One Minute Mentor: Advantages and Limitations of Heat Treatment Simulation

Heat treatment simulation can be a tool for optimization of heat-treatment processes, but at the present this method is still limited. Therefore most HTS is based on rough simplifications of the process. Simplifications can involve the process, number of phases, transformation kinetics, continuums models instead of micro-mechanical models, etc. These simplifications also result in inaccuracies in the calculations.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 16. R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014  https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005980

ECM establishes new vacuum furnace entity in mexico under MEXVAC ECM name

ECM USA, Pleasant Prairie, WI, announced the official launch of its new Mexican subsidiary, ECM Mexico, operating as MEXVAC ECM, S.A. DE C.V. This development marks a significant step in expanding ECM’s presence and service capabilities within the Mexican heat treatment industry.

The ECM Mexico team is led by operations manager Juan Cruz and field service and PLC engineer José López, under the direction of Pierre-Loic Rousset and Dennis Beauchesne. The team will work closely with ECM USA to provide localized support, reflecting ECM’s long-term commitment to strengthening service infrastructure for customers across Mexico.

The new entity will serve as a dedicated supplier of vacuum furnace technologies and support services, aiming to meet growing demand in the region for high-performance thermal processing equipment.

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Bodycote joins energy industries council to expand engagement with global energy sector

Bodycote, Macclesfield, UK, announced its membership with the Energy Industries Council (EIC), a leading global trade association for the energy sector. This move strengthens Bodycote’s strategic alignment with the evolving needs of the industry and reinforces its role as a provider of heat treatment and specialist thermal processing services across power generation and energy infrastructure markets.

Through its membership, Bodycote gains broader access to key industry stakeholders, enabling stronger supply chain collaboration and the pursuit of new business opportunities within the energy sector. The company serves a wide range of EIC members, fostering synergies that support innovation and operational excellence.

Bodycote’s engagement with the EIC supports its commitment to sustainability, particularly in nuclear and renewable energy markets. The partnership enhances customer access to Bodycote’s services via EIC platforms and events, further promoting solutions that improve performance, efficiency, and reliability in critical energy applications.

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Solar Atmospheres expands vacuum heat-treating capacity in Eastern Pennsylvania

Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, PA, announced the commissioning of two additional 2-bar vacuum furnaces at its Eastern Pennsylvania facility. The expansion is aimed at supporting increased demand from the aerospace and industrial gas turbine industries, as well as specialized hydride/dehydride processing of reactive metals such as titanium, tantalum, and niobium.

The newly installed furnaces, manufactured by Solar Manufacturing, feature large working hot zones measuring 45 inches wide by 45 inches high by 72 inches deep. They are rated for temperatures up to 2400°F and maintain a temperature uniformity of ±10°F, meeting the stringent requirements of high-performance heat treatment applications.

Mike Moyer, vice president of sales at Solar Atmospheres, noted that the new equipment, outfitted with the latest control systems from Solar Manufacturing, enhances operational efficiency and safety. He added that this expansion supports the company’s commitment to providing reliable service, competitive pricing, and fast turnaround times to its customers.

The additional capacity reflects Solar Atmospheres’ ongoing investment in advanced thermal processing technology to meet the evolving needs of its industrial and aerospace clients.

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Twisting 2D materials creates artificial atoms that could advance quantum computers

Researchers at the University of Rochester have discovered that twisting two atom-thick flakes of special materials at high angles reveals unique optical properties, potentially useful for quantum computers and other quantum technologies. By precisely layering these nano-thin materials, they create excitons—artificial atoms that can function as quantum information bits, or qubits.

“If we had just a single layer of this material we’re using, these dark excitons wouldn’t interact with light,” says Nickolas Vamivakas, the Marie C. Wilson and Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Optical Physics. “By doing the big twist, it turns on artificial atoms within the material that we can control optically, but they are still protected from the environment.”

The work builds on the 2010 Nobel Prize–winning discovery that peeling carbon apart until it reaches a single layer of atoms creates a new two-dimensional (2D) material called graphene with special quantum characteristics.

