Yishu Wang has been elected as one of three new general members to the SNS-HFIR User Group (SHUG) Executive Committee (EC) starting January 1, 2026. SHUG consists of all persons interested in using the neutron scattering facilities at Oak Ridge. It provides input to the management on user concerns, provides a forum for keeping the entire community informed of issues and progress at these facilities, and serves as an advocacy group for neutron scattering science at these facilities.

Professor and Racheff Faculty Scholar Pinshane Huang of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The Grainger College of Engineering and MRSEC IRG1 Leader has been recognized by Physics World as being responsible for one of the Top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year for 2025.

Electrolyte gating uses ions to reversibly modify La0.5Sr0.5CoO3−δ, changing oxygen content and electrical, magnetic, and optical properties at 1–2 V. The team achieved ~100-cycle endurance with humidity control and 4 nm films switching in ~0.7 s. Prospects include tunable optics/photonics; future work targets diffusion and surface chemistry; collaborations.

This past summer, about a dozen PREM faculty and students from the University of Central Florida joined MRSEC faculty and students at the University of Washington for their annual retreat at the Pack Forest Conference Center in Washington State. Against the beautiful backdrop of Douglas firs, nearly 85 materials scientists had the opportunity to share research ideas, brainstorm solutions, and collaborate.

Last summer, 12 high school students were challenged to identify a mystery polymer. As part of a summer internship—now in its second year—they visited the chemical giant Chemours where they gained access to high-tech lab equipment rarely open to the public and were provided with relevant clues and tests to help solve the puzzle. It’s as hands on as it gets and gave this young group valuable exposure to the world of STEM.

In collaboration with Amish Patel’s group (IRG-2), researchers in the previous and current Penn MRSEC discovered that disordered packings of hydrophilic nanoparticles infiltrated with hydrophobic polymers—amphiphilic nanoporous films—can spontaneously condense and exude water droplets from undersaturated vapor under isothermal conditions.

In the world of materials science, researchers are constantly seeking new ways to create more efficient, durable, and adaptable materials. One promising avenue is the study of bottlebrush block polymers, a unique class of macromolecules that self-assemble into intricate nanostructures. Researchers at the University of Minnesota have been at the forefront of this research, uncovering new possibilities for these polymers and their applications.

A class of synthetic soft materials called liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) can change shape in response to heat, similar to how muscles contract and relax in response to signals from the nervous system. 3D printing these materials opens new avenues to applications, ranging from soft robots and prosthetics to compression textiles.

Nickel-based spinel oxides show exceptional self-lubrication at extreme temperatures, unlocking potential for aerospace and energy applications.

Northwestern University engineers have developed a new nanoelectronic device that can perform accurate machine-learning classification tasks in the most energy-efficient manner yet. Using 100-fold less energy than current technologies, the device can crunch large amounts of data and perform artificial intelligence (AI) tasks in real time without beaming data to the cloud for analysis.