Materials Science and NanoEngineering

Bilayer borophene is a first

Scientists make bilayer borophene for the first time. The versatile 2D material shows promise for quantum electronics, energy storage and sensors.

‘Smart’ shirt keeps tabs on the heart

Carbon nanotube thread woven into athletic shirts gathered electrocardiogram and heart rate data that matched standard monitors and beat chest-strap monitors. The fibers are flexible and the shirts are machine washable.

CPRIT grant establishes Genetic Design and Engineering Center

Rice faculty members led by bioengineer Gang Bao have been awarded a $4 million CPRIT grant to establish the Genetic Design and Engineering Center.

National 2D materials research center wins NSF funding

Rice, Penn State and Boise State have won a federal grant to expand ATOMIC, a national research center that develops atom-thin 2D coatings via university, industry and government partnerships.

Woven nanotube fibers turn heat into power

Carbon nanotubes woven into thread-like fibers and sewn into fabrics become a thermoelectric generator that can turn heat from the sun or other sources into energy.

People, papers and presentations for Aug. 16, 2021

The Baker Institute for Public Policy’s Kelsey Norman, fellow for the Middle East and director of the Women’s Rights, Human Rights and Refugees Program, has been awarded the 2021 Emerging Scholars Policy Prize

Odds are good for unique 2D compound

Rice University engineers make 2D materials for valleytronics, a platform for information processing and storage that relies on the manipulation of electrons’ positions in energetic “valleys.”

Soft shell makes hard ceramic less likely to shatter

Coating ceramic schwarzites, 3D-printed lattices, with a thin polymer helps keep them from shattering under pressure.

Six Rice-TMC research teams earn seed grants

Rice's Educational and Research Initiatives for Collaborative Health has announced six seed grants for research collaborations between faculty from Rice and the Texas Medical Center.

Solar energy collectors grown from seeds

Rice University engineers have created microscopic seeds for growing remarkably uniform 2D perovskite crystals that are both stable and highly efficient at harvesting electricity from sunlight.

‘Flashed’ nanodiamonds are just a phase

The “flash” process developed at Rice University can turn carbon black into functionalized nanodiamond and other materials. The carbon atoms evolved through several phases depending on the length of the flash.

Odd angles make for strong spin-spin coupling

HOUSTON – (May 25, 2021) – Sometimes things are a little out of whack, and it turns out to be exactly what you need.

Sickle cell advance incorporates Rice lab's tech

Rice University bioengineer Gang Bao, a pioneer in the search for a way to treat and perhaps cure sickle cell disease, is co-author of a significant step forward revealed in Science Translational Medicine and led by his colleagues at Stanford University.

Rice lab peers inside 2D crystal synthesis

Scientific studies describing the most basic processes often have the greatest impact in the long run. A new work by Rice University engineers could be one such, and it’s a gas, gas, gas for nanomaterials.

Absorbent aerogels show some muscle

A simple chemical process developed at Rice University creates light and highly absorbent aerogels that can take a beating.