Scientists have since explored how the optical and electrical properties of graphene and other 2D materials change when layered on top of one another and twisted at very small angles—called moiré superlattices. For example, when graphene is twisted at the “magic” angle of 1.1 degrees, it creates special patterns that produce properties such as superconductivity.

But scientists from Rochester’s Institute of Optics and Department of Physics and Astronomy took a different approach. They used molybdenum diselenide, a 2D material that is more fickle than graphene, and twisted it at much higher angles of up to 40 degrees. Still, the researchers found the twisted monolayers produced excitons that were able to retain information when activated by light.

“This was very surprising for us,” says Arnab Barman Ray, an optics Ph.D. candidate. “Molybdenum diselenide is notorious because other materials in the family of moiré materials show better information-retaining capacity. We think that if we use some of those other materials at these large angles, they will probably work even better.”

The team views this as an important early step toward new types of quantum devices.

“Down the line, we hope these artificial atoms can be used like memory or nodes in a quantum network, or put into optical cavities to create quantum materials,” says Vamivakas. “These could be the backbone for devices like the next generation of lasers or even tools to simulate quantum physics.”

For more information: Nano Letters

NREL researchers advance substrate engineering pathways to improve power electronics

As global electricity demand and supply grow, efficient power electronics are crucial for enhancing grid efficiency, stability, integration, and resilience across all energy sources. Advances in wide-bandgap semiconductor materials promise greater power handling capabilities while reducing electrical and thermal losses, enabling the development of smaller, faster, more reliable, and energy-efficient power electronic components compared to current silicon-based technologies.

Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Colorado School of Mines, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory examined a potential route to achieve peak performance of aluminum gallium nitride, AlxGa1–xN, a key material for increasing power electronics’ energy efficiency and performance, through growth on optimized substrate materials.

This work was undertaken with funding support from the microelectronics initiative through the U.S. Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences Office and Advanced Scientific Computing Research program.

The goal of the work is to grow higher-quality materials through the selection of a lattice-matched substrate. Better electron transmission means better device performance, but the growth of AlxGa1–xN on lattice-mismatched substrates leads to dislocation (line defects that distort a lattice due to the misalignment of atoms), resulting in diminished performance.

“Substrate engineering enables the use of high-performing materials in real devices,” said NREL’s Dennice Roberts, a materials science researcher. “If we can engineer lattice-matched substrates to reduce the effect of dislocations, we can widen the range of sufficiently high-quality materials and build better, more energy-efficient power electronics.”

Substrate engineering can improve device performance—but it is complicated. Defects, such as substrate cracking, are common with growth on AlN and GaN. Efforts to reduce dislocation have been effective but often increase device complexity and limit device design and performance. Lattice mismatching, again, leads to device performance issues.

“Lattice matching is critical for high-quality epitaxial growth,” Roberts said. “We hypothesized that substrates from transition metal carbide and nitride families could enable desired conditions for AlxGa1–xN growth, not only because of ideal lattice matching but also because of ideal thermal and electrical conductivity properties. TaC and AlxGa1–xN are closely lattice-matched, TaC is highly conductive, and they display matched growth in size in response to changes in temperature.”

The team grew, prepared, and used TaC thin films as virtual substrates for high-aluminum-content AlxGa1–xN and demonstrated AlxGa1–xN growth on TaC virtual substrates. To precisely and effectively deposit TaC onto the substrate, they used radio frequency sputtering. They formed substrates through high-temperature annealing, a process that increases ductility—the ability of a metal to undergo significant stress before cracking or breaking—and reduces defects.

For more information: PRX Energy

Alloyed raises £37M in funding for metal alloy development

UK-based Alloyed has secured £37 million in Series B funding to expand its manufacturing facilities in Abingdon, UK, and Seattle, USA, and to advance its digital alloy design platforms and product line. Founded in 2017 as an Oxford University spinout, Alloyed specializes in creating advanced, lightweight metallic alloys for additive manufacturing, with clients including Boeing, Microsoft, Anglo American plc, and BMW. Their materials are used in a variety of applications, from antennas and satellite structures to jet engine components, VR headsets, and smartwatches.

Japanese investment firm SPARX and the Development Bank of Japan led the £37M Series B round. Aviva Investors and Senningerberg-based Future Industry Ventures also provided funding. This adds to Alloyed’s existing backers, Oxford Science Enterprises, JX Advanced Metals, and Anglo American plc.

