Fort Wayne Metals receives 2025 Moving the Needle award for workplace equity

Fort Wayne Metals, Fort Wayne, IN, announced that it has received the 2025 Moving the Needle Award and Bronze-Level honors from the Women’s Fund of Greater Fort Wayne. The recognition was presented at the annual Women in the Workplace Luncheon held on March 12 at the Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation.

The Moving the Needle Award is given to the organization that demonstrates the most notable progress across four areas: leadership, compensation, benefits and policies, and recruitment and retention. The selection is based on data collected through the Women’s Fund’s annual Compass Survey, which evaluates local employers’ efforts toward achieving gender equity.

This year, a record 75 organizations participated in the survey, reflecting growing engagement across the community. Fort Wayne Metals’ recognition underscores its focused efforts to foster equitable workplace practices and support the advancement of women in its workforce.

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Enovis releases 2024 Corporate Social Responsibility Report highlighting commitment to sustainability and community engagement

Enovis Corporation, headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, announced the publication of its 2024 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report, underscoring the company’s ongoing dedication to ethical practices, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility. ​

The report details Enovis’ initiatives aimed at fostering a positive global impact. Key highlights include the implementation of energy-efficient technologies across manufacturing facilities, resulting in a measurable reduction in the company’s carbon footprint. Additionally, Enovis has expanded its community outreach programs, partnering with local organizations to support health and education initiatives.​

The CSR report also emphasizes Enovis’ commitment to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, showcasing programs designed to promote equitable opportunities and a supportive work environment for all employees. By aligning its business strategies with sustainable and socially responsible practices, Enovis aims to contribute meaningfully to the well-being of its stakeholders and the broader community.​

For a comprehensive overview of Enovis’ CSR initiatives and achievements, the full 2024 report is available on the company’s website.

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Integer highlights medical device innovation and acquisition at MD&M West

Integer Holdings Corporation, Plano, Texas, showcased the company’s capabilities and solutions to enable cardiac rhythm management and neuromodulation products in addition to its recent acquisition of Precision Coating  in MD&M West 2025.

Integer highlighted its global rapid prototyping services, which offer direct access to engineering and R&D experts with turnaround times as short as two weeks. These services focus on specialized cardiovascular markets and include components such as catheter shafts, guidewires, steerable sheaths, introducers, braiding and textiles, and machined parts.

Payman Khales, president of cardio and vascular at Integer, emphasized the company’s focus on anticipating customer needs through strategic investments. He noted that Integer remains committed to innovation and collaborative partnerships that accelerate speed to market and reduce development risk for its medical technology clients.

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Strange behavior in ultra-thin materials

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.

SLAC fired the most intense submicron electron beam in history

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.

Chance discovery improves stability of bioelectronic material used in medical implants, computing and biosensors

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

Scientists merge two “impossible” materials into new artificial structure

An international team led by Rutgers University-New Brunswick researchers has created a synthetic quantum structure by merging two lab-synthesized materials, previously thought impossible to combine. This exotic structure, developed through four years of experimentation, could provide new insights for quantum computing. The structure consists of distinct atomic layers: dysprosium titanate, used in nuclear reactors to trap radioactive materials and magnetic monopoles, and pyrochlore iridate, a magnetic semimetal known for its unique electronic, topological, and magnetic properties.

Individually, both materials are often considered “impossible” materials due to their unique properties that challenge conventional understanding of quantum physics.

The construction of the exotic sandwich structure sets the stage for scientific explorations in what is referred to as the interface, the area where the materials meet, in the atomic scale.

“This work provides a new way to design entirely new artificial two-dimensional quantum materials, with the potential to push quantum technologies and provide deeper insight into their fundamental properties in ways that were previously impossible,” said Jak Chakhalian, the Claud Lovelace Endowed Professor of Experimental Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences and a principal investigator the study.

Chakhalian and his team are exploring a realm that follows the laws of quantum theory, a branch of physics that describes the behavior of matter and energy at the atomic and subatomic level. Central to quantum mechanics is the concept of wave-particle duality where quantum objects can possess both wave-like and particle-like properties – a foundational principle behind technologies such as lasers, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and transistors.

Chakhalian highly praised the efforts of three Rutgers students who made major contributions to the research: Michael Terilli and Tsung-Chi Wu, both doctoral students, and Dorothy Doughty, who graduated in 2024 and worked on the study as an undergraduate. In addition, Mikhail Kareev, who is a materials scientist working with Chakhalian, made a main contribution to the new synthesis method, as well as Fangdi Wen, a doctoral student who recently graduated from the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Chakhalian said that creating the unique quantum sandwich was so technically challenging that the team had to build a new device to accomplish the feat.

The instrument, called Q-DiP, short for quantum phenomena discovery platform, was completed in 2023. Q-DiP incorporates an infrared laser heater with another laser which enables the construction of materials on an atomic level, layer by layer. The combination allows the scientists to explore the most intricate quantum properties of materials down to ultra cold temperatures near absolute zero.

“To the best of our knowledge, this probe is unique in the U.S. and represents a breakthrough as an instrumental advance,” Chakhalian said.

