University of Cincinnati co-op student Addie Salvador is quietly reshaping the future of materials science, bringing autonomy to a transmission electron microscope in the cutting-edge laboratories of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.
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Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy found two competing mechanisms that contribute to the deformation of nanosheet materials used in cutting-edge computer components.
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As electronics shrink, researchers are turning to nanoscale materials like ultra-thin nanosheets for next-generation devices. Studying these tiny structures without damaging them is challenging, but scientists used a 12-nanometer-wide X-ray beam to examine them safely. This revealed two competing mechanisms behind how these nanosheets deform, offering insights crucial for advancing microelectronics.
Nanosheets are used in tiny next-generation electronic components called Gate-All-Around Field Effect Transistors (GAAFETs). These components form the basis of computer microprocessors at the heart of smartphones and computers. In this study, a team of researchers from IBM collaborated with scientists from the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), a Department of Energy Office of Science user facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory, to map the deformations within nanosheets. The researchers investigated these structures using the Hard X-ray Nanoprobe (HXN) beamline at the NSLS-II light source.
By exploiting the brilliant source of X-rays and the resolving power provided by a nanofocusing optics setup called a multilayer Laue lens, the researchers were able to identify two competing mechanisms at different length scales that contribute to the deformation. The first, which is long-range and previously known, is due to the mismatch of lattice constant between the different elements and a relaxation effect near edges. The second, a much shorter-range effect, is associated with the layering itself and is dominant within a length scale of the nanosheet thickness from the edge. These new insights could help researchers predict essential performance parameters of future devices, such as the carrier mobility.
For more information: Nature Communications
Image: Artist’s impression of how X-rays make it possible to study the distortions of the layers in the microelectronics material. The atoms at the edges of the layers are either squished tighter or pulled apart, creating a bend along the different layers.
Nuclear fusion, the process powering the sun and stars, offers a promising path to carbon-free electricity without long-lasting nuclear waste, but it requires materials that can endure extreme heat, stress, and neutron damage. Researchers are exploring advanced metal alloys and ceramic composites as potential solutions to these challenges. At Stony Brook University, Assistant Professor David Sprouster is leading several research projects focused on overcoming the materials science and engineering hurdles critical to making fusion energy a practical reality.
“My research is really about stress testing these different materials to see how we can improve their function when exposed to different combinations of extremes,” said Sprouster. “It’s also fun to design them, to fabricate them in the lab, and then to break them.”
Sprouster and his team have received three multi-million dollar recent grants that focus on materials for fusion energy, with two from the Department of Energy, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences Fusion Innovation Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboratives.
In a recent study, Sprouster’s group compared two steels with similar alloy compositions, but fabricated in two different ways: one by traditional casting and the other through direct current sintering. In direct current sintering, both heat and pressure are used to rapidly convert powders into a solid monolithic material. As compared to conventional casting, this process allows the relatively complicated and graded structures of fusion chamber walls to be formed. Both fabricated steels are designed to resist deformation under heat and stress over time, a phenomenon known as “creep.”
“Creep is a very slow process — it happens over days, weeks, months and years — and depends on the applied stress and temperature,” said Sprouster. “It’s a tough moving target, but we have had success in designing the least ‘creepy’ materials, and to engineer the movement of dislocations, the defects within materials that allow plastic deformation to occur to improve our overall fundamental understanding of creep.”
Sprouster’s recent work concluded that both the conventionally cast and sintered materials showed equally good creep resistance. But they observed that when temperature increases, dislocations move more easily, which makes the material more prone to deformation. Equipped with this new knowledge, materials engineers can predict how these steels will perform under high-temperature service conditions, such as in fusion reactors.
In a second study, Sprouster’s group fabricated composites of steel with hafnium hydride through direct current sintering for neutron shielding applications within advanced nuclear fusion reactors. “The hydrogen is there to stop the neutrons. It has a very good cross-section for neutron absorption,” said Sprouster. “So, it basically takes most of the neutrons away so that you can shield the critical components that are close to the plasma.”
One of the key findings from this work was that upon heating, hafnium hydride breaks down and releases hydrogen, and the hafnium metal reacts with the iron to produce new intermetallic phases. However, due to the composite nature of this shield, the release is relatively show and at a much higher temperature than anticipated in the fusion reactor application.
These projects serve a shared purpose — to construct safer, more efficient and more durable materials for extreme nuclear environments for future fusion reactors.
“The fusion space has become an enormously attractive research area,” said Lance Snead, research professor in the Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering. “Historically, the Department of Energy was the primary agency funding this future energy source, but with the realization that fusion can be a near-term source of electricity, private investors now dominate the field.”
“Fusion is very exciting right now,” said Sprouster. “There’s a lot of activity and good collaborations across the universities, national labs and within industry. The community is very energetic and focused on materials science solutions to tough engineering problems.”
“Last year over 1.6 billion dollars in private research funding went into fusion, or three times that of the federal contribution,” said Snead. “As a key to the success of any of the current fusion concepts hinges on the ability to develop new and robust fusion chamber materials, Professor Sprouster has positioned his group in a very exciting growth area for research.”
The University of California Office of the President has awarded $6 million over three years to a UC Irvine-led initiative called Geophysicist.AI, which aims to apply artificial intelligence to major geophysical challenges within Earth’s crust. The project focuses on advancing sustainable geothermal energy, underground carbon dioxide sequestration, and the safe, long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel, among other critical environmental goals.
“Tapping into Earth’s abundant but hard-to-reach deep geothermal energy and better understanding and potentially predicting induced seismicity, as well as other subsurface capabilities, will take new technologies and novel approaches, and we think AI and machine learning will help us in a substantial way,” said Geophysicist.AI lead principal investigator Mohammad Javad Abdolhosseini Qomi, UC Irvine associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and materials science and engineering.
“We intend to design Geophysicist.AI with the attributes of a skilled geophysicist, including the ability to integrate and analyze heterogeneous data and models, solve mathematical representations of coupled processes across scales, and formulate and test hypotheses to provide a deeper understanding and explanation of observed geophysical processes,” he added.
With UC Irvine researchers in the lead, the project will tap the expertise of civil and environmental engineers, geoscientists, mathematicians and computer scientists at UC campuses in Riverside, San Diego, Berkeley and Santa Cruz. Also participating will be scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
“Our goal is to develop a scalable artificial intelligence ecosystem that integrates large language and physics-informed models with massive amounts of real-world data to transform geophysicists’ ability to solve the most difficult subsurface challenges,” said co-principal investigator Eric Mjolsness, UC Irvine professor of computer science. “Also, we believe that the development of Geophysicist.AI will require us to employ novel methods, so both the project and its outcome will be useful more broadly in scientific applications beyond geophysics.”
Russ Detwiler, UC Irvine associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, said that as co-principal investigator, he envisions the team using Geophysicist.AI to address two main grand challenges of geoengineering. The first is to help humanity tap into enhanced geothermal systems, which entails circulating fluid through low-permeability rock as much as 2.5 miles deep to extract heat and drive turbines. Detwiler said that this endeavor – aided by AI and machine learning – is complex due to the interplay of thermal, mechanical and chemical processes at multiple scales.
