News from the NNI Community - Research Advances Funded by Agencies Participating in the NNI

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a film made of tiny carbon nanotubes which has a combination of thermal, electrical, and physical properties that make it an appealing candidate for next-generation smart fabrics. The researchers were able to optimize the thermal and electrical properties of the material, allowing the material to retain its desirable properties even when exposed to air for many weeks. This material may enable the development of clothing that can heat or cool the wearer on demand.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced that it is awarding 11 Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC) a total of $200 million over six years. With a program investment of nearly $350 million over six years in emerging fields such as quantum materials, synthetic biology, and artificial intelligence, MRSECs leverage diverse expertise in areas such as polymers, ceramics, and magnetic nanomaterials to forge new research endeavors driven by a vision of the materials of tomorrow. 

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced that it is awarding 11 Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC) a total of $200 million over six years. With a program investment of nearly $350 million over six years in emerging fields such as quantum materials, synthetic biology, and artificial intelligence, MRSECs leverage diverse expertise in areas such as polymers, ceramics, and magnetic nanomaterials to forge new research endeavors driven by a vision of the materials of tomorrow. 

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory, Japan’s High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Japan’s National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Nagoya University, and Hiroshima University have discovered that photocathodes that produce electron beams for electron microscopes and advanced accelerators can be refreshed and rebuilt repeatedly if the electron-emitting materials are deposited on layers of graphene. The researchers proposed that the resilience of photocathodes deposited on graphene surfaces was due to weaker binding between the emitter atoms and the underlying carbon layer.

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory, Japan’s High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Japan’s National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Nagoya University, and Hiroshima University have discovered that photocathodes that produce electron beams for electron microscopes and advanced accelerators can be refreshed and rebuilt repeatedly if the electron-emitting materials are deposited on layers of graphene. The researchers proposed that the resilience of photocathodes deposited on graphene surfaces was due to weaker binding between the emitter atoms and the underlying carbon layer.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette announced $100 million in funding for 10 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) to accelerate the scientific breakthroughs needed to build a twenty-first-century energy economy and strengthen U.S. economic leadership and energy security. In recognition of the importance of teams in energy research, the EFRC program brings together researchers from multiple disciplines and institutions. The current cohort of EFRCs includes six new centers and renewals of two existing ones, all to be funded for up to four years. An additional two existing centers were awarded two-year extensions to support the completion of research in progress. The list of the 10 EFRCs that received funding is available at: https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/Funding/EFRC_Awards_July2020.pdf

U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette announced $100 million in funding for 10 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) to accelerate the scientific breakthroughs needed to build a twenty-first-century energy economy and strengthen U.S. economic leadership and energy security. In recognition of the importance of teams in energy research, the EFRC program brings together researchers from multiple disciplines and institutions. The current cohort of EFRCs includes six new centers and renewals of two existing ones, all to be funded for up to four years. An additional two existing centers were awarded two-year extensions to support the completion of research in progress. The list of the 10 EFRCs that received funding is available at: https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/pdf/Funding/EFRC_Awards_July2020.pdf

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a computational model that helps users understand how changes in the nanostructure of materials affect their conductivity—with the goal of informing the development of new energy storage devices for a wide range of electronics.

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a computational model that helps users understand how changes in the nanostructure of materials affect their conductivity—with the goal of informing the development of new energy storage devices for a wide range of electronics.

Researchers at the University of Central Florida are developing new technology to make sure people are getting the food they think they’re eating. The work is funded by a recent grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create an easy-to-use and highly sensitive device to detect food fraud, such as the substitution of pork in beef products. The researchers will update existing detection technology, known as a colorimetric lateral flow assay, which uses gold nanoparticles to detect meat proteins. They will create a new metallic coating, made of platinum, palladium or iridium, that will go around the gold nanoparticles to increase their sensitivity.