Maria Huffman, director of the University of Washington’s Washington Nanofabrication Facility, is part of a new, state-wide group of leaders from universities, research institutions, technology companies and the government who aim to strengthen the state’s semiconductor industry.
The group, organized by the Washington Department of Commerce, will work to attract federal funding through the CHIPS and Sciences Act.
UW ECE Assistant Professor Sajjad Moazeni and graduate students in his lab are part of a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional research team developing a new, three-dimensional imaging system for early detection of lung cancer. This disease is one of the most common cancers worldwide, and in the U.S., it accounts for one in five cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society, which notes that early detection is key to survival.
The human body contains a vast, complex, and interconnected web of organic tunnels and passageways that weave their way through the cardiovascular, respiratory, and digestive systems. For physicians, reaching into this maze of arteries, bronchial tubes, and gastrointestinal chambers to view and treat diseased or damaged tissue can be, to put it mildly, challenging. Many of these conduits are long and winding but small in diameter, and they can narrow down to microscopic dimensions. Medical devices built to navigate and optically view these areas must be flexible, maneuverable, and carry a light source.
Imagine a material that can be stretched and pulled out of shape that not only returns to its original shape but also grows stiffer and stronger each time. University of Washington researchers have developed a new “strain learning” metamaterial. Inspired by how nature strengthens materials—like how bones repair themselves or how spider silk becomes stronger when stressed—this innovation could significantly impact industries that rely on durable, adaptable materials, especially medicine. Their work, “Strain learning in protein-based mechanical metamaterials,” has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).
The team, led by chemistry professor and member of the Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute (MolES) Alshakim Nelson and mechanical engineering professor and member of the Institute for Nano-Engineered Systems (NanoES) Lucas Meza, 3D-printed protein-based polymers made from polyethylene glycol (PEG) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). The researchers used a light-based 3D printer to create lattice-based mechanical metamaterials that unexpectedly became stronger and stiffer after testing.
“We were excited to see the stiffness was boosted up to 2.5 times based on the lattice architecture that we printed,” said Naroa Sadaba, a lead author on the publication and post-doctoral fellow in Nelson’s lab.
These materials were known to have a shape memory behavior – meaning they could recover their shape after being deformed – but the change in mechanical properties was a unique benefit.
“In natural materials like bone, cells can actively repair damage and reinforce the structure, but synthetic materials typically lack this ability,” said Meza, whose work in examines how micro- and nanostructure can be used to improve material properties. “We usually design materials to sustain a particular load, hoping they won’t degrade over time. This new protein-based metamaterial allows us to create materials that strengthen over time based on the stresses they experience – sort of an analog to natural materials.”
Nelson’s lab’s work in sustainable, bio-based polymers was instrumental in developing the new strain-learning material. Using 3D printing, his lab can now create a wide range of complex shapes that strengthen under stress and are made from proteins. “The mechanical response of the proteins within the metamaterial networks serve an important role in the performance of these materials, and we are working to expand our understanding of how to use proteins to create other new materials,” said Nelson.
The work allows for designing autonomous, self-strengthening materials ideal for fields that demand high performance under mechanical stress. The team is now looking at medical device applications, where adaptable and biodegradable materials are critical.
Oct. 10, 2024
Biochemist David Baker was named a Nobel Prize recipient yesterday (Oct. 9). The computational biologist, professor of biochemistry at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and director of the UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in computational protein design. By harnessing the power of computing, Baker has transformed biological research.
“On behalf of the NanoES community, I congratulate David on receiving the Nobel Prize,” said Karl Böhringer, director of the Institute for Nano-Engineered Systems (NanoES) and professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Bioengineering. “This incredible achievement highlights the pioneering work of the Institute for Protein Design and serves as a testament to the transformative potential of scientific innovation. At NanoES, we are proud of our collaborative efforts with David and the IPD team, which continues to push the boundaries of nanoengineering and synthetic biology.”
