Through
4/26
Materials Science
Engineers solve the paradox of why tissue gets stiffer when compressed
Engineers solve the paradox of why tissue gets stiffer when compressed
Tissue gets stiffer when it’s compressed. That stiffening response is a long-standing biomedical paradox, as common sense dictates that when you push the ends of a string together, it loosens tension, rather than increasing it. New research explains the mechanical interplay between that fiber network and the cells it contains.
New topological insulator can reroute photonic ‘traffic’ on the fly
New topological insulator can reroute photonic ‘traffic’ on the fly
Penn researchers, who first discovered topological insulators in 2005, have shown, for the first time, a way for a topological insulator to make use of its entire footprint without wasted space throughout the material’s interior.
A ‘quantum leap’ for quantum information science
A ‘quantum leap’ for quantum information science
By bringing together experts across campus and across disciplines, Penn is poised to lead ongoing efforts towards developing quantum applications using atomically-thin materials.
A superstrong, reversible adhesive that works like snail slime
A superstrong, reversible adhesive that works like snail slime
When wet, the material conforms to the grooves on a surface, and when dry, the material hardens and fastens itself securely to the surface.
Applying machine learning to materials science
Applying machine learning to materials science
Machine learning and artificial intelligence are applied to an increasing number of tasks, But using machine learning in materials science, which attempts to design and make materials for use in future technologies, has proven to be more difficult.
Making complex 3-D surfaces with 2-D sheets
Making complex 3-D surfaces with 2-D sheets
Using liquid crystal elastomer, researchers are able to transform 2-dimensional rubber-like sheets into malleable, three-dimensional shapes, with a precise amount of control for various shape sequences.
Paving the way for safer smaller batteries and fuel cells
Paving the way for safer smaller batteries and fuel cells
A new solid polymer electrolyte may be the key to making energy storage devices like lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries more efficient.
An innovative approach to better energy storage
An innovative approach to better energy storage
A Penn/Drexel research team has engineered a way to manipulate nanomaterials to stand up vertically on a scale that has potential for industrial applications.
Researchers show that cells’ perception of stiffness is a matter of time
Researchers show that cells’ perception of stiffness is a matter of time
The relative stiffness of a cell’s environment is known to have a large effect on that cell’s behavior, including how well the cell can stick or move. Now, a new study by University of Pennsylvania researchers demonstrates the role timing plays in how cells perceive this stiffness.
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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