“We’re excited to welcome this exceptional group of new investors, enabling us to accelerate investment in our digital tools and expand our certified production facilities both in the UK and the US,” explained Alloyed’s CEO, Michael Holmes. “Automated design and manufacturing is an industry where the UK, with our expertise in materials science and world class engineering capability, has the potential to lead on the global stage and Alloyed is at the forefront of this transformation.”

Alloyed claims that its Abingdon HQ features “one of the largest fleets of Additive Manufacturing machines in Europe.” Across its UK and US facilities, it develops advanced metallic alloys optimized for metal 3D printing. The materials developer aims to capitalize on the emerging automated design and manufacturing with its portfolio, which includes copper alloys, alloy steels, stainless steels, and aluminum alloys.

Back in 2022, Alloyed showcased its 3D printed copper cooling plate designed for high-temperature computing systems and general liquid cooling systems. This device featured a complex 3D printed lattice structure that minimizes material usage while enhancing cooling performance. The monolithic plate was reportedly simpler and more efficient at transferring heat than its conventionally manufactured counterparts.

Looking ahead, the metal developer believes high-performance alloys will play a key role in global efforts to transition to sustainable energy. It anticipates that more companies will work to deploy increasingly stronger and lighter materials to develop “next-generation technologies.”

“Additive manufacture has great promise for the energy transition and future products across a range of industries, but has been held back by a range of engineering challenges,” explained Takaki Demichi, Director and Head of Investment for SPARX Asset Management’s Next-Generation Growth Division. He believes these barriers are “directly addressed by Alloyed’s materials, processing, design, and production technologies and its highly data-driven approach.”

Development Bank of Japan’s General Manager of Innovation Promotion Office, Yuki Takemori, added, “Alloyed is at the forefront of innovation in the manufacturing sector and a natural partner for us.” The Tokyo financial institution believes its collaboration with Alloyed will “enhance the sector even further” by creating a “model case for commercialising technology.”

Additive manufacturing is attracting the attention of global investors. According to IDTechEx data, approximately $650 million was invested into 3D printing across 40 deals in 2024. While the state of investing in 3D printing has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels, it remains stable amid a shift away from tech hype to disciplined funding.

For more information: Alloyed

Unveiling the role of defects in 2D material dynamics

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have shown that ripples in two-dimensional materials, like graphene, significantly influence fluid interactions, strength, conductivity, and chemical activity. Understanding how rippling and defects interact is essential for advancing technologies such as energy storage, flexible electronics, nanofluidics, and catalysis. Defects can dramatically alter the surface ripples, sometimes causing the material to freeze in place, similar to a still image.

Dr. Fabian Thiemann, the first author of the study, is currently a Research Scientist at IBM. He began this research while pursuing his Ph.D. at UCL, the University of Cambridge, and Imperial College London.

2D materials are central to technological advancements in areas such as water filtration, high-speed electronics, and ultra-thin flexible displays. However, at the atomic level, surfaces that appear flat are never truly flat. These 2D surfaces contain microscopic ripples that influence their properties.

The researchers used machine learning-based computer models to simulate 2D sheets of graphene and other materials. These models allowed them to examine how different materials, both with and without defects, exhibit rippling behavior. They discovered that defects in the material affect how ripples propagate and, more significantly, cause the membrane to freeze and lose its flexibility when defect concentrations are high.

Dr. Camille Scalliet, currently a Permanent Researcher at the Laboratoire de Physique de l’École Normale Supérieure in Paris, conducted this research while serving as a Herchel Smith Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Cambridge.

The researchers are excited to expand on these findings in the future. Fabian Thiemann and Camille Scalliet discussed their thoughts on the future of their study: “There are great ways to continue this work. Our next steps are to study more complicated situations at the nanoscale, such as membranes in contact with water or other materials. This is just the beginning of this collaboration.”