The second goal is to use AI and machine learning to help predict induced seismicity from engineering pursuits beneath Earth’s surface. The researchers think a problem of this intricacy is a good match for AI since it involves terabytes of seismic data being generated continuously.
A key source of data will be the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota. Geophysicist.AI scientists will join with counterparts at the Center for Understanding Subsurface Signals and Permeability, a U.S. Department of Energy Earthshot center managed through the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, to gain access to this resource.
In addition, the team will take advantage of the Department of Energy’s multiphysics simulators, which run on DOE supercomputers. UC Irvine also has substantial high-performance computing capabilities and deep, interdisciplinary AI expertise that will benefit the project, Mjolsness said.
“Working with our principal investigators here at UC Irvine, scientists at the other UC campuses and collaborators at the national laboratories will enable us to generate sufficient preliminary proof-of-concept results, publish as a team and [promote] synergistic activities much like a full-blown research center,” Qomi said. “Our work over the next few years should put us in a good position to compete for future federal funding.”
Scientists at the Raman Research Institute have made a breakthrough in quantum materials by discovering a novel method to identify a key property called a topological invariant—an unchanging characteristic even when a material is deformed. This property is essential for understanding the unusual behaviors of topological materials, which are foundational to future technologies like quantum computing, fault-tolerant electronics, and energy-efficient systems. Historically, detecting these unique traits has been a major challenge, making this advancement a significant step forward in the field.
To grasp the concept of topological invariance, scientists often use the analogy of a “vada” (South Indian snack) and a coffee cup. Both have a single hole, making them topologically equivalent – one can be continuously deformed into the other without cutting or gluing. In contrast, a vada and an “idli” (steamed rice cake) are not topologically equivalent, as they possess different numbers of holes, making continuous deformation impossible. This fundamental idea of “counting holes” is key to unlocking the hidden properties within these exotic materials.
In materials such as topological insulators and superconductors, electrons exhibit unusual behavior directly influenced by the material’s quantum “shape.” These shapes are defined not by their physical appearance but by deeper, intrinsic topological invariants, such as winding numbers in one-dimensional systems or Chern numbers in two-dimensional systems. These numbers act as a kind of hidden code, dictating how particles move through the material.
The RRI team, led by Professor Dibyendu Roy and PhD researcher Kiran Babasaheb Estake, has found an innovative method to detect this hidden code using a property called the spectral function. This function acts as a “quantum fingerprint,” providing insights into how energy and particles behave within the material. Their research specifically focused on analyzing the momentum-space spectral function (SPSF).
Traditionally, researchers relied on techniques like angle-resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES) to study electron behaviour. The groundbreaking new research, recently published in Physical Review B, demonstrates that the same spectral function holds the keys to unlocking a material’s hidden topology. This offers a revolutionary way to “see” the underlying structure without direct observation.
“The spectral function has been used for many years as an experimental tool to probe physical quantities such as the density of states and the dispersion relation of electrons in a system through ARPES. It was not seen as a tool to probe topology or topological aspects of an electronic system,” stated Kiran Babasaheb Estake, a PhD student in theoretical Physics at RRI and the lead author of the study.
He added, “We have demonstrated through various examples that the spectral function also contains signatures about a system’s topology.”
This study potentially offers a universal tool for exploring and classifying topological materials. Its implications could pave the way for new discoveries in condensed matter physics, ultimately benefiting the development of quantum computers,next-generation electronics, and more energy-efficient systems.
Nearly a decade ago, scientists predicted that boron atoms would bond too tightly to copper to form borophene—a promising, flexible, metallic 2D material with potential in electronics, energy, and catalysis. New research led by Rice University’s Boris Yakobson confirms this prediction, but in an unexpected way, offering fresh insights into the elusive material. Yakobson emphasized that since borophene remains on the edge of existence, every new discovery about it significantly advances our understanding of materials science, physics, and electronics.
“Our very first theoretical analysis warned that on copper, boron would bond too strongly, and even if borophene did form, it would be hopelessly attached to the substrate. Now, more than a decade later, it turns out we were right ⎯ and the result is not borophene, but something else entirely,” said Yakobson.
Researchers revealed that unlike systems such as graphene on copper, where atoms may diffuse into the substrate without forming a distinct alloy, the boron atoms in this case formed a defined 2D copper boride ⎯ a new compound with a distinct atomic structure. The finding sets the stage for further exploration of a relatively untapped class of 2D materials, according to researchers.
The research reveals that since the first realization of borophene on Ag(111), two-dimensional (2D) boron nanomaterials have attracted substantial interest because of their polymorphic diversity and potential for hosting solid-state quantum phenomena.
“Here, we use atomic-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and field-emission resonance (FER) spectroscopy to elucidate the structure and properties of atomically thin boron phases grown on Cu(111). Specifically, FER spectroscopy reveals charge transfer and electronic states that strongly differ from the decoupled borophene phases observed on silver, suggesting that the deposition of boron on copper results in strong covalent bonding characteristic of a 2D copper boride,” said researchers.
Earlier, studies synthesized borophene on metals like silver and gold, but copper remained an open ⎯ and contested ⎯ case. Some studies also highlighted that the boron might form polymorphic borophene on copper, while others suggested it could phase-separate into borides or even nucleate into bulk crystals.
Researchers revealed that resolving these possibilities required a uniquely detailed investigation combining high-resolution imaging, spectroscopy and theoretical modeling.
Yakobson underlined that what experimentalists first saw were rich patterns of atomic resolution images and spectroscopy signatures, which required a lot of hard work of interpretation.
These efforts revealed a periodic zigzag superstructure and distinct electronic signatures, both of which deviated significantly from known borophene phases. A strong match between experimental data and theoretical simulations helped resolve a debate about the nature of the material that forms at the interface between the copper substrate and the near-vacuum environment of the growth chamber, according to a press release.
“2D copper boride is likely to be just one of many 2D metal borides that can be experimentally realized,” said Mark Hersam, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University and a co-corresponding author on the study.
“We look forward to exploring this new family of 2D materials that have broad potential use in applications ranging from electrochemical energy storage to quantum information technology.”
For more information: Science Advances
Image: Calculated charge redistribution in copper boride (Cu8B14), where teal represents charge depletion and yellow represents charge accumulation.
Scientists have developed innovative contact lenses that allow both humans and mice to see infrared light by converting it into visible colors—without the need for bulky equipment or batteries. These transparent lenses enable users to perceive both regular and infrared light simultaneously and can detect multiple infrared wavelengths at once. Remarkably, the lenses perform even better with eyes closed due to infrared light’s superior penetration. In tests, mice avoided infrared light, and humans could interpret flickering codes and light directions, showcasing the lenses’ potential for practical applications.
“Our research opens up the potential for non-invasive wearable devices to give people super-vision,” says senior author Tian Xue, a neuroscientist at the University of Science and Technology of China. “There are many potential applications right away for this material. For example, flickering infrared light could be used to transmit information in security, rescue, encryption or anti-counterfeiting settings.”
