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In conjunction with the NOVA TV science program, the Penn MRSEC collaborated with Penn and Drexel University Materials Science Departments to arrange the first Philly Materials Science & Engineering Day on Feb. 5, 2011, which introduced the general public in the Philadelphia region to the world of materials. An extensive program was arranged that included demonstrations from many LRSM graduate research

MRSEC scientists and collaborators have shown [1] that the localized buckling of a compressed thin sheet, important for molecular interfaces, [2] has the same mathematical origin as the localization of kinetic energy in a line of swinging pendulums.  It is a form of soliton. 

One of the primary ways that materials fail in operation is by the formation and propagation of cracks during loading, often leading to sudden, catastrophic events. The ability of a material to withstand fracture is described as its toughness.  Over the years, researchers have developed a variety of way to enhance material toughness, thereby improving the ability of materials to withstand applied loads, but often at the cost of reducing overall strength.

Scientists researching electronic devices that promise to extend current technologies beyond the ITRS roadmap – the industry generated timeline for the development of silicon-based electronics – have for some time focused on the potential for the field of “spintronics” to deliver fast, low-power computing. However, progress in the area of computer

MRSEC researchers have developed the materials necessary to embed GHz speed electronic photodetectors into micron diameter channels in optical fibers.

Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) coatings provide an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to cool surfaces and structures. Ideally, these coatings would have excellent cooling performance in thin, mechanically robust layers that could switch from rejecting heat to accepting heat during periods of low sunlight and would be produced by low-cost and scalable methods.  

Experimenta con PREM is a two-week hands-on research program for high school students run annually at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Humacao & Cayey campuses. It remains a core program for the UPR-Penn PREM program with a history of attracting talented and motivated high school students to materials research; since its inception in 2005, 100% of students have graduated from high school and 78% pursue STEM after.

The race to build smaller and more efficient computer chips and batteries faces major challenges in materials organization.   Current smart phones, for example, are based upon layered  (“2-D”) materials, but nanoscale designs that utilize 3-D architecture are envisioned.  To access this third dimension in materials organization,  scientists must find ways to direct the flow of atoms before locking in structure.

  Interacting electron ripples provide clues to superconductivity A theoretical prediction is confirmed by atomic-scale microscopy