Latest news from Penn State Materials Research Institute on News en-us Copyright 2024 News 115 31 / /images/newswise-logo-rss.gif /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 10:05:44 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 /articles/backyard-insect-inspires-invisibility-devices-next-gen-tech/?sc=rsin /articles/backyard-insect-inspires-invisibility-devices-next-gen-tech/?sc=rsin Mon, 18 Mar 2024 15:05:50 EST Leafhoppers, a common backyard insect, secrete and coat themselves in tiny mysterious particles that could provide both the inspiration and the instructions for next-generation technology, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/integrating-dimensions-to-get-more-out-of-moore-s-law-and-advance-electronics/?sc=rsin /articles/integrating-dimensions-to-get-more-out-of-moore-s-law-and-advance-electronics/?sc=rsin Thu, 11 Jan 2024 13:05:28 EST Today's most advanced chips house nearly 50 billion transistors within a space no larger than your thumbnail. The task of cramming even more transistors into that confined area has become more and more difficult, according to Penn State researchers. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/materials-research-institute-names-2023-roy-award-winners/?sc=rsin /articles/materials-research-institute-names-2023-roy-award-winners/?sc=rsin Mon, 11 Dec 2023 10:05:58 EST Six Penn State materials researchers have received the 2023 Rustum and Della Roy Innovation in Materials Research Award, covering a wide range of research with societal impact. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/nih-diversity-grant-to-fund-student-s-3d-bioprinting-research/?sc=rsin /articles/nih-diversity-grant-to-fund-student-s-3d-bioprinting-research/?sc=rsin Thu, 07 Dec 2023 12:05:53 EST Bioprinted, lab-grown networks of blood vessels in tissue could advance research on a variety of vascular diseases that affect millions of people worldwide, according to Angie Castro, a doctoral student pursuing a degree in chemical engineering at Penn State. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/tiny-bubbles-could-reveal-immune-cell-secrets-and-improve-treatments/?sc=rsin /articles/tiny-bubbles-could-reveal-immune-cell-secrets-and-improve-treatments/?sc=rsin Thu, 07 Dec 2023 12:05:49 EST Realizing the full potential of macrophage therapies relies on being able to see what these cellular allies are doing inside our bodies, and a team of Penn State researchers may have developed a way to watch them do their thing. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/can-ai-crave-a-favorite-food/?sc=rsin /articles/can-ai-crave-a-favorite-food/?sc=rsin Thu, 07 Dec 2023 12:05:21 EST Can artificial intelligence (AI) get hungry? Develop a taste for certain foods? Not yet, but a team of Penn State researchers is developing a novel electronic tongue that mimics how taste influences what we eat based on both needs and wants, providing a possible blueprint for AI that processes information more like a human being. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/thicker-denser-better-new-electrodes-may-hold-key-to-advanced-batteries/?sc=rsin /articles/thicker-denser-better-new-electrodes-may-hold-key-to-advanced-batteries/?sc=rsin Mon, 28 Aug 2023 16:35:55 EST To improve battery performance and production, Penn State researchers and collaborators have developed a new fabrication approach that could make for more efficient batteries that maintain energy and power levels. Penn State Materials Research Institute /articles/mussels-inspire-an-eco-friendly-way-to-extract-critical-rare-earth-elements/?sc=rsin /articles/mussels-inspire-an-eco-friendly-way-to-extract-critical-rare-earth-elements/?sc=rsin Fri, 11 Aug 2023 09:00:22 EST For clean, environmentally friendly rare earth element extraction, Penn State researchers found inspiration under the sea: mussel stickiness. Penn State Materials Research Institute