For more information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Image: Defects in a flexible sheet

Developing 3D-printed soft material actuators that can mimic real muscles

Empa researchers have developed a 3D printing method to produce soft, elastic, yet powerful artificial muscles. These artificial muscles could one day be used in medicine, robotics, and other applications requiring movement at the touch of a button. While they hold potential for supporting people at work, aiding mobility, or replacing injured muscle tissue, creating artificial muscles that match the performance of real muscles remains a significant technical challenge.

In order to keep up with their biological counterparts, artificial muscles must not only be powerful, but also elastic and soft. At their core, artificial muscles are so-called actuators: Components that convert electrical impulses into movement. Actuators are used wherever something moves at the push of a button, whether at home, in a car engine or in highly developed industrial plants. However, these hard mechanical components do not have much in common with muscles just yet.

The dielectric elastic actuators (DEA) consist of two different silicone-based materials: a conductive electrode material and a non-conductive dielectric. These materials interlock in layers. “It’s a bit like interlacing your fingers,” explains Empa researcher Patrick Danner. If an electrical voltage is applied to the electrodes, the actuator contracts like a muscle. When the voltage is switched off, it relaxes to its original position.

3D printing such a structure is not trivial, Danner knows. Despite their very different electrical properties, the two soft materials should behave very similarly during the printing process. They should not mix but must still hold together in the finished actuator.

The printed “muscles” must be as soft as possible so that an electrical stimulus can cause the required deformation. Added to this are the requirements that all 3D printable materials must fulfill: They must liquefy under pressure so that they can be extruded out of the printer nozzle. Immediately thereafter, however, they should be viscous enough to retain the printed shape.

“These properties are often in direct contradiction,” says Danner. “If you optimize one of them, three others change … usually for the worse.”

In collaboration with researchers from ETH Zurich, Danner and Dorina Opris, who leads the research group Functional Polymeric Materials, have succeeded in reconciling many of these contradictory properties. Two special inks, developed at Empa, are printed into functioning soft actuators using a nozzle developed by ETH researchers Tazio Pleij and Jan Vermant.

The collaboration is part of the large-scale project Manufhaptics, which is part of the ETH Domain’s strategic area Advanced Manufacturing. The aim of the project is to develop a glove that makes virtual worlds tangible. The artificial muscles are designed to simulate the gripping of objects through resistance.

However, there are far more potential applications for soft actuators. They are light, noiseless and, thanks to the new 3D printing process, can be shaped as required. They could replace conventional actuators in cars, machinery and robotics. If they are developed even further, they could also be used for medical applications.

Opris and Danner are already working on it. Their new process can be used to print not only complex shapes, but also long elastic fibers. “If we manage to make them just a little thinner, we can get pretty close to how real muscle fibers work,” says Opris. The researcher believes that in the future it may be possible to print an entire heart from these fibers. However, there is still a lot to do before such a dream becomes a reality.

For more information: Advanced Materials Technologies

Image: Complexity on a small scale: A 3D-printed soft actuator or “artificial muscle.”

Penn State to establish new advanced semiconductor lab

Penn State researchers are set to enhance their semiconductor technology R&D capabilities with $4.3 million in funding and support from MMEC, a consortium focused on microelectronics. This funding, part of the Department of Defense’s Microelectronics Commons initiative under the CHIPS Act, will help establish an advanced lab for semiconductor thin films and device research at the Materials Research Institute in the Millennium Science Complex. MMEC, founded by Battelle, unites industry, academia, and government to drive innovation in microelectronics for commercial and defense applications, strengthening the U.S. supply chain.

“We were very fortunate to be included in the original MMEC proposal,” said Joan Redwing, lead investigator on the infrastructure project and distinguished professor of materials science and engineering and director of MRI’s Two-Dimensional Crystal Consortium, a U.S. National Science Foundation Materials Innovation Platform and national user facility. “The proposal included infrastructure investment for training and workforce development. The funding will allow MRI to build capacity for next-generation semiconductor thin films and devices, which includes new equipment that will allow us to scale up fabrication and create prototype devices.”

At the heart of the new facility, made possible by the funding, will be a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) tool, manufactured by AIXTRON SE, a multinational technology company. The MOCVD tool works by heating a chamber in a highly controlled manner where special chemical gases, containing the elements needed for the material, are introduced. These gases react and break down on a hot surface, such as a semiconductor wafer, depositing a thin, even layer of material. This precise layering allows for high-quality materials used in advanced technologies like semiconductors.

