Photodetectors for infrared light suffer from low performance and high cost which hampers commercial applications. The researchers have engineered a method to boost the performance of any current photodetectors, especially within the infrared region, using quantum dots.   The researchers have demonstrated world record performance for sensing and detection.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a method for converting high molecular weight and complex globular proteins such as soy and pea into amphiphilic and amphoteric colloids, sub-microns fibers, and microfibrils important to multiple consumer and industrial applications.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Pediatrics have developed a thin and flexible stent that can be implanted in small vessels in the neurovascular system. Normal 0 false false false EN-US ZH-CN X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

UCLA researchers in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering have developed an energy efficient smart window coating with wide light bandwidth and long cycle lifetimes.

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Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are 2D or 3D extended periodic networks assembled from symmetric, shape persistent molecular 5 building blocks through strong, directional bonds. Traditional COF growth strategies heavily rely on reversible condensation reactions that guide the reticulation toward a desired thermodynamic equilibrium structure. The requirement for dynamic error correction, however, limits the choice of building blocks and thus the associated mechanical and electronic properties imbued within the periodic lattice of the COF.   UC Berkeley researchers have demonstrated the growth of crystalline 2D COFs from a polydisperse macromolecule derived from single-layer graphene, bottom-up synthesized quasi one-dimensional (1D) graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy revealed that 2D sheets of GNR-COFs self-assembled at a liquid-l quid interface stack parallel to the layer boundary and exhibit an orthotropic crystal packing. Liquid-phase exfoliation of multilayer GNR-COF crystals gave access to large area bilayer and trilayer cGNR-COF films. The functional integration of extended 1D materials into crystalline COFs greatly expands the structural complexity and the scope of mechanical and physical materials properties.

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Researchers at UCI have developed a lightweight, flexible thermal material that, due to the extent that it is stretched, allows for tunable control of heat flow.

A technique for making relaxed InGaN layers without crystal defects.

   Researchers at UCI have, for the first time, developed a method for modeling the efficiencies of artificial photosynthetic devices containing multiple light absorbers. As these devices more closely parallel naturally occurring photosynthesis, they offer higher performance than standard single-absorber devices.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering have developed a novel piezoelectric thin film that can control magnetic properties of individual magnetic islands.

Researchers at the UCLA Department of Bioengineering have developed methods to embed electroplated magnetic materials within elastomeric materials and use these flexible magnetic hybrid materials for biological applications.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering have developed Perovskite/Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (PVSK/CIGS) tandem photovoltaic devices with ~22% efficiency.

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have demonstrated tremendous potential for next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices due to their remarkable carrier dynamics. However, current studies of electronic and optoelectronic devices have been focused on polycrystalline materials, due to the challenges in synthesizing device compatible high quality single crystalline materials.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering have developed a low-temperature metal patterning technique.

A fully implantable brain-computer interface (BCI) with onboard processing to control a robotic gait exoskeleton as a walking aid for individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). This technology would alleviate SCI patient’s dependence on wheel chairs, reducing the risk of secondary medical complications that account for an estimated $50 billion/year in healthcare costs.

Fabricating materials from naturally occurring proteins that are inherently biocompatible enables the resulting material to be easily integrated with many downstream applications, ranging from batteries to transistors. In addition, protein-based materials are also advantageous because they can be physically tuned and specifically functionalized. Inventors have developed protein-based material from structural proteins such as reflectins found in cephalopods, a molluscan class that includes cuttlefish, squid, and octopus. In a space dominated by artificial, man-made proton-conducting materials, this material is derived from naturally occurring proteins.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Bioengineering have developed a selective chemical bath deposition method to create IrOx thin films.

A patch sensor that is able to continuously monitor breathing rate and volume to diagnose pulmonary function and possibly predict and possibly prevent fatal asthma attacks.

Superhydrophobic surfaces that repel liquid have found a multitude of applications due to their self-cleaning and antibacterial effects, but are often highly surface selective and difficult to produce. Researchers at UCI have developed a new method to reliably mass produce universal superhydrophobic surfaces in a simpler and more cost effective manner.

Medical devices are susceptible to contamination by harmful microbes, such as bacteria and fungi, which form biofilms on device surfaces. These biofilms are often resistant to antibiotics and other current treatments, resulting in over 2 million people per year suffering from diseases related to these contaminating microbes. Death rates for many of these diseases are high, often exceeding 50%. Researchers at UCI have developed a novel anti-bacterial and anti-fungal biocomposite that incorporates a nanopillared surface structure that can be applied as a coating to medical devices.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering have invented a novel method to concentrate nanoparticles (NPs) into metal crystals via zone melting.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Electrical Engineering have invented a novel biocompatible flexible device fabrication method using fan-out wafer level processing (FOWLP).

Many modern microelectromechanical and microembossing applications require the formation of high resolution vertical channels through thin film substrates, which are often difficult and expensive to achieve in current substrates. Researchers at UCI have overcome these limitations by developing an inexpensive material that is inherently easy to vertically etch.

Broadband absorbers are essential components of many light detection, energy harvesting and camouflage schemes. Materials that “perfectly” absorb light already exist, but they are bulky and can break when bent. They also cannot be controlled to absorb only a selected range of wavelengths, which is a disadvantage for certain applications. In addition, transferring planar materials to flexible, thin or low-cost substrates poses a significant challenge.