Author: kphillips22

(2026) Lab-to-Market Translation of 2D Semiconductors for Advanced Computing

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Wisconsin MRSEC IRG 2 members Daniel Rhodes and Yangchen He are commercializing new materials for advanced computing developed in part with MRSEC support. With support from the NSF I-Corps program and the Wisconsin MRSEC Advanced Materials Industrial Consortium, Rhodes and He have founded Pristine Quantum Inc. The company is based on their inventions of ultra low defect 2D semiconductor crystals and a method to print them directly onto industry-compatible substrates.

(2026) Physical Aging of Organic Semiconductor Glasses

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Wisconsin MRSEC IRG 1 researchers used three experimental techniques to characterize physical aging in organic semiconductor glasses. They showed that producing the glasses by physical vapor deposition can reduce the impact of aging by at least a factor of 10. In addition, they showed that routine laboratory measurements on bulk samples can provide reliable predictions for physical aging in the very thin films used in OLED displays. These results are relevant for OLED displays as glass stability is key to maintaining high efficiency, and they advance our MRSEC IRG goal to control mobility to create glasses with desirable properties.

(2026) A Celebration of Collaboration: The Wisconsin MRSEC and the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez

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In October 2025, Wisconsin MRSEC researchers and the Interdisciplinary Education and Outreach Team (E/O) traveled to the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez (UPRM) for the 2025 PREM Annual Meeting. This visit underscored the longstanding partnership between the Wisconsin MRSEC and UPRM.

Gillian-Daniel Receives Shakhashiri Award for Work Leading MRSEC Education and Outreach Efforts

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In recognition of her work to literally put science in the hands of young people, Anne Lynn Gillian-Daniel has received a 2026 Bassam Z. Shakhashiri Public Science Engagement Award. This award, which is co-sponsored by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the Morgridge Institute for Research, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, honors …

MRSEC-Supported Research on Physics-Aware Generative AI Presented at AAAI-26

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In January, Qiyuan Chen presented MRSEC-supported research at the 40th AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI-26) in Singapore. With a highly selective acceptance rate of 17.6% this year, AAAI remains one of the premier international venues for peer-reviewed research in artificial intelligence (AI). Chen’s presentation introduced a new physics-aware generative AI framework designed to decode the complex structure of disordered materials.

(2025) Next-Generation Microelectronics Workshop

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The Wisconsin MRSEC Advanced Materials Industrial Consortium (AMIC) seeks to provide companies with the materials, research, equipment, and talent they need. This year, the theme for the AMIC annual meeting was next-generation microelectronics. The workshop brought together nearly 150 attendees. It highlighted industrial trends and talent needs in presentations from Lockheed Martin, Intel, Eaton, Western Digital, Micron, Seagate, Polar Semiconductor, and Bolb, and MRSEC IRG 2 research relevant to magnetic data storage and quantum transduction in presentations by faculty and student posters. The event facilitated engagement between faculty, staff, students, and industry leaders, with the goals of fostering sponsored research, and opportunities for internships and employment.

(2025) Everyone Participates! Celebrating an Outreach Culture of Excellence

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Through our strong outreach partnerships, MRSEC faculty, students and staff bring cutting edge research concepts to the public through research-inspired and tested activities that spark curiosity and exploration, and occasionally a little get messy! Research teams discuss the synthesis, structure, and properties of materials, utilizing hands-on inquiry-based activities to engage the public and K-12 audiences.

First Listening Session Helps Highlight Priorities for Students and Postdocs

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At the end of October, students and postdocs joined in on the first listening session of the new MRSEC. The purpose of this meeting was to convey the Center’s resources for  supporting students and postdocs and to gather feedback and suggestions from participants. MRSEC Director, Paul Voyles, kicked off the session with an overview of …

(2025) Forward Fellows Program Provides Extended Onboarding for New Graduate Students

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The Wisconsin MRSEC launched the Forward Fellows program in 2025 with 10 incoming graduate students from 9 departments. The program promotes students’ sense of self-efficacy in research and belonging at the university, and provides the opportunity for students to join the campus community and immerse themselves in research one month before their program’s official start date. Admitted students who would especially benefit from the experience were nominated by faculty in departments affiliated with the MRSEC.

(2025) Evolution of Catalyst Material Nanostructures

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Wisconsin MRSEC researchers investigated how metal ions of palladium and copper, stabilized in zeolites, rearrange when exposed to high temperatures or reactive environments. They used cutting-edge X-ray characterization to ‘see’ structural changes in real time. Metal ions rearrange when exposed to reactive environments and agglomerate into clusters over time, which no longer work as well. These clusters can be returned active catalysts through controlled high-temperature treatments. These insights inform the design of efficient catalysts for energy applications.