This instrument will enable the deposition of semiconductor thin films on multiple wafers at a time at sizes up to four-inch diameter. The tool is unique in its ability to grow both wide bandgap semiconductors such as gallium nitride — used in power electronics — and two-dimensional (2D) materials — an emerging ultra-thin semiconductor for logic and brain-inspired computing. Gallium nitride and 2D materials have applications in high-performance power electronics and energy-efficient computing, which are critical technologies for electric vehicles and artificial intelligence, among other applications.

“This tool will allow students and early career researchers to gain hands-on experience with state-of-the-art thin film deposition equipment used by industry for compound semiconductor thin film manufacturing,” Redwing explained. “It will also provide new capabilities for scaling up thin film materials for device research, particularly for advanced semiconductors including wide bandgap and 2D materials.”

In addition to the MOCVD tool, the lab will house several other specialized instruments. One is a Jupiter XR atomic force microscope from Oxford Instruments Asylum Research for fast scanning and full-wafer mapping, which will help enhance quality control and characterization of thin film materials. The other is an evaporator for deposition of specialized contact metal stacks for devices fabricated using 2D materials. This tool will support research by Suzanne Mohney, professor of materials science and engineering, and Saptarshi Das, professor of engineering science and mechanics, in addition to other faculty.

The equipment will be available for use by researchers inside and outside Penn State as a user facility with shared process know-how. The lab’s capabilities will provide opportunities for a range of Penn State researchers, including faculty working on power electronics and 2D-device development.

“This new lab connects us more closely with MMEC and provides a unique opportunity to support training and workforce development as well as collaborative research with universities and industry partners across the consortium,” Redwing said.

For more information: Penn State University

Image: The new lab will enable work developing advanced semiconductor wafers, shown here.

Scientists use AI to better understand nanoparticles

Scientists have developed a method to visualize the dynamic behavior of nanoparticles, crucial in pharmaceuticals, electronics, and industrial materials, by combining artificial intelligence with electron microscopy. This breakthrough, involving researchers from Arizona State University, Cornell University, and the University of Iowa, allows for unprecedented time-resolution imaging of molecules one-billionth of a meter in size.

“Nanoparticle-based catalytic systems have a tremendous impact on society,” explains Carlos Fernandez-Granda, director of NYU’s Center for Data Science and a professor of mathematics and data science, one of the paper’s authors. “It is estimated that 90 percent of all manufactured products involve catalytic processes somewhere in their production chain. We have developed an artificial-intelligence method that opens a new window for the exploration of atomic-level structural dynamics in materials.”

“Electron microscopy can capture images at a high spatial resolution, but because of the velocity at which the atomic structure of nanoparticles changes during chemical reactions, we need to gather data at a very high speed to understand their functionality,” explains Peter A. Crozier, a professor of materials science and engineering at Arizona State University and one of the paper’s authors. “This results in extremely noisy measurements. We have developed an artificial-intelligence method that learns how to remove this noise — automatically — enabling the visualization of key atomic-level dynamics.”

Observing the movement of atoms on a nanoparticle is crucial to understand functionality in industrial applications. The problem is that the atoms are barely visible in the data, so scientists cannot be sure how they are behaving — the equivalent of tracking objects in a video taken at night with an old camera. To address this challenge, the paper’s authors trained a deep neural network, AI’s computational engine, that is able to “light up” the electron-microscope images, revealing the underlying atoms and their dynamic behavior.

“The nature of changes in the particle is exceptionally diverse, including fluxional periods, manifesting as rapid changes in atomic structure, particle shape, and orientation; understanding these dynamics requires new statistical tools,” explains David S. Matteson, a professor and associate chair of Cornell University’s Department of Statistics and Data Science, director of the National Institute of Statistical Sciences, and one of the paper’s authors. “This study introduces a new statistic that utilizes topological data analysis to both quantify fluxionality and to track the stability of particles as they transition between ordered and disordered states.”

