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Three photos of three different hairstyles

Felecia Davis brings her work using responsive textiles to the multi-university team that is working to translate Black hairstyle techniques for use in architectural practice

Read more about Black Hairstyles Will Inspire Innovative Building Materials In New Research

Four research teams from across Penn State were awarded seed grants to their advance biodevice-related projects. Image: iStock/@ipopba

Interdisciplinary research teams from across Penn State recently received seed grants to fund their work in advancing biodevices.

Read more about Penn State Research Teams Awarded Seed Grants To Advance Biodevices

New research modeling the plant cell wall reveals that chains of cellulose bundle together within the cell wall and slide against each other when the cell is stretched, providing a unique combination of strength and extensibility. The image shows the cell wall model as it is stretched, including its primary components cellulose (purple), xyloglucan (green), and pectin (yellow). Image: Cosgrove Lab, Penn State

A plant cell wall’s unique ability to expand without weakening or breaking — a quality required for plant growth — is due to the movement of its cellulose skeleton, according to new research that models the cell wall.

Read more about What Makes Plant Cell Walls Both Strong And Extensible?

Penn State researchers developed particles that target blood clots and visualize their structures well compared to traditional ultrasound imaging. These images show blood flowing from left to right: The top image does not have the particles, while the bottom one does. Image: Penn State/Scott Medina

Penn State College of Engineering researchers set out to develop technology capable of localizing and imaging blood clots in deep veins.

Read more about Engineers Find Imaging Technique Could Become Treatment For Deep Vein Thrombosis

Cryo-STEM imagery showing the structural and chemical evolution of silicon and the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. After the 36th cycle to the 100th cycle the silicon nanowire expands and becomes irregular, mingling with the SEI to form a soft composite structure. Image: Zhang / Penn State

A novel method of characterizing the structural and chemical evolution of silicon and a thin layer that governs battery stability may help resolve issues that prevent using silicon for high-capacity batteries.

Read more about Novel Method Of Imaging Silicon Anode Degradation May Lead To Better Batteries

Three images of tungsten disulfide (WS2) monolayer on the left show results from several complementary transmission electron microscopy techniques that show evidence of nearly single-crystalline films with translational grain boundary defect arrays. The crystal structure model of a WS2 monolayer on the right shows how two similarly oriented crystal edges approach each other during growth, inducing out-of-plane tilts at the grain boundaries. Image: Penn State Materials Research Institute

Two-dimensional materials are essential for developing new ultra-compact electronic devices, but producing defect-free 2D materials is a challenge.

Read more about Finding New Types Of 2D Material Defects Could Enable Better Electronics

Led by Penn State, an international team of researchers demonstrated a new printing method using pulsed light to transfer an electronic circuit to a seashell, as depicted in this illustration. Image: Jennifer McCann/Penn State

Printable electronics could cause a proliferation of smart, connected devices, from household appliances that can communicate with each other to medical diagnostic sensors that can be placed on the body to forgo invasive procedures.