-sharper-displays-quantum-computing/?sc=rsin Thu, 13 Mar 2025 21:05:37 EST Newly achieved precise control over light emitted from incredibly tiny sources, a few nanometers in size, embedded in two-dimensional (2D) materials could lead to remarkably high-resolution monitors and advances in ultra-fast quantum computing, according to an international team led by researchers at Penn State and Universite Paris-Saclay. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/penn-state-to-establish-new-advanced-semiconductor-lab/?sc=rsin /articles/penn-state-to-establish-new-advanced-semiconductor-lab/?sc=rsin Thu, 13 Mar 2025 20:15:36 EST Penn State researchers aim to enhance the University's research and development capabilities in next-generation semiconductor technology thanks to $4.3 million in infrastructure funding and in-kind support through the University's membership in MMEC, a consortium of regional partners focused on microelectronics research and development. The funding from MMEC, part of a broader initiative under the Department of Defense Microelectronics Commons effort under the federal CHIPS Act, will help the University establish an advanced lab for semiconductor thin films and device research in the Materials Research Institute's (MRI) facilities in the Millennium Science Complex at University Park. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/3m-grant-targets-integrated-semiconductor-for-smarter-greener-electronics/?sc=rsin /articles/3m-grant-targets-integrated-semiconductor-for-smarter-greener-electronics/?sc=rsin Fri, 07 Feb 2025 18:10:55 EST The microelectronics industry is nearing a tipping point. The silicon chips at the heart of everyday electronic devices are running into performance limits, raising the need for new materials and technologies to continue making faster, more efficient devices. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/new-smart-sensor-takes-the-pain-out-of-wound-monitoring/?sc=rsin /articles/new-smart-sensor-takes-the-pain-out-of-wound-monitoring/?sc=rsin Fri, 07 Feb 2025 18:05:27 EST Researchers from Penn State and China's Hebei University of Technology addressed this issue by uncovering a new property of a sensor material, enabling the team to develop a new type of flexible sensor that can accurately measure both temperature and physical strain simultaneously but separately to pinpoint various signals more precisely. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/graduate-student-s-materials-science-research-recognized-by-national-society/?sc=rsin /articles/graduate-student-s-materials-science-research-recognized-by-national-society/?sc=rsin Fri, 07 Feb 2025 17:50:01 EST Mingyu Yu, doctoral candidate in materials science and engineering at Penn State, recently received the Graduate Student Research Award from the professional society AVS: Science and Technology of Materials, Interfaces and Processing for innovative research in two-dimensional materials. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/straining-a-material-s-atomic-arrangement-may-make-for-cleaner-smarter-devices/?sc=rsin /articles/straining-a-material-s-atomic-arrangement-may-make-for-cleaner-smarter-devices/?sc=rsin Fri, 06 Dec 2024 09:00:33 EST What's the best way to precisely manipulate a material's properties to the desired state? It may be straining the material's atomic arrangement, according to a team led by researchers at Penn State. The team discovered that "atomic spray painting" of potassium niobate, a material used in advanced electronics, could tune the resulting thin films with exquisite control. The finding, published in Advanced Materials, could drive environmentally friendly advancements in consumer electronics, medical devices and quantum computing, the researchers said. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/squishy-microgels-in-granular-biomaterials-confine-and-direct-cell-behavior/?sc=rsin /articles/squishy-microgels-in-granular-biomaterials-confine-and-direct-cell-behavior/?sc=rsin Tue, 26 Nov 2024 09:45:31 EST A simple biomaterial-based strategy that can influence the behavior of cells could pave the way for more effective medical treatments such as wound healing, cancer therapy and even organ regeneration, according to a research team at Penn State. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/1-5m-nsf-grant-to-launch-ai-designed-biosensor-research-project/?sc=rsin /articles/1-5m-nsf-grant-to-launch-ai-designed-biosensor-research-project/?sc=rsin Wed, 16 Oct 2024 11:30:59 EST To enhance biosensor development via artificial intelligence (AI) and offer STEM education opportunities to K-12 students from underserved communities, the U.S. National Science Foundation recently awarded researchers at Penn State a three-year, $1.5 million grant. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/penn-state-hotline-give-apply-this-is-penn-state-academics-admission-tuition-and-aid-research-athletics-news-materials-research-institute-revamping-an-old-technique-to-see-battery-design-in-a-new-way/?sc=rsin /articles/penn-state-hotline-give-apply-this-is-penn-state-academics-admission-tuition-and-aid-research-athletics-news-materials-research-institute-revamping-an-old-technique-to-see-battery-design-in-a-new-way/?sc=rsin Wed, 16 Oct 2024 10:35:24 EST Batteries power everything from smartphones to electric vehicles, with their performance hinging on the critical interface between the electrode and electrolyte. Penn State and industry researchers have developed a method to observe this interface at a higher resolution, which could potentially reveal new ways to improve battery efficiency and lifespan. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/butterfly-inspired-ai-technology-takes-flight/?sc=rsin /articles/butterfly-inspired-ai-technology-takes-flight/?sc=rsin Wed, 16 Oct 2024 08:20:53 EST When it comes to mating, two things matter for Heliconius butterflies: the look and the smell of their potential partner. The black and orange butterflies have incredibly small brains, yet they must process both sensory inputs at the same time -- which is more than current artificial intelligence (AI) technologies can achieve without significant energy consumption. To make AI as smart as the butterflies, a team of Penn State researchers has created a multi-sensory AI platform that is both more advanced and uses less energy than other AI technologies. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/silicon-carbide-innovation-alliance-to-drive-industrial-scale-semiconductor-work/?sc=rsin /articles/silicon-carbide-innovation-alliance-to-drive-industrial-scale-semiconductor-work/?sc=rsin Tue, 15 Oct 2024 17:10:16 EST Known for its ability to withstand extreme environments and high voltages, silicon carbide (SiC) is a semiconducting material made up of silicon and carbon atoms arranged into crystals that is increasingly becoming essential to modern technologies like electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, telecommunications infrastructure and microelectronics. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/grant-to-help-penn-state-build-semiconductor-workforce-in-pennsylvania2/?sc=rsin /articles/grant-to-help-penn-state-build-semiconductor-workforce-in-pennsylvania2/?sc=rsin Tue, 15 Oct 2024 17:05:16 EST The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded $600,000 to Penn State's Silicon Carbide Innovation Alliance (SCIA) to develop a series of educational courses, workshops, and paid academic and industrial internships focused on workforce development in Pennsylvania for the growing semiconductor industry. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/water-free-manufacturing-approach-could-help-advance-2d-electronics-integration/?sc=rsin /articles/water-free-manufacturing-approach-could-help-advance-2d-electronics-integration/?sc=rsin Mon, 30 Sep 2024 09:05:29 EST The future of technology has an age-old problem: rust. When iron-containing metal reacts with oxygen and moisture, the resulting corrosion greatly impedes the longevity and use of parts in the automotive industry. While it's not called "rust" in the semiconductor industry, oxidation is especially problematic in two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor materials, which control the flow of electricity in electronic devices, because any corrosion can render the atomic-thin material useless. Now, a team of academic and enterprise researchers has developed a synthesis process to produce a "rust-resistant" coating with additional properties ideal for creating faster, more durable electronics. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/grant-to-help-penn-state-build-semiconductor-workforce-in-pennsylvania/?sc=rsin /articles/grant-to-help-penn-state-build-semiconductor-workforce-in-pennsylvania/?sc=rsin Tue, 13 Aug 2024 10:05:43 EST The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded $600,000 to Penn State's Silicon Carbide Innovation Alliance (SCIA) to develop a series of educational courses, workshops, and paid academic and industrial internships focused on workforce development in Pennsylvania for the growing semiconductor industry. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/atoms-in-advanced-alloys-find-preferred-neighbors-when-solidifying/?sc=rsin /articles/atoms-in-advanced-alloys-find-preferred-neighbors-when-solidifying/?sc=rsin Thu, 08 Aug 2024 11:05:33 EST A discovery that uncovered the surprising way atoms arrange themselves and find their preferred neighbors in multi-principal element alloys (MPEA) could enable engineers to "tune" these unique and useful materials for enhanced performance in specific applications ranging from advanced power plants to aerospace technologies, according to the researchers who made the finding. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/advanced-materials-research-poised-to-revolutionize-technology-and-society/?sc=rsin /articles/advanced-materials-research-poised-to-revolutionize-technology-and-society/?sc=rsin Wed, 07 Aug 2024 11:05:32 EST Transition metal carbides (TMCs) and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are emerging as key players with transformative potential across various industries. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/better-than-graphene-material-development-may-improve-implantable-technology/?sc=rsin /articles/better-than-graphene-material-development-may-improve-implantable-technology/?sc=rsin Wed, 22 May 2024 14:05:58 EST Move over, graphene. There's a new, improved two-dimensional material in the lab. Borophene, the atomically thin version of boron first synthesized in 2015, is more conductive, thinner, lighter, stronger and more flexible than graphene, the 2D version of carbon. Now, researchers at Penn State have made the material potentially more useful by imparting chirality -- or handedness -- on it, which could make for advanced sensors and implantable medical devices. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/surprising-hidden-activity-of-semiconductor-material-spotted-by-researchers/?sc=rsin /articles/surprising-hidden-activity-of-semiconductor-material-spotted-by-researchers/?sc=rsin Thu, 02 May 2024 17:05:18 EST Using advanced imaging techniques, an international team led by Penn State researchers found that the material that a semiconductor chip device is built on, called the substrate, responds to changes in electricity much like the semiconductor on top of it. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/combining-novel-biomaterial-and-microsurgery-might-enable-faster-tissue-recovery/?sc=rsin /articles/combining-novel-biomaterial-and-microsurgery-might-enable-faster-tissue-recovery/?sc=rsin Mon, 25 Mar 2024 10:05:00 EST For soft tissue to recover and regrow, it needs blood vessels to grow to deliver oxygen and nutrients. Sluggish vascularization, however, can slow or even prevent recovery and regrowth of lost or damaged soft tissue after a severe injury or serious illness such as cancer. Penn State Materials Research Institute