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Materials Science
Penn Electric Racing unveils new REV7 race car despite pandemic setbacks
Penn Electric Racing unveils new REV7 race car despite pandemic setbacks
During the pandemic, Penn Electric Racing virtually designed the REV7, an almost entirely new design from REV6. The team is slated to bring the REV7 to this year’s FSAE Michigan competition in May.
Decoding a material’s ‘memory’
Decoding a material’s ‘memory’
A new study details the relationship between particle structure and flow in disordered materials, insights that can be used to understand systems ranging from mudslides to biofilms.
How to design a sail that won’t tear or melt on an interstellar voyage
How to design a sail that won’t tear or melt on an interstellar voyage
The Breakthrough Starshot Initiative’s laser-based approach requires rethinking a sail’s shape and composition so it won’t melt or tear during acceleration and pushed by wind, not light.
A new makerspace for materials passion projects
A new makerspace for materials passion projects
MatSci Makerspace is a space for students to work with the synthesis, processing, structure, properties and application of materials, with open hours for materials-centric passion projects.
New atomically-thin material could improve efficiency of light-based tech
New atomically-thin material could improve efficiency of light-based tech
A new photodetector design from Penn Engineering is not only extremely thin, making it lightweight and cost effective, it can also emit light, not just detect it.
Engineering a polymer network to act as active camouflage on demand
Engineering a polymer network to act as active camouflage on demand
Artificial chromatophores, which consist of membranes stretched over circular cavities attached to pneumatic pumps, allow surfaces squid-like active camouflage capabilities.
New grant aims to broaden participation in cutting-edge materials research
New grant aims to broaden participation in cutting-edge materials research
As one of eight teams to be awarded National Science Foundation funding, a partnership between Penn and the University of Puerto Rico will continue its long-running collaboration focused on innovative research and STEM career pathway support.
Paving the way for ‘next-generation’ lithium-ion batteries
Paving the way for ‘next-generation’ lithium-ion batteries
A new study from Penn Engineering details the complex electrochemical process that causes certain types of batteries to degrade, insights that could aid in the design of longer lasting, more efficient batteries in the future.
A blueprint for designing and synthesizing new, multifunctional materials
A blueprint for designing and synthesizing new, multifunctional materials
By combining theory, computational simulations, chemical synthesis, and assembly, researchers demonstrate how an “inverse design” strategy can create unique materials using difficult-to-mix nanocrystals.
Paving the way for new light-powered devices
Paving the way for new light-powered devices
By combining cutting-edge concepts from theoretical physics, researchers from Penn Engineering developed “sypersymmetric microlaser arrays” that are both stable and have high power density.
In the News
Nature
Meet the unsung scientists behind the Nobel for quantum dots
Christopher Murray’s lab at the School of Arts & Sciences is delving into the next phase of quantum-dot research to make components for quantum computing, sensing, and communication.
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SciTechDaily
Iontronics breakthrough: Faster thin film devices for improved batteries and advanced computing
Andrew Rappe of the School of Arts & Sciences and colleagues have developed high-quality, single-crystal oxide thin films, aligned in such a way that the lithium ions can move even faster along vertical ionic transport channels.
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Quanta Magazine
The new math of wrinkling
Eleni Katifori of the School of Arts & Sciences is credited for her work simulating wrinkle patterns, which were crucial to an overall theory of geometric wrinkle prediction.
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The New York Times
The hills are alive with the flows of physics
In the lab of Douglas Jerolmack, researchers led by doctoral candidate Nakul Deshpande of the School of Arts & Sciences explored how landscapes gradually move over time.
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