MRS in the News 

Researchers are devising ways to accurately assess the mechanical properties of lithium-battery dendrites, as these nanomaterials limit the usefulness and safety of such power cells. The work is described in detail in their paper, “From Ion to Atom to Dendrite: Formation and Nanomechanical Behavior of Electrodeposited Lithium,” published in the journal MRS Bulletin.

Y. Shirley Meng, professor at the University of California, San Diego, and Editor-in-Chief of MRS Energy & Sustainability, discusses electron microscopy in battery research.

Bo Wang, who earned his doctorate in materials science and engineering from Penn State in August 2020, is the recipient of a Gold Graduate Student Award from the Materials Research Society (MRS).

Researchers said the study, recently published in the journal Acta Materialia and featured in the September issue of the prestigious MRS Bulletin, uncovers the fundamental mechanisms behind cracking in 3-D-printed tungsten and sets a baseline for future efforts to produce crack-free parts from the metal.

In the search to create materials that can withstand extreme radiation, Yanwen Zhang, a researcher at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, says that materials scientists must think outside the box.

Susan Trolier-McKinstry, Flaschen Professor of Ceramic Science and Engineering and professor of electrical engineering, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, has been named an Evan Pugh Professor, an elite and prestigious distinction conferred by the University on only 73 faculty members since the establishment of the designation in 1960. Susan is a long-time MRS member, volunteer, author, Fellow, and 2017 MRS President.

Clemson University Department of Physics and Astronomy faculty member Apparao Rao was selected as a 2020 Fellow of the Materials Research Society (MRS) for developing liquid-based scalable synthesis methods to manufacture carbon nanotubes.

The recent years have experienced a burgeoning growth in the development of statistical and machine learning within the domains of materials science and polymer chemistry.

The idea that karaoke is fun and a great ice-breaker is shared by all those who have ever participated in a karaoke event.  But karaoke in science — where you have a PowerPoint© slide instead of a teleprompter and music — can also be hilarious, as was shown at the recent Materials Research Society (MRS) meetings.

The goal: Build a safe and long lived lithium battery. The challenge: Use a solid-state electrolyte and stop short circuiting from the formation and growth of lithium dendrites. In a new invited feature paper published in the Journal of Materials Research, materials engineers from Michigan Technological University weigh in on the problem.

The biggest game-changers for scientists in material science will be robotics and AI.  Use of it will be very efficient and have advantages for solar tech and other technologies.