Event lifts curtain on a bright future for materials research
By Jamie Oberdick
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — You are reading this because of materials.
Penn State leads semiconductor packaging, heterogeneous integration center (JUMP 2.0)
By Ashley WennersHerron
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC)’s Joint University Microelectronics Program 2.0 (JUMP 2.0), a consortium of industrial partners in cooperation with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has announced the creation of a $32.7 million, Penn State-led Center for Heterogeneous Integration of Micro Electronic Systems (CHIMES).
Controlled, localized delivery of blood thinner may improve blood clot treatment
By Mariah R. Lucas
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Heparin has long been used as a blood thinner, or anticoagulant, for patients with blood clotting disorders or after surgery to prevent complications. But the medication remains difficult to dose correctly, potentially leading to overdosing or underdosing.
Model shows how intelligent-like behavior can emerge from non-living agents
By Adrienne Berard
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — From a distance, they looked like clouds of dust. Yet, the swarm of microrobots in author Michael Crichton’s bestseller “Prey” was self-organized. It acted with rudimentary intelligence, learning, evolving and communicating with itself to grow more powerful.
Combination of two materials creates high-performance, stretchy nanogenerator
By Mariah Lucas
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The popularity of wearable electronics has induced demand for their parts, including power sources such as triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). Such power sources must be both stretchy and high-performance, holding up under various deformation conditions over hours of use.
Materials Research Institute accepting proposals for two seed grant projects
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Materials Research Institute (MRI) offers a series of seed grants to Penn State researchers that encourage high-risk, high-impact collaborative projects across multiple disciplines with great potential for societal benefit. Currently, calls for proposals are open for two seed grant programs.
2D material may enable ultra-sharp cellphone photos in low light
By Jamie Oberdick
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new type of active pixel sensor that uses a novel two-dimensional material may both enable ultra-sharp cellphone photos and create a new class of extremely energy-efficient Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, according to a team of Penn State researchers.
NSF grant expands materials science research at Penn State Behrend
ERIE, Pa. — A $385,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will fund the purchase of an Instron drop tower impact-testing system at Penn State Behrend, where faculty members are developing new approaches to polymer recycling and the formulation of new composites.
At least 10 faculty members will use the system to advance their research, which includes automotive and aerospace partnerships. Another will use it to test new polymers for ski boots and bindings.
New method can scale, simplify manufacture of stretchy semiconductors
By Mariah R. Lucas
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Soft, elastic semiconductors and circuits could advance wearable medical devices and other emerging technologies, but the high-performance electronics are difficult and expensive to manufacture. A Penn State-led research team plans to make the process easier and cheaper with a new manufacturing method.
They published their approach Nov. 28 in Nature Electronics.
Penn State adaptive screen system for buildings featured in Lisbon Triennale
By Pamela Krewson Wertz
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A Penn State-designed window screen system that automatically changes its shape based on indoor and outdoor environmental conditions is part of the Lisbon Architecture Triennale 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal through Dec. 5. The responsive building façade system features screens made of smart and bistable materials that are located inside a building’s windows that open and close based on the weather conditions and lighting outside, as well as the indoor lighting and climate requirements.