United States. The new center at Rice University and Pennsylvania State University will study, in collaboration with industry, the development of two-dimensional coatings of thin atoms for a variety of uses.
The Atomic Center established by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to foster scientific collaboration between academia and industry, is the only NSF center dedicated to the development of advanced 2-D coatings.
The goal is to identify thin atom materials that solve key scientific and technological challenges in corrosion, oxidation, abrasion, friction, wear, energy conversion and storage. The partners hope to develop techniques for large-scale synthesis and deposition of multifunctional coatings.
Scientists June Lou and Pulickel Ajayan will lead Rice's effort. Both are well versed in two-dimensional materials such as graphene, molybdenum disulfide and boron nitride, which are the focus of research worldwide.
