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UW team develops fast, cheap method to make supercapacitor electrodes for electric cars, high-powered lasers

July 18, 2017

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. [...]

Light-based chemistry to manipulate stem cells

September 28, 2015

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. Read more at [...]

Interdisciplinary MolES team programs yeast cells to say "˜Hello'!

July 1, 2015

A team of University of Washington researchers has engineered yeast cells that can "talk" to one another, using a versatile plant hormone called auxin. [...]

MolES researchers build energy efficient nanolaser

March 25, 2015

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. [...]

MolES Researchers Craft Thinnest Possible Semiconductor

August 28, 2014

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 [...]

MolES research lab collaboration leads to cancer fighting therapy

June 23, 2014

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. [...]

On-demand vaccines possible with engineered nanoparticles | UW TNews

January 9, 2014

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 [...]

Seelig/Klavins team develops programming language to build synthetic DNA

October 14, 2013

From UW Today: UW engineers invent programming language to build synthetic DNA Michelle Ma Similar to using Python or Java to write code for a computer, chemists soon could be able to use a structured set of instructions to "program" how DNA molecules interact in a test tube or cell. A team led [...]

David Ginger’s synthetic polymer for solar cell applications

August 8, 2013

Regulating electron "˜spin' may be key to making organic solar cells competitive Vince Stricherz Organic solar cells that convert light to electricity using carbon-based molecules have shown promise as a versatile energy source but have not been able to match the efficiency of their silicon-based counterparts. Now, researchers have discovered a synthetic, high-performance polymer that [...]

Engineered biomaterial could improve success of medical implants

May 15, 2013

University of Washington engineers have created a synthetic substance that fully resists the body's natural attack response to foreign objects. Medical devices such as artificial heart valves, prostheses and breast implants could be coated with this polymer to prevent the body from rejecting an implanted object. [...]

High glucose levels could impair ferroelectricity in body's connective tissues

April 15, 2013

High sugar levels in the body come at a cost to health. New research suggests that more sugar in the body could damage the elastic proteins that help us breathe and pump blood. The findings could have health implications for diabetics, who have high blood-glucose levels. Researchers at the University of Washington and Boston University [...]

New device could cut costs on household products, pharmaceuticals

April 12, 2013

New device could cut costs on household products, pharmaceuticals By Michelle Ma Sometimes cost saving comes in nanoscale packages. A new procedure that thickens and thins fluid at the micron level could save consumers and manufacturers money, particularly for soap products that depend on certain molecules to effectively deal with grease and dirt. Researchers at [...]

Organic ferroelectric molecule shows promise for memory chips, sensors

January 25, 2013

A paper in Science describes an organic crystal that shows promise as a cheap, flexible, nontoxic material for the working parts of memory chips, sensors and energy-harvesting devices. [...]

Energy Dept. funds UW project to turn wasted natural gas into diesel

December 17, 2012

The U.S. Department of Energy this month awarded $4 million to a team, led by UW chemical engineers, that aims to develop bacteria to turn the methane in natural gas into diesel fuel for transportation. [...]

Rules devised for building ideal protein molecules from scratch

November 30, 2012

By Leila Gray, UW Health Sciences/UW MedicineNovember 29, 2012 By following certain rules, scientists can prepare architectural plans for building ideal protein molecules not found in the real world. Based on these computer renditions, previously non-existent proteins can be produced from scratch in the lab. The principles to make this happen appear this month in [...]

Electrically spun fabric offers dual defense against pregnancy, HIV

November 30, 2012

Electrically spun cloth with nanometer-sized fibers show promise as a cheap, versatile platform to simultaneously offer contraception and prevent HIV. New funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will help MolES faculty member Kim Woodrow further test the system's versatility and feasibility. [...]

Sticky paper offers cheap, easy solution for paper-based diagnostics

October 2, 2012

Global health researchers, including MolES faculty member Dan Ratner, are working on cheap systems like a home-based pregnancy test that might work for malaria, diabetes or other diseases. A new chemical technique makes medically interesting molecules stick to regular paper "” a possible route to building such paper-based diagnostics from paper you could buy at an office-supply store. [...]

News

Category: Research

UW team develops fast, cheap method to make supercapacitor electrodes for electric cars, high-powered lasers

Light-based chemistry to manipulate stem cells

Interdisciplinary MolES team programs yeast cells to say "˜Hello'!

MolES researchers build energy efficient nanolaser

MolES Researchers Craft Thinnest Possible Semiconductor

MolES research lab collaboration leads to cancer fighting therapy

On-demand vaccines possible with engineered nanoparticles | UW TNews

Seelig/Klavins team develops programming language to build synthetic DNA

David Ginger’s synthetic polymer for solar cell applications

Engineered biomaterial could improve success of medical implants

High glucose levels could impair ferroelectricity in body's connective tissues

New device could cut costs on household products, pharmaceuticals

Organic ferroelectric molecule shows promise for memory chips, sensors

Energy Dept. funds UW project to turn wasted natural gas into diesel

Rules devised for building ideal protein molecules from scratch

Electrically spun fabric offers dual defense against pregnancy, HIV

Sticky paper offers cheap, easy solution for paper-based diagnostics

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