For more information: NYU

3D-printed knee implants improves quality and reliability

Researchers at Naton Biotechnology have advanced 3D-printed medical implants by developing the world’s first laser 3D-printed total knee implant, which has been approved by China’s National Medical Products Administration. Their study focused on enhancing the strength and consistency of cobalt-chromium-molybdenum (CoCrMo) alloy implants using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). By optimizing heat treatment, they corrected material inconsistencies, resulting in stronger, more reliable, and safer implants for patients.

This research provides key insights into how 3D printing affects metal implants and lays the foundation for better quality control in orthopedic manufacturing, helping to advance the future of customized medical implants.

This research was led by Professor Changhui Song from South China University of Technology and Professor Jia-Kuo Yu from Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital as co-corresponding authors. The study was conducted in collaboration with Senior Engineer Renyao Li from Naton Biotechnology (Beijing) Co., Ltd and other members of the team.

The layer-by-layer manufacturing process of CoCrMo, a widely used implant material, occurs at extremely high cooling rates (~10⁵–10⁶ K/s). This rapid solidification often leads to anisotropy, meaning the material’s properties vary depending on the direction of force. The main causes include columnar grain structures, porosity, and residual stress, all of which are inherent to additive manufacturing.

While extensive research has been conducted on LPBF-fabricated CoCrMo alloys, most studies have only examined their performance in a single direction, overlooking how anisotropy affects overall durability. However, implants inside the human body must withstand forces from multiple directions. Then, if the material’s strength is inconsistent, weak spots can develop, increasing the risk of breakage or failure.

In mechanical tests, CoCrMo samples stretched significantly more in one direction (19.1% elongation) than in another (9.3% elongation)—a disparity of over 100%. This inconsistency makes the material unreliable for long-term medical use, as implants must perform uniformly and safely under everyday stresses.

The team found that a two-step heat treatment process significantly improved the uniformity of the metal’s structure and strength. The process included:

  • Solution Treatment – Heating the material to 1150°C, holding it for an hour, and then rapidly cooling it in water. This helped restructure the uneven metal grains.
  • Annealing – Reheating the material to 450°C for 30 minutes and then cooling it again. This step refined the grain structure and further balanced the material’s properties.

As a result, the metal’s strength and flexibility became nearly identical in all directions. The ultimate tensile strength reached 906.1 MPa and 879.2 MPa, while elongation values balanced at 20.2% and 17.9%, making the material stronger and more reliable for medical use.

With this breakthrough, scientists are now looking at surface treatments to further enhance the wear resistance and biocompatibility of implants. Methods like shot peening (where tiny metal beads are blasted onto the surface) and ultrasonic peening could improve the fatigue resistance of implants, helping them last longer under daily stress. These next-generation treatments could make 3D-printed joint implants even more durable and widely used in clinical settings.

This research offers new insights into how to improve 3D-printed metal implants, making them safer and more durable for patients. By addressing uneven strength and material quality, this breakthrough lays the foundation for better orthopedic implants, particularly for joint replacements.

For more information: IOP Science

Image: Diagrams illustrating how columnar grains develop during the LPBF, contributing to microstructural anisotropy; (b) Stress-strain curves showing significant improvements in the mechanical anisotropy after heat treatment; (c) Diagrams showing the recrystallization process, where equiaxed grains form to eliminate directional effects and enhance uniformity; (d) TEM images revealing the nanoscale interactions between martensite laths in the solution-annealed state; (e) Visual representation of the synergistic effects between annealing twins and martensite laths.

UNT partnering with Titomic Limited

The University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, has partnered with Titomic Limited, Australia, the world’s leading provider of cold spray solutions, to install a customized Titomic Kinetic Fusion Cold Spray System.

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Spray Tips: Phenomena occurring during suspension thermal spraying

The observation of splats obtained after a few passes of the torch over the substrate placed at different distances from the liquid injection enables visualization of those areas where droplets formed after a breakup of the liquid jet injected into the plasma jet, enabling description of the behavior of a slurry droplet within the plasma.

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How disorder makes materials tougher

Scientists at Penn Engineering, Penn Arts & Sciences, and Aarhus University found that adding just the right amount of disorder to the structure of certain materials can make them more than twice as resistant to cracking.