The half of the experimental sandwich that is dysprosium titanate, also known as spin ice, possesses special qualities. Tiny magnets inside, called spins, are arranged in a way that looks exactly like the pattern of water ice. The unique structure of the tiny magnets in spin ice allows them to emerge as special particles called magnetic monopoles.

A magnetic monopole is a particle that acts like a magnet, but with only one pole – either north or south, but not both. This object, predicted in 1931 by the Nobel prize winner Paul Dirac, does not exist in free form in the universe and yet inside spin ice it emerges as a result of the quantum mechanical interactions within the material.

On the other side of the sandwich, the semimetal pyrochlore iridate is also considered exotic because it contains tiny relativistic particles called Weyl fermions. Again, surprisingly, though predicted by Hermann Weyl in 1929, these exotic particles, discovered in 2015 in crystals, move like light and can spin in different ways – left-handed or right-handed. Their electronic properties are very strong and resist certain types of disturbances or impurities, making them very stable when operated as a part of electronic devices. As a result, pyrochlore iridate can conduct electricity very well, respond in unusual ways to magnetic fields and show special effects when exposed to electromagnetic fields.

Chakhalian said the combined properties of the new material created makes it a promising candidate for use in advanced technologies, including quantum computing and especially for the next-generation quantum sensors.
“This study is a big step forward in material synthesis and could significantly impact the way we create quantum sensors and advances spintronic devices,” he said.

Quantum computing employs the principles of quantum mechanics to process information. Quantum computers use quantum bits or qubits that exist in multiple states simultaneously due to a quantum physical principle called superposition. This allows for complex computations to be performed much more efficiently than by classical computers.

The specific electronic and magnetic properties of the material developed by the researchers can help in creating very unusual and yet stable quantum states, which are essential for quantum computing.

When quantum technology becomes practical, it will significantly impact ordinary life by revolutionizing drug discovery and medical research, markedly improving operations, predictability and cost savings in finance, logistics and manufacturing. It also is expected to revolutionize machine learning algorithms, making artificial intelligence systems more powerful, the scientists said.

For more information: Nano Letters

Image: By building a unique, advanced machine, Rutgers scientists have created a structure with quantum qualities. The green window (right) is the main growth chamber where synthesis of the quantum “sandwiches” occurs. Within the amber window (left) are advanced characterization tools that uncover chemical and electronic properties of the grown quantum thin films without exposing them to air.

Confluent Medical Technologies launches ultra polyimide for advanced medical device applications

Confluent Medical Technologies, Scottsdale, AZ, announced the release of Ultra Polyimide, a new high-performance polymer tubing that offers approximately double the strength of conventional polyimide. This innovation is aimed at enabling next-generation medical devices that demand both durability and miniaturization.

Ultra Polyimide addresses the need for thinner-walled tubing that maintains structural integrity, allowing for greater design flexibility and improved device performance. By preserving the inner lumen while reducing material usage, engineers can integrate additional features into delivery devices without compromising mechanical strength.

Jill Ellison, vice president of operations at Confluent’s High Precision Polymer Tubing Center of Excellence, noted that the material enables designers to maintain essential column and tensile strength, which opens up opportunities for innovation in minimally invasive technologies.

The tubing is also manufactured without the use of REACH- or EU MDR-restricted solvents, including NMP (n-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone), a substance identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as posing health risks in industrial settings. By eliminating NMP from the production process, Confluent supports regulatory compliance and enhances both workplace and patient safety.

Ultra Polyimide is now available with lead times of three to four weeks, offering a timely solution to the evolving needs of the medical device industry.

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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.

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

US DOE earmarks $179M for microelectronics science research centers

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $179 million in funding over four years for three Microelectronics Science Research Centers (MSRCs), authorized by the Micro Act in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. These centers will conduct basic research in microelectronics materials, device and system design, and manufacturing science to transform future microelectronics technologies. The MSRCs, formed as networks of 16 projects led by 10 national laboratories, complement activities under the CHIPS and Science Act at the Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, and other agencies.

The Microelectronics Energy Efficiency Research Center for Advanced Technologies (MEERCAT) will advance integrated innovations across materials, devices, information-carrying modalities, and systems’ architectures. Focusing on intelligent sensing, data bandwidth, multiplexing, and advanced computing, the center will explore transformative solutions that seamlessly bridge sensing, edge processing, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing.

The Co-design and Heterogeneous Integration in Microelectronics for Extreme Environments (CHIME) Center will develop extreme environment electronics through heterogeneous integration and a seamless fusion of diverse materials, processes, and technologies to enable next-generation systems. The center will create robust, high-performance solutions capable of excelling in the most challenging conditions, including extreme thermal and radiation environments.

The Extreme Lithography & Materials Innovation Center (ELMIC) aims to advance the fundamental science driving the integration of new materials and processes into future microelectronic systems, focusing on key areas such as plasma-based nanofabrication, extreme UV photon sources, 2D-material systems, and extreme-scale memory. The center’s scientific investigations will be informed strongly by a systems-to-physics motivation aimed at long term impact.

For more information: U.S. Department of Energy

Image: (From left) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers Drew Willard, Brendan Reagan, and Issa Tamer work on the Big Aperture Thulium laser system, one of the projects designated under the Extreme Lithography & Materials Innovation Center.