Recent Army and NSF grants to the department will support electromagnetic shielding applications, deeper understanding of data processing and storage mechanisms, and lithium ion battery safety and efficiency.
Distinguished Professor Michel Barsoum is the recipient of a three-year grant for “Fundamental Study of the Charge Carrier Dynamics of Novel 2D MXenes Using Terahertz Spectroscopy: Insight Towards Electromagnetic Shielding Applications” from the U.S. Department of the Army. This proposal will focus on studying the fundamental optoelectronic and electronic properties of MXenes at the molecular scale, to elucidate structure/function relationships to inform design rules to engineer materials with controllable and tunable properties to aid in device development for army combatants.
Steven May, department head and professor, is the recipient of funding for “Collaborative Research: Correlating Device Performance and Interfacial Properties for Weyl Spintronics” from NSF. This grant supports research into understanding new mechanisms by which electrical currents can be used to switch the magnetic orientation of thin magnetic layers in devices for data processing and storage.
Professor Christopher Li, has received funding from the NSF for “Multifunctional solid polymer electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries.” In this research project, the investigators will use a tunable chemical platform to address the safety and efficiency requirements of lithium ion batteries, commonly used in smartphones and computers.