The lenses use specially engineered nanoparticles that absorb invisible infrared light and convert it into light our eyes can see, typically in the 400 to 700 nanometer range. More specifically, the technology targets near-infrared light, which lies just beyond human vision, in the 800 to 1600 nanometer range.
In earlier studies, the team showed these particles could give mice infrared vision when injected directly into the eye. This time, they’ve achieved similar results using a much less invasive approach—by building the particles right into soft contact lenses.
To create the contact lenses, the team combined the nanoparticles with flexible, non-toxic polymers that are used in standard soft contact lenses. After showing that the contact lenses were non-toxic, they tested their function in both humans and mice.
They found that contact lens-wearing mice displayed behaviors suggesting that they could see infrared wavelengths. For example, when the mice were given the choice of a dark box and an infrared-illuminated box, contact-wearing mice chose the dark box whereas contact-less mice showed no preference. The mice also showed physiological signals of infrared vision: the pupils of contact-wearing mice constricted in the presence of infrared light, and brain imaging revealed that infrared light caused their visual processing centers to light up.
In humans, the infrared contact lenses enabled participants to accurately detect flashing morse code-like signals and to perceive the direction of incoming infrared light. “It’s totally clear cut: without the contact lenses, the subject cannot see anything, but when they put them on, they can clearly see the flickering of the infrared light,” said Xue.
“We also found that when the subject closes their eyes, they’re even better able to receive this flickering information, because near-infrared light penetrates the eyelid more effectively than visible light, so there is less interference from visible light.”
An additional tweak to the contact lenses allows users to differentiate between different spectra of infrared light by engineering the nanoparticles to color-code different infrared wavelengths. For example, infrared wavelengths of 980 nm were converted to blue light, wavelengths of 808 nm were converted to green light, and wavelengths of 1,532 nm were converted to red light. In addition to enabling wearers to perceive more detail within the infrared spectrum, these color-coding nanoparticles could be modified to help color blind people see wavelengths that they would otherwise be unable to detect.
“By converting red visible light into something like green visible light, this technology could make the invisible visible for color blind people,” says Xue.
Because the contact lenses have limited ability to capture fine details (due to their close proximity to the retina, which causes the converted light particles to scatter), the team also developed a wearable glass system using the same nanoparticle technology, which enabled participants to perceive higher-resolution infrared information.
Currently, the contact lenses are only able to detect infrared radiation projected from an LED light source, but the researchers are working to increase the nanoparticles’ sensitivity so that they can detect lower levels of infrared light.
“In the future, by working together with materials scientists and optical experts, we hope to make a contact lens with more precise spatial resolution and higher sensitivity,” says Xue.
For more information: Cell
Scientists at the University of California, Irvine, recently expanded on a longstanding model governing the mechanics behind slip banding, a process that produces strain marks in metals under compression, gaining a new understanding of the behavior of advanced materials critical to energy systems, space exploration, and nuclear applications.
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Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, introduce a novel powerful tool—the cryogenic quantum twisting microscope—to explore quantum phenomena.
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Researchers at Northwestern University and Tel Aviv University have addressed a key challenge in developing affordable robotic touch by identifying a flaw in the materials used for robotic skin. They discovered that inexpensive silicone rubber composites form insulating layers on their surfaces, which block electrical contact between the sensing polymer and electrodes, leading to inaccurate readings. By eliminating this issue, the team has paved the way for low-cost robotic skins capable of mimicking human touch—enabling robots to detect curves and edges for more precise object handling.
“A lot of scientists misunderstand their sensor response because they lump together the behavior of the contacts with the behavior of the sensor material, resulting in inconsistent data,” Grayson said. “It turns out, if you are not aware of this problem, you can publish papers which no one can reproduce. Our work identifies the exact problem, quantifies its extent both microscopically and electrically, and gives a clear step-by-step trouble-shooting manual to fix the problem.”
The rubber that can be used for typical robotic skin, called an elastomer, is flexible, lightweight and inexpensive, and when electrically conducting fillers like carbon nanotubes are added to the mix, the resulting composite becomes an ideal candidate for a touch sensor, whose resistance changes locally when pressed. But to receive electrical signals, the sensors need to be electrically contacted, and the researchers detected a thin insulating layer ever-present in such composites which could drastically change the behavior of the contacts. Just by sanding down the ultrathin insulation layer, the team was able to achieve a much stronger electrical contact and calibrate the thickness of the insulating layer both electrically and microscopically.
“All interesting things happen at the interface,” said co-author and professor at Tel Aviv University Noa Lachman. “This publication not only shows the importance of sensor interfaces, but also the importance of working at the nexus between two different disciplines: materials science and electrical engineering. Materials experts suspected the presence of this insulating external layer in conductive polymer composites for years but couldn’t understand its electrical effects. Each of us has one piece of the puzzle, but only together can we get the whole picture.”
Robotics in particular can be tricky in part because it requires so many types of expertise. The polymer materials scientist designing the functional electronic material for a robot, for example, does not have the same training and skills as the electrical engineer whose electronics will process the sensor signals. Grayson said the “contact preparation” challenge was precisely where the conversation about this research began.
“That’s why our collaboration with Tel Aviv is essential – they know the materials science that we don’t know,” Grayson said. “We rely on them to prepare the materials we are studying, then we take and study the material before turning around to help the Tel Aviv materials scientists characterize their materials better.”
Producing new materials — and then reproducing them — requires consistency across many different variables that are often difficult or even impossible to control. In exposing the question of reproducibility in much of the literature on touch sensing, Grayson challenges the research community to hold itself to a higher standard with the quality check described in the paper. As awareness of this problem spreads among researchers, new publications can be more rigorously relied upon to advance the field with new capabilities.
For more information: Journal of Advanced Electronic Materials
Researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have developed a novel method to detect hazardous soil pollutants, including previously unstudied compounds, using a combination of light-based imaging, theoretical predictions of molecular light signatures, and machine learning algorithms. This technique enables the identification of toxic substances like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives (PACs)—common combustion by-products linked to cancer and developmental issues—without the need for physical reference samples or advanced lab facilities, overcoming a major limitation in traditional soil contamination analysis.
The new method uses a light-based imaging technique known as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, which analyzes how light interacts with molecules, tracking the unique patterns, or spectra, they emit. Spectra serve as “chemical fingerprints” for each compound. The technique is refined through the use of signature nanoshells designed to enhance relevant traits in the spectra.
Using density functional theory ⎯ a computational modeling technique that can predict how atoms and electrons behave in a molecule ⎯ the researchers calculated what the spectra of a whole range of PAHs and PACs look like based on the compounds’ molecular structure. This allowed them to generate a virtual library of “fingerprints” for PAHs and PACs.
Two complementary ML algorithms ⎯ characteristic peak extraction and characteristic peak similarity ⎯ were used to parse relevant spectral traits in real-world soil samples and match them to compounds mapped out in the virtual library of spectra.
