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News & Events

Harvesting thermal energy to power wearable electronics

Wearable electronics, from health and fitness trackers to virtual reality headsets, are part of our everyday lives – but finding ways to continuously power them is a challenge. UW researchers, led by ME Assistant Professor and NanoES researcher Mohammad Malakooti, have developed an innovative solution to this challenge: a wearable thermoelectric device that converts body heat to electricity. 

Next-generation data centers within reach thanks to new energy-efficient switches

In a paper published online July 4 in Nature Nanotechnology, a team led by University of Washington scientists reported the design of an energy-efficient, silicon-based non-volatile switch that manipulates light through the use of a phase-change material and graphene heater. The exceptional performance of their switch could help advance both information technology and quantum computing.

Exploring new materials through collaboration

Jim De Yoreo, a Battelle fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and a UW affiliate professor of chemistry and materials science & engineering, has been nationally recognized as a scientific leader who forges partnerships between national laboratories and universities. Through advanced microscopy techniques, De Yoreo has spent his career trying to understand and predict the behavior of materials. For example, his team has determined the patterns that proteins form on a mineral surface, laying the groundwork for new strategies for synthesizing semiconductor and metallic nanoparticle circuits for photovoltaic or energy storage applications.

UW NanoES announces awardees of Northwest Nanotechnology Infrastructure seed grants

The Institute for Nano-engineered Systems (NanoES) has awarded four seed grants to researchers at Washington (UW) and Western Washington University to use nanotechnology tools to develop new, innovative technologies and devices. Awardees will receive up to $10,000 to carry out work in the UW’s Washington Nanofabrication Facility (WNF) and Molecular Analysis Facility (MAF).

Lasers trigger magnetism in atomically thin quantum materials

Researchers have discovered that light — from a laser — can trigger a form of magnetism in a normally nonmagnetic material. This magnetism centers on the behavior of electrons “spins,” which have a potential applications in quantum computing. Scientists discovered that electrons within the material became oriented in the same direction when illuminated by photons from a laser. By controlling and aligning electron spins at this level of detail and accuracy, this platform could have applications in quantum computing, quantum simulation and other fields. The experiment, led by scientists at the University of Washington, the University of Hong Kong and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, was published April 20 in Nature.

Novel nanoparticle shows promise for treating aggressive breast cancer

Scientists at the University of Washington (UW) have recently developed a new nanoparticle-based drug delivery system that simultaneously delivers chemo- and immune- therapeutics directly to the tumor site, limiting harmful off-target side effects. In a paper published last November in Materials Today, they reported that their multifunctional nanoparticle can inhibit tumor growth and spread, also known as metastasis, in mouse models of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), an exceptionally aggressive form of breast cancer with limited treatment options.