News

Making Electronic Devices Faster, More Powerful, and Better at Staying Cool

by Olivia Drake

In a paper published as an Editor’s Pick in Applied Physics Letters, College of Engineering’s Georges Pavlidis outlines ways to manage heat in high-speed electronic.

When electronic devices overheat, they can slow down, malfunction, or stop working altogether. This heat is mainly caused by energy lost as electrons move through a material—similar to friction in a moving machine.

Most devices today use silicon (Si) as their semiconductor material. However, engineers are increasingly turning to alternatives like gallium nitride (GaN) for longer lifetime use and higher performance. This includes products such as LEDs, compact laptop chargers, and 5G phone networks. For even more extreme applications—such as high-voltage systems or harsh environments—researchers are exploring ultrawide bandgap (UWBG) materials like gallium oxide (Ga2O3), aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN), and even diamond.

Pictured in center, Georges Pavlidis, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering Ph.D. candidates Francis Vásquez, at left, and Dominic Myren, are co-authors of a “Perspectives” paper published in Applied Physics Letters. Together, they’re exploring thermal management strategies in ultra side bandgap semiconductor devices. (Sarah Redmond/UConn Photo)

The key difference between these materials lies in their electronic bandgap—the energy needed to get electrons to flow through the material. Wider bandgaps allow companies to reduce the size of their electronics and make them more electrically efficient.

“UWBG materials can resist up to 8,000 volts and can operate at temperatures over 200 °C (392°F), making them promising for the next generation of electronics in the energy, health, and communication sectors,” explains Georges Pavlidis, assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

While these materials offer promising advantages, they also come with challenges. They’re currently expensive, difficult to manufacture, and their thermal behavior is hard to measure precisely. As electronics become more powerful and in smaller dimensions, the heating in the device becomes more localized and can generate a heat flux greater than the sun, Pavlidis explains.

“Chip manufacturers need new methods to measure temperature in smaller dimensions,” he says.

Pavlidis, along with UConn’s School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering Ph.D. candidates Dominic Myren and Francis Vásquez, collaborated with colleagues from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory over the past year to tackle the challenge of measuring the heat output. Their work resulted in a “Perspectives” paper published in Applied Physics Letters.

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Tarakanova Honored with Eshelby Mechanics Award for Young Faculty

As the body ages, a network of proteins and other molecules may structurally change, leading to a loss of elasticity and tissue strength in skin, joints, and arteries. This can lead to reduced muscle mass, stiffness, and increased susceptibility to chronic diseases like osteoarthritis.

Anna TarakanovaAnna Tarakanova, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering, leads a research group in UConn’s College of Engineering (CoE) that uses advanced computer models to study the mechanical properties of proteins.

In doing so, she’s developing nature-inspired materials that can mimic the flexibility of elastin or the durability of collagen. These designs could lead to innovations in medical devices, prosthetics, or even “repurpose” molecules for resilience in aging.

“Ultimately, our goal is to understand aging and disease at a basic, molecular level and how that fits into the bigger picture of how complex biological systems function,” Tarakanova explains.

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Sound Waves Go Flat

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Osama Bilal, director of the Wave Engineering Laboratory for Extreme and Intelligent Matter (on right), and Doctoral Student Mahmoud Samak are co-authors of a new paper documenting research into innovative soundwave technologies. (Christopher LaRosa / UConn College of Engineering Photo)

A team of UConn College of Engineering (CoE) researchers have achieved a major milestone in the field of Phononics with the first experimental demonstration of an all-flat phononic band structure (AFB). Phononics concerns the study of sound and heat control. A breakthrough, detailed in an article just published in Physical Review Letters, introduces a new class of materials capable of uniquely controlling sound and vibrations by trapping energy with unprecedented intensity, offering exciting possibilities for potential applications in acoustics, vibration insulation, energy harvesting, and beyond.

The work, led by Professor Osama Bilal, director of the Wave Engineering Laboratory for Extreme and Intelligent Matter (We-Xite), unlocks a new recipe for engineering materials with exotic behavior. In the experiments, the material serves a double function, Bilal explains, by being a perfect sound vacuum and wave amplifier at the same time.

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DREAM Engineering: Where Research Meets Imagination

The D2REAM Research Center team is continuing its work supporting advanced structural digital design and manufacturing, and discovery of novel metamaterials. (Christopher LaRosa / UConn College of Engineering Photo)

The University of Connecticut’s Digital Design Research, Analysis, and Manufacturing (D2REAM) Center has received a second round of funding to continue its work supporting advanced structural digital design and manufacturing, and discovery of novel metamaterials.

The funding is aimed at continuing academic, government, and industry partnerships that are developing groundbreaking modeling and simulation capabilities that can support the next generation of Army ground vehicle systems.

The $5 million in new federal government funding comes from a cooperative agreement with the United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) in Warren, Michigan. GVSC maintains collaborations with higher education, defense and automotive industry parties to co-develop key ground vehicle technologies.

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Dr. Langston Receives Gov. Lamont’s Commendation

UConn President Radenka Maric hands a proclamation from Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont to Lee Langston, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering at UConn, during the “UConn Forum: Economic Engine of a Thriving Connecticut” event in the Rowe Commons ballroom on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)

During the recent “UConn Forum: Economic Engine of a Thriving Connecticut,” which brought together leaders, researchers, and public officials, UConn President, Dr. Radenka Maric presented Prof. Emeritus Lee Langston, an ASME Life Fellow, with the proclamation from Gov. Ned Lamont.