“We are using PAHs in soil to illustrate this very important new strategy,” Halas said. “There are tens of thousands of PAH-derived chemicals and this approach ⎯ calculating their spectra and using machine learning to connect the theoretically calculated spectra to those observed in a sample ⎯ allows us to identify chemicals that we may not, or do not, have any experimental data for.”
The method addresses a critical gap in environmental monitoring, opening the door to identifying a much broader range of hazardous compounds ⎯ including those that have changed over time. This is especially important given that soil is a dynamic environment where chemicals are subject to transformations that can render them harder to detect.
Thomas Senftle, Rice’s William Marsh Rice Trustee Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, compared the process to using facial recognition in order to find an individual in a crowd.
“You can imagine we have a picture of a person when they’re a teenager, but now they’re in their 30s,” Senftle said. “In my group what we do is, on the theory side, we can predict what the picture will look like.”
The researchers tested the method on soil from a restored watershed and natural area using both artificially contaminated samples and a control sample. Results showed the new approach reliably picked out even minute traces of PAHs using a simpler and faster process than conventional techniques.
“This method can identify lesser-known and largely unstudied PAH and PAC pollutant molecules,” said Oara Neumann, a Rice research scientist who is a co-author on the study.
In the future, the method could enable on-site field testing by integrating the ML algorithms and theoretical spectral library with portable Raman devices into a mobile system, making it easier for farmers, communities and environmental agencies to test soil for hazardous compounds without needing to send samples to specialized labs and wait days for results.
Ankit Patel, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice and assistant professor of neuroscience at BCM, is a corresponding author on the study alongside Halas.
Other Rice co-authors include computer science doctoral alum Yilong Ju; doctoral students Sarah Denison, Peixuan Jin and Andres Sanchez-Alvarado; Peter Nordlander, the Wiess Chair in Physics and Astronomy and professor of electrical and computer engineering and materials science and nanoengineering; and Pedro Alvarez, the George R. Brown Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
For more information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Image: Naomi Halas and Ankit Patel
Engineers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have developed a high-performance, twisty high-temperature heat exchanger using a combination of topology optimization and advanced 3D metal printing. This innovative design significantly outperforms traditional straight-channel heat exchangers in terms of heat transfer, power density, and overall effectiveness. These heat exchangers are critical in industries such as aerospace, power generation, and aviation, where efficient heat dissipation is essential.
“Traditionally, heat exchangers flow hot fluid and cold fluid through straight pipes, mainly because straight pipes are easy to manufacture,” says Xiaoping Qian, a professor of mechanical engineering at UW–Madison. “But straight pipes are not necessarily the best geometry for transferring heat between hot and cold fluids.”
Additive manufacturing enables researchers to create structures with complex geometries that can yield more efficient heat exchangers. Given this design freedom, Qian set out to discover a design for the hot and cold fluid channels inside a heat exchanger that would maximize heat transfer.
He harnessed his expertise in topology optimization, a computational design approach used to study the distribution of materials in a structure to achieve certain design goals. He also incorporated a patented technique, called projected undercut perimeter, that considers manufacturability constraints for the overall design.
With an optimized design in hand, Qian worked with colleague Dan Thoma, a professor of materials science and engineering at UW–Madison, who led the 3D printing of the heat exchanger using a metal additive manufacturing technique called laser powder bed fusion.
From the outside, the optimized heat exchanger looks identical to a traditional version with a straight channel design—but their internal core designs are strikingly different. The optimized design has intertwining hot and cold fluid channels with intricate geometries and complex surface features. These complex geometric features guide fluid flow in a twisting path that enhances the heat transfer.
Collaborator Mark Anderson, a professor of mechanical engineering at UW–Madison, conducted thermal-hydraulic tests on the optimized heat exchanger and a traditional heat exchanger to compare their performance.
The optimized design was not only more effective in transferring heat but also achieved a 27% higher power density than the traditional heat exchanger. That higher power density enables a heat exchanger to be lighter and more compact—useful attributes for aerospace and aviation applications.
While previous research has used topology optimization to study two-fluid heat exchanger designs, Qian says this work is the first to harness topology optimization and impose manufacturability constraints to ensure the design can be built and tested.
“Optimizing design on the computer is one thing, but to actually make and test it is a very different thing,” Qian says.
“It’s exciting that our optimization method worked. We were able to actually manufacture our heat exchanger design. And, through experimental testing, we demonstrated the performance enhancement of our optimized design. The excellent work performed by the students, postdoctoral researchers and scientists in the three research groups made this advance possible.”
Sicheng Sun, a recent Ph.D. graduate from Qian’s research group, is the first author on the paper. Additional co-authors include Tiago Augusto Moreira, Behzad Rankouhi, Xinyi Yu and Ian Jentz, all from UW–Madison.
The researchers patented their projected undercut perimeter technique through the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
For more information: International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer.
Image: A rendering of a topologically optimized unit cell for a heat exchanger core. The optimized design has hot and cold fluid channels with intricate geometries and complex surface features.
Through continued collaboration with TSMC, Ansys, Canonsburg, Pa., announced enhanced AI-assisted workflows for radio frequency design migration and photonic integrated circuits, and new certifications for its semiconductor solutions.
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Sigray, Inc. of Benicia, Calif. has launched the Apex-Hybrid, a breakthrough X-ray system designed to revolutionize failure analysis in semiconductor and electronics labs with interchangeable laminography and tomography modes, delivering exceptional speed and 350nm high-resolution imaging for everything from large packages and PCBs to the smallest components.
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SKF, Sweden, and Bearings Services Durban, South Africa, conducted a collaborative bearing failure analysis at Tongaat Hulett’s sugar refinery in Durban, South Africa, identifying inadequate lubrication as the root cause of rolling contact fatigue and providing corrective measures to prevent future failure.
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Engineering Systems Inc., Aurora, Ill., expanded its Northeast presence by opening a new office in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, enhancing its ability to serve clients in the tri-state area with direct access to its nationwide network of experts and laboratories.
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Bruker, Billerica, Mass., launched eWARP, a new electron backscatter diffraction detector that combines direct electron detection and CMOS technologies to provide the fastest and most signal-efficient materials characterization in scanning electron microscopes.
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Fujitsu Limited and RIKEN have developed a cutting-edge 256-qubit superconducting quantum computer at the RIKEN RQC-FUJITSU Collaboration Center, building on the 64-qubit version launched in October 2023 with support from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). This advancement incorporates high-density implementation techniques, marking a significant step toward practical applications of superconducting quantum computers to address complex global issues. Starting in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the 256-qubit quantum computer will be integrated into a hybrid quantum computing platform and offered to companies and research institutions worldwide, enabling more complex analyses and sophisticated error correction algorithms.
Moving forward, both organizations will further enhance the platform’s usability by working to enable seamless collaboration between quantum and classical computers, enabling the efficient execution of hybrid quantum-classical algorithms.
