UNLV physicist Qiang Zhu’s efforts to accelerate new materials discovery is getting a jumpstart with $1.3 million in grant funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). His work employs advanced computations to theorize the design and application of new materials.
The NSF award will provide Zhu funding over the next five years specifically for organic material discovery. Zhu also received an early career award from the DOE in 2021 to look for electrides, rare materials that are thought to have a great potential for future tech development.
The goal of Zhu’s research is to turn the theory of design into the creation of materials to help solve everyday problems. He’s looking at developing organic ferroelectric materials with the potential to improve energy and memory storage for electronics. Such material would be easier and more economical to manufacture than current materials. Organic ferroelectric materials are typically lightweight, flexible, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly.
Zhu’s group maintains several open-source codes for modeling high-throughput materials. His group also plans to create an online database and service where materials modeling theories could be collected and cataloged. This allows others in the field to use these models in their own work, thus fostering the commercialization process through collaboration.
For example, corporate entities could use this service to search for a specific theorized material based on needed attributes they are looking for in the end product and creating connections for research and development within their company. Theories could be tested and refined through collaborations more quickly, leading to a great increase in the discovery of new materials.
“The awards allow us to continue developing the necessary computational materials science tools for the community focused on this work, as well as collaborating with others in the industry to explore the potential commercialization of our research down the road.”
Through his current work, and thanks to the NSF CAREER award, Zhu especially hopes to see new organic ferroelectric materials transform energy and memory storage.
For more information: University of Nevada, Las Vegas
