Three teams led by University of Washington researchers have received competitive awards totaling more than $2.3 million from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office for projects that will advance research and development in photovoltaic materials, which are an essential component of solar cells and impact the amount of sunlight that is converted into electricity. Two of the UW teams are led by MolES faculty members Scott Dunham, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and Hugh Hillhouse, a professor of chemical engineering.
Hao Shen, a molecular engineering PhD candidate in the lab of biochemistry Professor David Baker, was a lead author of a study published in Science describing the creation of self-assembling protein filaments from scratch. The filaments were built from identical protein subunits that snap together spontaneously to form long, helical, thread-like structures which could be used to create new materials for a range of applications, from diagnostics to nano-electronics. Learn more in a related Geekwire story!
In a paper published Feb. 9 in Science Advances, scientists at the University of Washington announced that they have successfully combined two different imaging methods "” a type of lens designed for nanoscale interaction with lightwaves, along with robust computational processing "” to create full-color images.
University of Washington researchers have developed a fast, inexpensive method to make electrodes for supercapacitors, with applications in electric cars, wireless telecommunications and high-powered lasers.
Professor Cole DeForest is researching new ways to coerce stem cells into transforming into other cell types. Ultimately, his research could make huge impacts in medicine by engineering organs and tissues to combat heart disease. DeForest is an assistant professor of chemical engineering and a member of the Molecular Engineering & Sciences institute faculty.
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A team of University of Washington researchers has engineered yeast cells that can "talk" to one another, using a versatile plant hormone called auxin.
University of Washington scientists have built a new nanometer-sized laser "” using the thinnest semiconductor available today "” that is energy efficient, easy to build and compatible with existing electronics. The ultra-thin semiconductor is about 100,000 times thinner than a human hair.
Faculty and student researchers at the UW Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute are emerging as leaders in the fast-growing field of 2D materials. Physics professors David Cobden and Xiadong Xu study the characteristics of single sheets of atomically thin material.
These single-layer materials, also known as monolayers, are flexible, and act as semiconductors with extraordinary electronic properties. Semiconductors are an essential component in all modern solar cells and electronics. Their research could be the basis for next-generation flexible and transparent computing, better light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, and solar technologies. Read More
Results of collaborative research from the Institute for Protein Design, Stayton Lab and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center published in CELL magazine.
It's been said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but recent research at the University of Washington Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute may prove that close proximity is the recipe for success.
A recent cancer-fighting discovery was made possible by the group effort that combined the protein design and engineering skills of researchers working with Dr. David Baker, UW professor of biochemistry and head of the Institute for Protein Design (IPD) and the drug therapy and delivery research spearheaded by researchers working with Dr. Read More
Michelle Ma
Vaccines combat diseases and protect populations from outbreaks, but the life-saving technology leaves room for improvement. Vaccines usually are made en masse in centralized locations far removed from where they will be used. They are expensive to ship and keep refrigerated and they tend to have short shelf lives.
University of Washington engineers hope a new type of vaccine they have shown to work in mice will one day make it cheaper and easy to manufacture on-demand vaccines for humans. Read More