Fujitsu and RIKEN’s 256-qubit superconducting quantum computer overcomes some key technical challenges, including appropriate cooling within the dilution refrigerator which is achieved through the incorporation of high-density implementation and cutting-edge thermal design. Other key features include:
1. Scalable 3D connection structure
2. Quadrupled implementation density within dilution refrigerator
Fujitsu is committed to accelerating the practical application of quantum computers from both hardware and software perspectives. Through its platform for hybrid quantum computing, Fujitsu will provide larger-scale quantum computers to global companies and research institutions conducting joint research in various fields, including finance and drug discovery.
Fujitsu and RIKEN will continue R&D efforts toward the launch of a 1,000-qubit computer, which is scheduled to be installed in a new building at Fujitsu Technology Park in 2026. In addition, the two organizations will extend the installation period of their Collaboration Center from March 2025 to March 2029, and will continue to work on the long-term R&D of technologies that will enable the realization of even larger superconducting quantum computers.
For more information: Fujitsu
Image: Newly developed 256-qubit superconducting quantum computer
The University of Oklahoma and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have partnered to create an advanced additive manufacturing center in Norman, OK, leveraging OU’s Sooner Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory and ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility. This center aims to develop innovative metal additive manufacturing solutions for aerospace and national defense. The collaboration, involving OU’s Oklahoma Aerospace and Defense Innovation Institute (OADII) and ORNL, will enhance research, training, and workforce development in metal additive manufacturing, hybrid manufacturing, machining, and data analytics.
“This long-term partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory fully aligns with the recently published update of OU’s strategic plan,” said Gen Robin Rand (USAF, ret.), OADII’s executive director. “Our deliberate push to advance additive manufacturing research is fueling innovation and economic prosperity in Oklahoma and reducing risk to our nation’s defense.”
Through OADII and the Gallogly College of Engineering, the University of Oklahoma supports Department of Defense priorities such as sustainment and modernization, and ORNL brings unparalleled technical capabilities in materials science and advanced manufacturing, providing the partnership with the tools and talent to drive innovation.
“Our college is thrilled to enter into this partnership,” said Zahed Siddique, associate dean for research at the Gallogly College of Engineering. “Collaborating on cutting-edge manufacturing technology will enrich the student educational experience, expand research impact and enhance economic development opportunities in Oklahoma.”
The center is expected to play a key role in supporting sustainment and mission readiness at Tinker Air Force Base and other critical centers across the region, including the Air Force Sustainment Center and the Air Force Research Laboratory.
“This partnership between OU and ORNL will have substantial impact on our national security, particularly by advancing qualified additive manufacturing processes for the sustainment and readiness of U.S. Air Force assets,” said Moe Khaleel, ORNL associate laboratory director for National Security Sciences. “When the great people at our two institutions get together, with our collective resources, we will do big things for the nation.”
ORNL will leverage the capabilities and lessons learned in establishing the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, the nation’s foremost advanced manufacturing research environment.
“By combining ORNL’s deep expertise in advanced manufacturing with OU’s strong academic and research foundation, we are creating a dynamic ecosystem for innovation,” said Craig Blue, ORNL’s chief manufacturing officer and director of Defense Manufacturing Programs. “This collaboration is not only about advancing technology—it’s about accelerating the transition of breakthrough solutions into real-world defense applications where speed, precision, and readiness matter most.”
For more information: Oklahoma Aerospace and Defence Innovation Institute
Image: Moe Khaleel, associate laboratory director, National Security Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, shakes hands with Carol L. Silva, interim vice president for research and partnerships, University of Oklahoma, during the signing ceremony.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a technique that allows the study of microstructures inside metals, ceramics, and rocks using X-rays in a standard laboratory, eliminating the need to travel to a particle accelerator. This advancement makes 3D X-ray diffraction (3DXRD) more accessible, enabling rapid analysis of samples and prototypes in both academic and industrial settings, and providing more opportunities for student involvement. 3DXRD works by reconstructing 3D images from X-rays taken at multiple angles, similar to a CT scan, but with the material sample rotating in front of a powerful beam that emits about a million times more X-rays than a medical X-ray.
The huge X-ray concentration produces a micro-scale image of the tiny fused crystals that make up most metals, ceramics and rocks, known as polycrystalline materials.
Results help researchers understand how materials react to mechanical stresses by measuring thousands of individual crystals’ volume, position, orientation and strain. For example, imaging a sample from a steel beam under compression can show how crystals respond to bearing the weight of a building, helping researchers understand large-scale wear.
Synchrotrons were once the only facilities able to produce enough X-rays for 3DXRD as electrons spit off scads of X-rays as they travel through circular particle accelerators, which can then be directed into a sample.
While synchrotron X-ray beams produce state-of-the-art detail, there are only about 70 facilities worldwide. Research teams must put together project proposals for “beam time.” Accepted projects often must wait six months to up to two years to run their experiments, which are limited to a maximum of six days.
In an effort to make this technique more widely available, the research team worked with PROTO Manufacturing to custom build the first laboratory-scale 3DXRD. As a whole, the instrument is about the size of a residential bathroom, but could be scaled down to the size of a broom closet.
“This technique gives us such interesting data that I wanted to create the opportunity to try new things that are high risk, high reward and allow teachable moments for students without the wait-time and pressure of synchrotron beam time,” said Ashley Bucsek, U-M assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering and co-corresponding author of the study published in Nature Communications.
Previously, small-scale devices could not produce enough X-rays for 3DXRD because at a certain point, the electron beam pumps so much power into the anode—the solid metal surface that the electrons strike to make X-rays—that it would melt. Lab-3DXRD leverages a liquid-metal-jet anode that is already liquid at room temperature, allowing it to take in more power and produce more X-rays than once possible at this scale.
The researchers put the design to the test by scanning the same titanium alloy sample using three methods: lab-3DXRD, synchrotron-3DXRD and laboratory diffraction contrast tomography or LabDCT—a technique used to map out crystal structures in 3D without strain information.
Lab-3DXRD was highly accurate, with 96% of the crystals it picked up overlapping with the other two methods. It did particularly well with larger crystals over 60 micrometers, but missed some of the smaller crystals. The researchers note that adding a more sensitive photon-counting detector, which detects the X-rays that are used to build the images, could help catch the finest-grained crystals.
With this technique available in-house, Bucsek’s research team can try new experiments, honing parameters to prepare for a larger experiment at a synchrotron.
“Lab-3DXRD is like a nice backyard telescope while synchrotron-3DXRD is the Hubble Telescope. There are still certain situations where you need the Hubble, but we are now well prepared for those big experiments because we can try everything out beforehand,” Bucsek said.
Beyond enabling more accessible experiments, lab-3DXRD allows researchers to extend projects past the synchrotron six day limit, which is particularly helpful when studying cyclic loading—how a material responds to repeated stresses over thousands of cycles.
For more information: The Michigan Center for Materials Characterization
Image: Members of Professor Ashley Bucsek’s lab group are able to use three-dimensional X-ray diffraction to study polycrystalline materials on campus, a technique previously only available in specialized synchrotron facilities. Left to right: Ashley Bucsek, Sangwon Lee, Wenxi Li, Abdulhamit Sarac, Janice Moya and Yuefeng Jin. Image credit: Marcin Szczepanski, Michigan Engineering
A team of researchers, led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, made an important discovery in their quest to design the next generation of materials for modern devices—ones that are lightweight, flexible, and excellent at dissipating heat: imperfection has its upsides.