Dr. Langston’s career included helping to develop the fuel cells that powered Apollo 11 to the moon. He also was part of a team that helped install the first solar panels at the White House during the Carter Administration, and pioneered gas turbine technologies now used worldwide, including at UConn’s Cogeneration (CoGen) Central Utility Plant.

He joined UConn in 1977 as a mechanical engineering professor after more than a decade at Pratt & Whitney. He also served a year as the interim dean of the School of Engineering (now a college), later retiring from UConn in 2003 but remaining active as a professor emeritus.

“His contributions to science and society are immeasurable,” Maric said in presenting the proclamation, adding that she first learned of his expertise in sustainable energy when she was studying for her Ph.D. in Japan.

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New Models Help Predict Protein Dynamic Signatures

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This breakthrough in accurately predicting protein crystallization propensity is vital for developing drugs and understanding diseases

A new computational model and tool developed at UConn uses advanced techniques to analyze protein dynamics and predict their crystallization propensity accurately. (Christopher LaRosa/UConn Photo)

To the average person, knowing how a protein wiggles might not seem that exciting or pertinent, but then again, most people aren’t fascinated by the natural movements and fluctuations of proteins and their functional properties. If, however, you were interested in designing new drugs, better understanding how diseases can be eradicated or enhancing biotechnology for industrial and therapeutic applications, you might be on the edge of your seat waiting to see what a new study on protein sequencing and crystallization has to offer.

An article about that study, authored by Anna Tarakanova, assistant professor in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering at UConn’s College of Engineering, has just appeared in a prominent monthly scientific journal, Matter, which focuses on the general field of materials science. The study examines how the natural movements and fluctuations of proteins – the protein’s “wiggles” – can help predict their functional properties. Tarakanova was assisted by Mohammad Madani, a Mechanical Engineering graduate student and first author of the study.

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Dr. Stephany Santos, an MAM alumna, named to the Vergnano Endowed Chair for Inclusion

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Stephany Santos, named to the newly established Vergnano Endowed Chair for Inclusion, sees her role as helping students build successful engineering futures, no matter the challenges

Professor Stephany Santos at the Vergnano Showcase in April 2024. (Matthew Hodgkins/UConn Photo)

Stephany Santos, the new Vergnano Endowed Chair for Inclusion at UConn’s College of Engineering, feels like she’s been preparing for this role since she set foot on UConn’s campus in 2008, as an undergraduate preparing to study mechanical engineering.

Prior to her first summer at UConn, she was a participant in the BRIDGE program, which is a transitionary preparation program designed to support the success of incoming first-year students that are underrepresented in engineering.

The BRIDGE program, then run out of the Engineering Diversity Program led by Kevin McLaughlin, became a hallmark of her identity and purpose as an engineering student and leader at UConn, says Santos ’12 (ENG) ’20 Ph.D. She volunteered for every program offered by the Engineering Diversity Program, from Multiply Your Options, a program designed to inspire 8th-grade girls to think about STEM, to the Northeast Regional Science Bowl, the largest regional competition in the country for high school students competing quiz-bowl-style in STEM questions.

During this period Santos also helped found UConn’s student organization Engineering Ambassadors. This is an organization that supports K-12 teachers and education systems by broadening understanding and access to engineering, and by exploring how engineers can change the world for good. These programs, Santos explains, are foundational in creating confidence academically, connections psychosocially and inspiration professionally.

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Mission Complete: Lee Spends 45 Days in NASA Simulated Journey to Mars

by Olivia Drake – UConn College of Engineering

By participating in the mission, College of Engineering’s Jason Lee contributed to NASA’s efforts to study how future astronauts may react to isolation and confinement during deep-space journey.

College of Engineering Associate Professor-in-Residence Jason Lee, pictured third from left, recently participated in a 45-day simulated space mission at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Also pictured are his crew mates, Piyumi Wijesekara, Shareef Al Romaithi, and Stephanie Navarro. (James Blair/NASA)

Jason Lee’s lifelong aspiration to explore outer space became a reality—without ever needing to leave planet Earth.

For 45 days, Lee, associate professor-in-residence in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering, lived in NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) habitat at Johnson Space Center, participating in a simulated journey to Mars.

There, he and three other crew members operated in a constrained environment, completing mission-critical tasks, conducting repairs, viewing Martian landscapes through virtual reality, and making communication attempts with Mission Control.

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Professor Jiong Tang receives the ASME Myklestad Award

Jiong TangProfessor Jiong Tang, a distinguished figure in the field of mechanical engineering, has recently been honored with the prestigious ASME Myklestad Award in 2024. This award, established by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to vibration engineering, particularly in areas related to analytical methods, experimental approaches, and practical applications in mechanical and aerospace systems. Prof. Tang’s work exemplifies the high standards of innovation, rigor, and impact that the Myklestad Award celebrates, showcasing his commitment to advancing the field of vibration engineering through both fundamental research and practical advancements.

Throughout his career, Prof. Tang has led pioneering research that has transformed understanding and approaches within dynamics and vibration. His contributions span a broad array of applications, including structural health monitoring, smart materials, and robust control systems. His research has not only pushed theoretical boundaries but also driven technological advancements that enhance the resilience, functionality, and safety of mechanical systems in various industries. His work has been particularly influential in aerospace and civil engineering, where precise vibration control is critical for ensuring the structural integrity and performance of complex systems.

This honor not only acknowledges his past accomplishments but also underscores his ongoing contributions to the advancement of engineering knowledge and practice.