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Rare-earth-free solar cells could lower costs and boost accessibility

Researchers at the University of Sheffield, in collaboration with Power Roll Ltd., have developed a cost-effective, flexible solar cell using a perovskite semiconductor. This innovative design, which consolidates electrical contacts onto the back of the cell, simplifies production and enhances efficiency, making solar power more accessible, especially in regions where conventional panels are impractical.

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Researcher continues developing promising nanoparticles for medical applications

Sudipta Seal, FASM, a UCF Pegasus Professor and chair of the materials science and engineering department, is dedicated to improving patient survivorship and quality of life through his research on cerium oxide nanoparticles, known as nanoceria. Since joining UCF in 1997, he has earned 92 patents and published over 450 journal papers, pioneering nanoceria research for biomedical applications and advancing the nanoscience of materials processing and engineering.

As Seal continued his research, he realized nanoceria was being used for microelectronic processing, but not yet in the biomedical sector. “We at UCF are the first ones to show that this has wonderful properties,” Seal says. “We filed a patent and were the very first to show nano cerium cell survivability,” he says “Then of course, after that, the field has really blossomed. There is a wide range of applications in biomedical sciences — from cancer research to bone regeneration, tissue regeneration and radiation protection. All from this almost accidental discovery made at UCF.”

Since then, Seal and his research team have found that nanoceria are non-toxic and great carriers for delivering therapeutic agents and have regenerative oxidative properties.

Seal says that the nanoceria structure can be tweaked depending on the application.

“In layman’s terms, I would say I create openings in that crystal structure that I can tinker with,” he says. “This is where the functional materials come in. I can take one opening and use it to send something, maybe I can load a drug on it. I can take another opening and keep it open to destroy nasty radicals produced by cells that are not needed.”

Seal says that nanoceria’s versatility enables companies to put them in pills or injectables. “The sky’s the limit,” he says. “There’s also recent data that when combined with drugs, the nanoceria material actually protects the good cells, while the drug kills cancer cells even more potently.”

Seal’s cerium oxide research has led to four technologies that he co-developed with Kenneth Liechty, division chief of pediatric surgery and vice chair of surgery research at the University of Arizona. Liechty was previously at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus, which is where he and Seal had collaborated.

Seal and Liechty combined UCF’s nanoceria platform with the University of Colorado’s experience in microRNA (miRNA) to engineer a specialized miRNA that can assist with diabetic wound healing. Found in all human cells, miRNA plays important roles in many biological processes such as cell proliferation or development of specific cell functions and characteristics.

Seal and collaborators leveraged the cerium oxide molecules to deliver specialized miRNA to an enflamed wound site in patients with diabetes to correct the inflammatory response at the molecular level. Once there, the molecules shorten the time of diabetic wound closure and help avoid the complications associated with impaired diabetic wound healing as those with diabetes often experience slower wound healing.

The molecules specifically combat excess reactive oxygen species molecules, which may build up as a result of prolonged inflammation and ultimately delay proper wound closure and healing. With that kind of inflammatory response, the body can produce a build-up of excess reactive oxygen species molecules, which then leads to increased oxidative stress inside cells.

Nanosilk fibers created from silkworms or spiders is another unique healing invention developed by UCF and the University of Colorado.

The patented invention includes biocompatible and hypoallergenic compositions to heal, protect and strengthen skin. It also employs a combined nanoceria-miRNA specialized composition.

Silk comprises two proteins: fibroin and sericin. The silk core is fibroin, often used to make surgical sutures because it is non-toxic and biocompatible with human tissues. Fibroin solution converts to many forms, including films, sponges, gels and powders.

During their research, the inventors found that applying a layered system of silk fibroin fibers in solution and spun mat formats can effectively protect and strengthen skin, especially in weak areas that are injury-prone or stressed repetitively.

Also, they found that when integrated with cerium oxide molecules conjugated with the miRNA, the silk fibroin fiber solution and mat enhanced wound healing.

“We are now using biodegradable material to deliver therapeutics in disease sites,” Seal says. “Silk ceria composite is one of them — it’s green and sustainable technology.”

The solution of silk fibroin fibers may be applied as a spray, liquid, form or gel, and the fibroin mat can be applied as a mat, sheet, gel or fiber.