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Researchers from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and Lehigh University have developed a nanostructured copper alloy (Cu-Ta-Li) with exceptional thermal stability and mechanical strength, potentially redefining high-temperature materials for aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. This groundbreaking alloy is one of the most resilient copper-based materials ever created. The research, supported by a $25 million cooperative agreement and Lehigh’s Presidential Nano-Human Interfaces Initiative, highlights the decade-long partnership between Lehigh and ARL in advancing materials science.
“This is cutting-edge science, developing a new material that uniquely combines copper’s excellent conductivity with strength and durability on the scale of nickel-based superalloys,” said Martin Harmer, the Alcoa Foundation Professor Emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering at Lehigh and a co-author of the study. “It provides industry and the military with the foundation to create new materials for hypersonics and high performance turbine engines.”
The ARL and Lehigh researchers collaborated with scientists from Arizona State University and Louisiana State University to develop the alloy, which can withstand extreme heat without significant degradation.
This and other innovative alloys will continue to be studied in Lehigh’s newly outfitted high-tech research labs, the Nanoalloy Lab and Nanoceramics Lab, which include high-pressure torsion systems, nanoindentation equipment and specialized high-temperature furnaces.
The breakthrough comes from the formation of Cu₃Li precipitates, stabilized by a Ta-rich atomic bilayer complexion, a concept pioneered by the Lehigh researchers. Unlike typical grain boundaries that migrate over time at high temperatures, this complexion acts as a structural stabilizer, maintaining the nanocrystalline structure, preventing grain growth and dramatically improving high-temperature performance.
The alloy holds its shape under extreme, long-term thermal exposure and mechanical stress, resisting deformation even near its melting point, noted Patrick Cantwell, a research scientist at Lehigh University and co-author of the study.
By merging the high-temperature resilience of nickel-based superalloys with copper — which is known for exceptional conductivity — the material paves the way for next-generation applications, including heat exchangers, advanced propulsion systems and thermal management solutions for cutting-edge missile and hypersonic technologies.
This new Cu-Ta-Li alloy offers a balance of properties not found in existing materials:
The team synthesized the alloy using powder metallurgy and high-energy cryogenic milling, ensuring a fine-scale nanostructure. They then subjected it to:
A project such as this takes years of careful work and collaboration, said Christopher Marvel ’12 ’16 Ph.D., an author of the paper and professor of mechanical engineering at Louisiana State University.
“Lehigh has such a strong reputation for electron microscopy, and that is what interested the ARL in working with us on this material. It was our microscopy that was really key to understanding the material,” said Marvel, who helped lead that portion of the research over a six-year period. “The Lehigh faculty have worked on many high-level research projects over the years, and they’ve all taught me different things that I apply now as an academic.”
The ARL was awarded a U.S. patent (US 11,975,385 B2) for the alloy, highlighting its strategic significance, particularly in defense applications like military heat exchangers, propulsion systems and hypersonic vehicles.
Further research will include direct measurements of the alloy’s thermal conductivity compared to nickel-based alternatives, work to ready it for potential applications, and the development of other high-temperature alloys following a similar design strategy.
For more information: Science
Image: This groundbreaking nanostructured copper alloy that could redefine high-temperature materials for aerospace, defense and industrial applications.
LIFT, a Department of Defense-supported national advanced materials manufacturing innovation institute, has opened the Advanced Metallic Production and Processing (AMPP) Center in Detroit’s Corktown district. This facility will enhance the U.S. industrial base by accelerating the design, development, and deployment of novel metallic materials, addressing a critical gap in defense manufacturing. By producing metals across all alloy classes and processing them into high-quality feedstocks, AMPP will expedite materials development, particularly for additive manufacturing, ensuring manufacturers have access to essential materials for next-generation defense and commercial technologies.
Advanced materials are critical across industries. According to a recent report from Siemens Digital Industries Software, ”Innovation is key to the survival and growth of all companies. Product and materials innovation are closely linked, with product innovation relying on materials innovation by almost 70 percent. Therefore, it’s clear that developing new materials or innovative applications of existing materials are of paramount importance for the manufacturing industry.”
This capability de-risks materials development investment for our domestic manufacturers and unlocks faster time to market and overall reduced cost of development.
A National Collaboration to Drive Innovation
The AMPP Center will serve as a hub for collaboration between LIFT’s nearly 400-member network and key industry stakeholders, including:
– Original Equipment Manufacturers
– Systems Manufacturers
– Materials Producers & Developers
– Application Developers & Part Manufacturers
– Academia & Startups
LIFT’s new Advanced Metallics Production and Processing Center exemplifies the mission of the Department of Defense’s Manufacturing Innovation Institutes: to close critical advanced manufacturing gaps in the U.S. defense industrial base and ensure we remain the strongest and most lethal force in the world,” said Keith DeVries, Director of Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)).
Advancing American Manufacturing & Security
Nigel Francis, CEO & Executive Director of LIFT, emphasized the importance of AMPP in maintaining America’s competitive edge:
“The pace of advanced manufacturing innovation is accelerating, and the development of novel materials is crucial to keeping the U.S. ahead of global competitors. With AMPP, we can now rapidly move new materials from concept to prototype, feasibility testing, and full-scale production—all within our borders. This capability is a game-changer for both our warfighters and manufacturers across industries.”
“A decade ago, we welcomed LIFT to Detroit to research and develop the next generation of advanced materials for commercial and defense uses,” said Mike Duggan, Mayor, City of Detroit. “This expansion into the production and processing of these materials demonstrates the success of their work and is a great example of how Detroit is very much a national center for innovation.”
Key Capabilities of the AMPP Center
– Low to Medium Volume Material Production
– Accelerated Material Delivery & Availability
– Toll Processing & Contract Manufacturing
– Domestic Production Through a Nonprofit Public-Private Partnership
Bringing Next-Generation Materials to Market and Scaling-Up Additive Manufacturing
As LIFT celebrates its 11th year as a national manufacturing innovation institute, it continues to expand its impact and technologies across the country, recently opening a facility in Puerto Rico and exploring new expansion opportunities.
For more information: LIFT
Today’s technology, from computer chips to camera image sensors, relies heavily on silicon semiconductors, which have been shrinking for decades. However, physical limitations will soon halt further advancements. Consequently, scientists and engineers are developing a new generation of technology based on quantum mechanics. Electrons in “quantum materials” exhibit unique behaviors, such as magnetism and superconductivity, which are crucial for future quantum technologies.
Dean characterizes quantum materials using a technique called resonant inelastic X-ray scattering, or RIXS. RIXS is particularly suited for probing samples as thin as one atomic layer and material states that change very rapidly. And with recent technological developments, researchers expect this technique to enable studies that were unthinkable only five years ago.
