Director's Message
Dear colleagues and friends of the Duke Materials Initiative,
Welcome to this second annual report of the Duke Materials Initiative, in which we bring you highlights of our recent work and show impact toward solving some of society’s toughest challenges. In the highlights below you will see how we are leveraging the strength of interdisciplinary collaboration to:
- Address climate change with basic science to unlock the secrets of energy materials at the molecular level
- Address important unmet medical needs with biomaterials and biomaterial implants
- Create new knowledge in the use of metamaterials and photonics to take camera technology and electronics to a new level
- Use artificial intelligence to accelerate the search for new materials with specific properties to meet the demands of manufacturing and national defense
- Understand the impact of nanomaterials on the environment and discover a path to a more sustainable future
- Train the next generation of academic and industry leaders in materials science and engineering
We are grateful for the steady and growing support of external funding for these endeavors from the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and others. We are also excited and emboldened by support from the Duke Science and Technology (DST) initiative, funded, in part, by a $100 million investment from the Duke Endowment. The DST will impact materials science and engineering research by enabling Duke University to hire talented new faculty who will advance research in key science and engineering areas for decades into the future.
Thank you for your support—as colleagues, collaborators and friends of the growing enterprise of materials science and engineering at Duke University!
Sincerely,
Stefan Zauscher
Director, Duke Materials Initiative
Professor, Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
We Are Growing
New Wilkinson Building Adds 150k Square Feet to Advance Research and Education
Duke Engineering’s building fosters collaboration with research neighborhoods, dedicated entrepreneurial space and student hands-on learning labs
$100 Million to Hire New Duke Science and Technology Faculty
The Duke Endowment is supporting Duke University’s efforts to expand its faculty in computation, materials science and the resilience of the body and brain
Jerome Lynch Named New Dean of Pratt School of Engineering
University of Michigan chair of civil and environmental engineering attracted by collaborative, interdisciplinary culture of Duke University
New Faculty Member Xiaoyue Ni
Xiaoyue Ni develops programmable materials and wearable electronic devices to advance precision medicine and health monitoring in the digital age
Duke Soft Matter Symposium Attracts Worldwide Audience
Duke Materials Initiative’s milestone event on polymer networks engages 300+ attendees from 16 nations
Interdisciplinary Centers and Collaborations
Using Quantum Rules to Move Chemistry into Uncharted Territory
Duke's Center for Synthesizing Quantum Coherence is pioneering a new paradigm for doing chemistry with applications in many fields
NSF Creates Polymer Chemistry Optimization Center at Duke for Future Materials
The five-year, $20 million National Science Foundation grant will enable the MONET collaboration to transform design of polymer networks
New Network to Advance International Efforts for Sustainable Materials
INFRAMES will connect researchers across fields and nations to build the collaborations and resources to study the sustainability of future materials
Duke Leads Two New MURI Awards
Stefano Curtarolo’s team uses AI to design new super-hard materials and Maiken Mikkelsen’s team uses metasurfaces to create a 'super camera'
Research Highlights
Twisting, Flexible Crystals Key to Solar Energy Production
Researchers show how shapes and movements of halide perovskites create desirable renewable energy properties
Researchers Reveal the Inner Workings of a Viral DNA-Packaging Motor
A trilogy of papers provides insight into a critical step in how some viruses reproduce
Engineers Demonstrate World's First Fully Recyclable Printed Electronics
The new technique reclaims nearly 100% of all-carbon-based transistors while retaining future functionality of the materials
‘Shadow Waveguide’ Casts Complex Acoustic Patterns to Control Particles
New approach to 'acoustic tweezers' using metamaterials could help push past limitations for cell and tissue engineering applications
Re-Engineering the Consumer Product Life Cycle
Duke civil and environmental engineers are working to make raw materials more sustainable and reimagining how we deal with harmful waste
Materials + Medicine
Antimicrobial Coating for Orthopedic Implants Prevents Dangerous Infections
Customizable to individual patients and requiring less than 10 minutes to prepare and use, new surgical implant coating prevented 100% of infections in mice
Post-Surgical Patch Releases Non-Opioid Painkiller Directly to the Wound
New polymer promises localized pain control for critical first four days
Test Distinguishes SARS-CoV-2 from Other Coronaviruses with 100% Accuracy
Duke University biomedical engineers have demonstrated a tablet-sized platform that could also predict COVID-19 case severity and immunity against variants
Activating Mechanisms to Heal Bone Fractures and Reverse Osteoporosis
Duke University's Shyni Varghese is capitalizing on the body's production of adenosine to treat bone fracture and osteoporosis
Developing Materials for Medical Implants to Repair Human Bone and for Other Applications
Duke University's Ken Gall translates basic materials research into medical implants to support the human skeleton and brings them to patients
Influential Faculty
Duke Materials Initiative Faculty Honored by Peers
Congratulations to DMI researchers recognized for their outstanding contributions to materials science and engineering
Four Researchers Recognized as Most Highly Cited
Four Duke Materials Initiative researchers were listed among the most highly cited scholars by Clarivate's Web of Science
Materials Science & Engineering Education
Materials Science & Engineering Education Programs Expand at Duke
Students at all levels have new opportunities for interdisciplinary training
Duke Engineering Lab Offers Public School Science Teachers Nanotechnology Experience
Stefan Zauscher’s lab provides hands-on summer research experiences for two public school science teachers, reaping benefits in the process