The invention can be used as a protective layer to improve the skin’s elasticity, thus preventing or reducing injury, even minor blisters and skin ulcers. It can also treat a variety of wounds, and it can be used to treat injuries to subcutaneous tissue.

UCF and the University of Colorado collaborated with the University of Pennsylvania to develop a nanoceria-miRNA conjugate that not only assists with wound healing, but with tissue regeneration and angiogenesis (the growth of new blood vessels).

“You need angiogenesis, and you need blood vessels to grow,” Seal says.

For instance, after a heart attack, the invention aids recovery by reducing the body’s inflammatory response and helping it to generate new tissue for blood vessels.

As with diabetic wounds, heart attacks can cause the body to produce excess reactive oxygen species, increase oxidative stress and inflammation.

Offering both treatment and prevention, the patented invention can significantly mitigate heart damage and prevent adverse ventricular remodeling during recovery.

Seal says that his earlier work 10-15 years ago on lung injury and cancer therapy radiation helped to develop new technology with the University of Colorado to promote lung repair, reduce lung inflammation and help treat or prevent pulmonary diseases or conditions.

“When you treat the lungs with nanoceria, the good cells around the lungs are protected from the radiotherapy while the radiotherapy is killing the cancer cells,” Seal says. “The cerium oxide has this bifunctionality to protect the good cells from the radiation.”

He explained that the nanocerium oxide has multivalent states, meaning the invention’s nanoparticles can stay silent when they want to and stay active when needed.

“What we have seen in nanoscale depends on the microenvironment in the cell,” he says. “It can switch back and forth.”

The cerium oxide and miRNA compositions of the invention can be administered in different forms as a spray or a pump.

Seal says he plans to continue promoting the commercialization aspect of technology developed within his department.

“I’m really a proponent of people creating new IPs and taking them to the next level,” he says. “The world of nanomaterials is quite intriguing and the potential benefit of the nanomaterials, nanotechnology is immense.”

For more information: University of Central Florida Research

Image: Pegasus Professor Sudipta Seal is a UCF trustee chair and chair of UCF’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He has nearly 100 patents to his name.

U of I System, University Academic Alliance in Taiwan launch joint R&D teams

The University of Illinois System and the University Academic Alliance in Taiwan awarded $1.2 million to eight new interdisciplinary research teams, selected from 52 applications, to drive innovations and enhance collaboration between the universities. This initiative, launched in 2023, aims to accelerate economic development through innovative technologies, with funding from UAAT’s Secretariat and the U of I System’s Office of the Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation.

The newly funded seed grant projects will focus on:

  • advanced materials and circuits for AI and future computing,
  • building a Taiwan-to-Illinois pipeline for nonlinear and quantum photonics,
  • AI-powered optical imaging for chronic disease prognosis,
  • using AI to assess social and environmental health outcomes,
  • creating digital twins for personalized immunotherapy,
  • developing a digital twin framework for smart additive manufacturing,
  • innovative aeration strategies for urban wastewater treatment,
  • and sustainable electrochemical remediation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for industrial and environmental applications.

“Through our strong partnership with UAAT, we look to develop research programs with impact in both the immediate future and over the long term,” U of I System President Tim Killeen said. “Researchers from Illinois and Taiwan have joined forces to conduct leading-edge work in their respective fields, and we fully expect breakthrough discoveries from these funded collaborations and longer-term solutions to grand challenges as these faculty-to-faculty partnerships grow. The seed grant program is part of our strategic focus on growing partnerships with the UAAT, its faculty and its students.”

Project teams were required to have participation from at least two of UAAT’s 12 universities and at least one of the three U of I System universities, and proposals had to focus on next-generation semiconductor technologies, AI and data for human well-being, and sustainability – key areas of strength for both groups of universities.

“It is inspiring to witness the launch of this collaboration among international university alliances and systems,” said Wen-Chang Chen, president of National Taiwan University and convener of UAAT. “With this joint initiative, UAAT and the U of I System are establishing a new model for international collaboration through international alliances/systems by combining the resources and expertise of their member universities. These funded projects represent some truly innovative ideas for collaboration in critical academic fields, and it will be exciting to follow their progress.”

For more information: University of Illinois System