This progress gave Dean and three colleagues — Matteo Mitrano, Steven Johnston, and Young-June Kim — the impetus to chart where the field is going as a whole. So, they summarized the technique’s state of the art and how they expect the field to progress in a Perspective paper.
For more information: Physical Review X
Image: The graphic illustrates an ultrabright X-ray striking a quantum material’s electrons (gray circles) and scattering off the sample. In this example, the X-ray’s energy change will provide insight into an electron property called spin, represented by the arrows. (Brad Baxley/Part to Whole LLC)
For the first time, scientists characterize a promethium coordination complex, which furthers their understanding of elusive lanthanide elements. The rare earth element promethium is unique in that it has no stable isotopes. This means that it is constantly decaying, making it difficult to study.
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Rice University researchers have directly observed a superradiant phase transition (SRPT), a quantum phenomenon predicted over 50 years ago, which could revolutionize quantum computing, communication, and sensing. This occurs when quantum particles fluctuate collectively without external triggers, forming a new state of matter. The discovery was made in a crystal of erbium, iron, and oxygen, cooled to minus 457°F and exposed to a magnetic field of up to 7 tesla.
“Originally, the SRPT was proposed as arising from interactions between quantum vacuum fluctuations — quantum light fields naturally existing even in completely empty space — and matter fluctuations,” said Dasom Kim, a Rice doctoral student in the Applied Physics Graduate Program who is a lead author on the study. “However, in our work, we realized this transition by coupling two distinct magnetic subsystems — the spin fluctuations of iron ions and of erbium ions within the crystal.”
Spin describes the magnetic poles of electrons or other particles and can be envisioned as a tiny arrow attached to each particle, constantly twirling and pointing in a given direction. When spins align, they create magnetic patterns across a material. When the pattern of spins ripples across the material like a wave, the resulting collective excitation is known as a magnon.
Until now, whether or not an SRPT could actually take place was subject to debate as it runs against a limitation — called “no-go theorem” in theoretical physics — arising in light-based systems. By staging an SRPT in a magnetic crystal based on the interactions between two spin subsystems, the researchers were able to get around this barrier, creating a magnonic version of the phenomenon. Specifically, the iron ions’ magnons play the role traditionally attributed to vacuum fluctuations, and the erbium ions’ spins represent matter fluctuations.
Using advanced spectroscopic techniques, the researchers observed unmistakable signatures of an SRPT, with the energy signal of one spin mode vanishing and another showing a clear shift or kink. These spectral fingerprints match exactly what theory predicts for entering the superradiant phase, giving the team high confidence that they had indeed coaxed the long-sought state into being.
“We established an ultrastrong coupling between these two spin systems and successfully observed a SRPT, overcoming previous experimental constraints,” Kim said.
Researchers are excited not just because a 50-year-old physics prediction has been confirmed but also because of what this could mean for quantum technology. Collective quantum states at the SRPT have unique properties that could be harnessed for next-generation quantum technologies.
“Near the quantum critical point of this transition, the system naturally stabilizes quantum-squeezed states — where quantum noise is drastically reduced — greatly enhancing measurement precision,” Kim said. “Overall, this insight could revolutionize quantum sensors and computing technologies, significantly advancing their fidelity, sensitivity and performance.”
Sohail Dasgupta, a graduate student at Rice working with Kaden Hazzard, associate professor of physics and astronomy, theoretically modeled the SRPT, building on a model developed by their collaborator and co-author Motoaki Bamba, a professor at Yokohama National University.
“Although the basic mathematical model was already laid out before by Motoaki, we needed to account for some of the specific magnetic properties of the material to obtain the precise results. When your theory matches the experimental data ⎯ which happens rather rarely ⎯ it is the best feeling for a scientist,” Dasgupta said.
Hazzard said the achievement shows that concepts from quantum optics can be translated into solid materials.
“This opens a new way to create and control phases of matter using ideas from cavity quantum electrodynamics,” Hazzard said.
Moreover, the crystal used in this study is one example of a broader class of materials, which means the research paves the way for exploring quantum phenomena in other materials with similarly interacting magnetic components.
For more information: Science Advances
Image: Dasom Kim (Photo by Jorge Vidal/Rice University)
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, led by Ph.D. student Nofar Fridman and Prof. Yonathan Anahory, have discovered unexpected behavior in superconductivity within extremely thin materials. Superconductors, which allow electric current to flow without resistance, typically exhibit predictable changes when thinned. However, the team found surprising results when studying thin films of niobium diselenide (NbSe2), a layered superconducting material. Using advanced magnetic imaging techniques, they measured the material’s response to magnetic fields as its thickness decreased, revealing new insights into superconductivity at the nanoscale.
Typically, scientists expect the ability of a superconducting material to expel magnetic fields to become stronger as the material becomes thicker. Here, this length is gauged by a physical property called the Pearl length. This study confirmed that rule for samples thicker than ten atomic layers. However, when the films became extremely thin—just three to six layers (2-4 nm) —the researchers observed something unexpected: the Pearl length sharply increased and became thickness independent, breaking the expected pattern.
“Our findings reveal something completely unexpected that could be ubiquitous in superconducting materials,” explained Nofar Fridman, the Ph.D. student leading the study. “In very thin samples, superconductivity behaves differently from what we’ve known. It seems that below a certain thickness, superconductors host current mostly at their top and bottom surfaces, rather than throughout their volume. This finding opens up exciting new questions about superconductivity in ultra-thin materials.”
The team’s supervisor, Prof. Yonathan Anahory, emphasized the importance of their method, saying, “Our high-resolution magnetic imaging allowed us to see details that previous methods couldn’t detect. By finding this unique surface superconductivity, we’ve expanded our understanding of how superconducting materials behave at extremely small scales. This could have significant implications for future research and technologies.”
This discovery sheds new light on superconductivity in very thin films and challenges previously held theories. It also highlights how specialized measurement techniques can uncover surprising new physical phenomena, potentially opening avenues for innovative applications in quantum technology.
For more information: Nature Communications
Image: A schematic illustration of the experimental setup shows a scanning magnetic microscope positioned above two different samples. One sample exhibits only surface superconductivity, while the other displays conventional superconductivity.
Scientists at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have developed an ultrashort electron beam with five times the peak current of any previous beam, addressing a major challenge in particle accelerator and beam physics: generating high-power electron beams without compromising quality. This breakthrough opens new research possibilities in quantum chemistry, astrophysics, and materials science.
“Not only can we create such a powerful electron beam, but we’re also able to control the beam in ways that are customizable and on demand, which means we can probe a much wider range of physical and chemical phenomena than ever before,” said Claudio Emma, a staff scientist at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, who is a researcher at SLAC’s Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests (FACET-II) and a lead author on the new study.
One of the field’s longstanding goals has been to develop electron beams that are both extremely powerful and precisely controlled. Until now, increasing a beam’s power often meant degrading its quality, a tradeoff that has limited progress in many advanced experiments.
