News at MRSEC

MRSEC Seed Call

The 2022-23 MRSEC Seed Call is now open! See how to submit at https://www.mrsec.psu.edu/research/seed-program/how-apply-seed-grant.

Unique ferroelectric microstructure revealed for the first time

MRSEC faculty Nasim Alem and graduate student Leixin Miao (department of Material Science and Engineering) were recently highlighted by Penn State News for their investigation of a novel ferroelectric material. This work could lead to the development of lead-free piezoelectric materials for electronics, sensors, and energy storage that are safer for human use. The findings are reported in Nature Communications

Susan Sinnott recognized with 2022 AVS Medard W. Welch Award

Susan Sinnott, head of the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Penn State and faculty member of IRG 2 (High Entropy Oxides), has been selected for the top research award from the American Vacuum Society (AVS). She will give the honorary lectureship "Atomistic Simulations to Advance Surface Science" at the AVS 68th International Symposium and Exhibition this November. Please find the full story from Penn State News.

DynaCool PPMS 14T is launched

Penn State's DynaCool 14T is launched and it is ready for people to schedule measurements. To learn more training and using the DynaCool PPMS 14T please see their website. The DC resistivity module and ETO module (AC measurement on resistance  DV/DI vs Idc and I-V) are available. If you want to use the rotator or He-3 module, please contact Cequn Li or Yifan Zhao first. The DynaCool PPMS 14T is part of the MRSEC Central Facilities Lab. 

Fulbright Award to a Research Experience for Teachers resulted from National Science Foundation Funding

Former Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) fellowship recipient, Paul Orbe received a 2021 Fulbright Teachers for Global Classroom award. NSF funding supported his research in the Dabo group at the Penn State MRSEC. By utilizing High-throughput methods, Paul contributed to the discovery of materials catalyzing water splitting reactions. 

Co-Authored Research Experience for Teachers Resulted in a Publication

Paul Orbe an RET (Research Experience for Teachers) program participant research with Ismmaila Dabo lead to a published a paper resulting from research on hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles have helped curtail the global consumption of petroleum-based fuels for personal transportation. Photocatalysis offers a potential solution for the solar generation of hydrogen by electrochemically cleaving water. Data-driven materials screening could expedite the discovery and development of efficient photocatalysts. Read the publication in Energy and Environmental Science

The RET bring 3D Printed Material Measurements to 5th Graders

The Research Experience for Teachers collaboration resulted in a published paper focused on creating 3D printed equipment to help make the measurement of liquid contact angles on solid surfaces more accessible for K12 classrooms. The developed system was created utilizing the Penn State Makers Commons' 3D printers, while various sample surfaces surfaces were additionally explored using the Material Characterization Laboratory's Scanning Electron Microscope and a MRSEC-funded laboratory goniometer. The MRSEC also helped provide sufficient 3D printed materials, testing surfaces, and safety equipment to bring the activity to a 5th grade classroom at a local middle school, where the students used the 3D printed equipment to easily measure the contact angle of water on various naturally occurring and artificially-produced hydrophobic surfaces. The work resulted in a published paper in the American Chemical Society.

Cal State LA PREM Student in the 2020 Most Popular Articles

Shirell E. Klein, a former Cal State LA PREM authored a joint published paper listed in the 2020 Most Popular Articles, "Green Synthesis of Zr-based Metal-Organic Framework Hydrogel Composites and their Enhanced Adsorptive Properties".

IRG 2 Entropy Oxides Work Results in a Publication

Yihuang Xiong co-authored a paper "Data-Driven Analysis of the Electronic-Structure Factors Controlling the Work Functions of Perovskite Oxides" on tuning work functions of materials is critical to the performance of microelectric and (photo) electrochemical devices. The IRG 2 Entropy validated data-driven models to predcit the work functions of cubic perovskites from simple electronic simple electronic descriptors, which may ultimately be applied to high-entropy perovskites. Read the paper in PCCP.

CSULA PREM Partnership Resulted in a Joint Publication

Shirell Klein, a former Cal-State LA student authored a published paper that resulted from a Research Experience for Undergraduates at the Pennsylvania State University. The paper "Green Synthesis of Zr-based Metal-Organic Framework Hydrogel Composites and their Enhanced Adsorptive Properties" appeared in Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers.

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