The NanoES community looks forward to the continued impact of these partnerships on science and society.
Read more about the research that led to Baker’s recognition.
Sites from across the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) contributed stunning, unique, and whimsical images of the micro and nanoscale for the Plenty of Beauty at the Bottom 2024 image contest. Ankush Nandi, a mechanical engineering Ph.D. student in the Vashisth Research Lab, was recognized for his photo, “Shai-Hulud and the Ripples in Sand,” which he took with an Apreo1 SEM by ThermoFisher Scientific. Nandi’s photo received honorable mention in the “most stunning” category.
The public cast over 2,100 votes to determine this year’s winners. First place winning artists will receive up to $1,000 in travel support to a professional conference of their choice and their sites receive a framed print of their winning image. Honorable mentions will receive a framed print of their image.
One of the drawbacks of fitness trackers and other wearable devices is that their batteries eventually run out of juice. But what if in the future, wearable technology could use body heat to power itself?
UW researchers have developed a flexible, durable electronic prototype that can harvest energy from body heat and turn it into electricity that can be used to power small electronics, such as batteries, sensors or LEDs. This device is also resilient — it still functions even after being pierced several times and then stretched 2,000 times.
August 5, 2024
The University of Washington (UW) Institute of Nano-Engineered Systems (NanoES) awarded Electrical & Computer Engineering Ph.D. student Rui Chen its 2024 Student Achievement Award. Chen was recognized at the NanoES Symposium on May 23.
Nominated by NanoES member and Electrical & Computer Engineering professor Arka Majumdar for his “remarkable productivity and innovation,” Chen has authored 18 journal publications or in-press articles. He was the first author of seven publications, and his work has been featured in prestigious journals such as Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Communications and ACS Nano. He has also amassed over 360 citations.
Chen’s primary research area is nanophotonics, which involves exploring photons, or light, at the nanoscale for a range of applications, including optical communications, miniaturized spectroscopy, optical computing, and more. His focus has been on developing a programmable nanophotonic platform, which is essential for many of these applications.
“This platform’s programmability is enabled by a special type of material called phase-change material, which consumes zero static power once programmed,” said Chen. “With this programmable photonic platform, we anticipate a significant transformation in how people develop new ideas and commercialize products in the photonics field.”
Chen said he became fascinated with how small structures and devices can be beneficial, comparable, or superior to their bulky counterparts.
“After entering this field, I realized how strongly it is related to our lives—all smartphones and laptops have billions of nano-electronic devices,” he said. “That’s the key enabler of our current lifestyle. Moreover, it’s just so cool to think about these tiny structures in the nanoscale.”
According to Mujumdar, Chen’s faculty advisor, Chen has an outstanding research aptitude and enjoys challenging problems.
“From day one in my group, Rui has demonstrated his capability to get things done,” said Majumdar. “He is also very inquisitive and self-critical of his work. In addition to his research accomplishments, Rui has shown a profound commitment to mentoring and guiding over five undergraduate and master’s students in our group.”
Nominations for the next student achievement award will be accepted in spring 2025.
The National Center for Earth and Environmental Nanotechnology Infrastructure (NanoEarth) hosted the tenth annual NanoTechnology Entrepreneurship Challenge (NTEC) on April 30th. This year, 15 teams competed from seven separate sites, incorporating 18 students. The Northwest Nanotechnology Infrastructure (NNI) supported one team. The NNI Team was led by student Saowaluk Soonthornkit, researching “Durable Double Perovskite SrColrO3 Electrocatalyst for Acidic Media Water Electrolyzer”. Zhenxing Feng, Ph.D, Associate Professor at Oregon State University, served as the team mentor.
Despite 127 years of being studied, electrons are still surprising researchers. A UW-led team including NanoES members Matthew Yankowitz and Xiaodong Xu, found electrons behaving like quasiparticles with a fractional charge in a unique setup, a first without a magnetic field.