Traditionally, a microwave field is used to compress and focus the electron beam. The electrons within the field are staggered, so that those further back have more energy than those in the front. It’s sort of like runners staggered at the start of a track race, Emma explained. “We then send them around a bend, so the electrons in back catch up with electrons in front, and then at the end, you have a bunch of electrons together in a focused beam.”
The problem with this approach is that as they accelerate, electrons emit radiation and lose energy, so the quality of the beam deteriorates. That creates a tradeoff between beam energy and quality. “We can’t apply traditional methods to compress bunches of electrons at the submicron scale, while also preserving beam quality,” Emma said.
To solve this issue, SLAC researchers compressed billions of electrons into a length less than one micrometer using a laser-based shaping technique originally developed for X-ray free-electron lasers, such as SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). “The big advantage of using a laser is that we can apply an energy modulation that’s much more precise than what we can do with microwave fields,” Emma said.
But it’s not as simple as just shooting a few lasers down a tunnel. “We have a one-kilometer-long machine, and the laser interacts with the beam in the first 10 meters, so you have to get the shaping exactly right, then you have to transport the beam for another kilometer without losing this modulation, and you have to compress it,” Emma said. “So it wasn’t easy.”
After several months of testing and finessing their laser shaping technique, Emma and his team can now repeatedly produce high energy, femtosecond-duration, petawatt peak power electron beams that are about five times higher in current than what could previously be achieved.
This new beam will allow scientists to probe a whole series of natural phenomena, including testing hypotheses in quantum physics, materials science, and astrophysics.
In astrophysics, for example, this beam can be directed to a solid or gas target to create a filament similar to those seen in stars. “Scientists know that these filaments occur, but now we can test how they occur and evolve in the lab with a level of power we haven’t had before,” Emma said.
Fellow FACET-II researchers pounced on the more powerful beam and have already applied it to advancing plasma wakefield technology. Emma is particularly excited about the prospect of further compressing these beams to make attosecond light pulses, further enhancing LCLS’s current attosecond capabilities and driving even more pioneering science. “If you have the beam as a fast camera, then you also have a light pulse that’s very short, and now suddenly you have two complementary probes,” Emma explained. “That’s a unique capability and we can do a lot of things with that.”
Emma and his colleagues are excited about the prospects this new electron beam will bring. “We have a really exciting and interesting facility at FACET-II where people can come and do their experiments,” he said. “If you need an extreme beam, we have the tool for you, and let’s work together.”
For more information: Physical Review Letters
Image: At the heart of the new study is a laser heater undulator, a device that allows researchers to tightly control electron beams.
A chance discovery by scientists from Rice University, University of Cambridge, and Stanford University has streamlined the production of PEDOT:PSS, a material widely used in medical research and computing. For over two decades, a chemical crosslinker was used to stabilize this conductive polymer in water. However, while experimenting with patterning techniques for biomedical optics, Stanford doctoral student Siddharth Doshi, collaborating with Rice’s Scott Keene, found that heating the material at a higher temperature without the crosslinker resulted in a stable sample, eliminating the need for the crosslinker.
“It was more of a serendipitous discovery because Siddharth was trying out processes very different to the standard recipe, but the samples still turned out fine,” Keene said. “We were like, ‘Wait! Really?’ This prompted us to look into why and how this worked.”
What Keene and his team found was that heating PEDOT:PSS beyond the usual threshold not only makes it stable without needing any crosslinker, but it also creates higher quality devices. This method could make bioelectronic devices easier and more reliable to manufacture with potential applications in neural implants, biosensors and next-generation computing systems.
PEDOT:PSS is a blend of two polymers: one that conducts electronic charge and does not dissolve in water and another that conducts ionic charge and is water-soluble. Because it conducts both types of charges, PEDOT:PSS bridges the gap between living tissue and technology.
“It allows you to essentially talk the language of the brain,” said Keene, who researches advanced materials for smaller, high-resolution electrodes capable of both recording and stimulating neural activity with precision.
The human nervous system relies on ions—charged particles like sodium and potassium—to transmit signals, while electronic devices work with electrons. A material that can handle both is crucial for neural implants and other bioelectronic devices that need to translate biological activity into readable data and send signals without damaging sensitive tissue.
In contrast, the higher heat stabilizes PEDOT:PSS by causing a phase change in the material. When heated beyond a certain temperature, the water-insoluble polymer reorganizes internally, pushing the water-soluble components to the surface, where they can be washed away. What remains is a thinner, purer and more stable conducting film.
“This method pretty much simplifies a lot of these problems that people have working with PEDOT:PSS,” Keene said. “It also essentially eliminates a potentially toxic chemical.”
Margaux Forner, a doctoral student at Cambridge who is a first author on the paper along with Doshi, said that heat-treated bioelectronic devices such as transistors, spinal cord stimulators and electrocorticography arrays — implanted grids or strips of neuroelectrodes used to record brain activity — were easier to fabricate, more reliable and equally high performing to those fabricated using the crosslinker.
“The devices made from heat-treated PEDOT:PSS proved to be robust in chronic in vivo experiments, maintaining stability for over 20 days postimplantation,” Forner said. “Notably, the film maintained excellent electrical performance when stretched, highlighting its potential for resilient bioelectronic devices both inside and outside the body.”
The finding may help explain why previous efforts to use PEDOT:PSS in long-term neural implants, including those by Neuralink, ran into stability issues. By making PEDOT:PSS more reliable, this discovery could help advance neurotechnology, including implants to restore movement after spinal cord injuries and interfaces that link the brain to external devices.
Beyond simplifying fabrication, the team found a way to pattern PEDOT:PSS into microscopic 3D structures — a breakthrough that could further improve bioelectronic devices. Using a high-precision femtosecond laser, the researchers can selectively heat sections of the material, creating custom textures that enhance how cells interact with the devices.
By eliminating the crosslinker, the research findings not only streamline the PEDOT:PSS fabrication process but also improve its performance. The new method produces a material with three times higher electrical conductivity and more consistent stability between batches — key advantages for medical applications.
The crosslinker worked by chemically bonding the two types of polymer strands in PEDOT:PSS together, creating an interconnected mesh. However, it still left some of the water-soluble strands exposed — a likely cause for the stability issues. Moreover, the crosslinker introduced variability and potential toxicity in the material.
This technique could be used to design neural interfaces that encourage better integration with surrounding tissue, improving signal quality and longevity.
Keene had also previously researched PEDOT:PSS in the context of neuromorphic memory devices used to accelerate artificial intelligence algorithms. Neuromorphic memory is a type or artificial memory that mimics how the brain retains information.
“It basically emulates the synaptic plasticity of your brain,” Keene said. “We can modify the connection between two terminals by controlling how conductive this material is; this is very similar to how your brain learns by strengthening or weakening synaptic connections between individual neurons.”
By unseating a long-standing assumption, the research not only made PEDOT:PSS easier to work with but also more powerful — a shift that could accelerate the development of safer, more effective neural implants and bioelectronic systems.
For more information: Rice University
Image: Implantable electrocorticography device (left) made using the heat treatment method (Photo courtesy of Margaux Forner); Rice University logo (right) patterned into PEDOT:PSS using a femtosecond laser
