May 26, 2021
Sustainable method to 3D print steel wins big at Triton Innovation Challenge
A startup developing a 3D printing technique that can manufacture steel cheaper than existing methods, with no carbon emissions and minimal wasted scrap metal, earned the $7,000 Grand Prize at the Triton Innovation Challenge. Full Story
May 10, 2021
Personalized sweat sensor reliably monitors blood glucose without finger pricks
UC San Diego engineers developed a device that could make it more convenient for people with diabetes to measure their blood glucose. The device can measure glucose in sweat with the touch of a fingertip, and then a personalized algorithm provides an accurate estimate of blood glucose levels. Full Story
April 12, 2021
Combining nanomaterials in 3D to build next-generation imaging devices
UC San Diego nanoengineering professor Oscar Vazquez-Mena is taking nanomaterials to the next dimension. By integrating different nanoscale materials together in 3D, he is creating a new generation of devices for environmental monitoring, energy harvesting and biomedical applications. Vazquez-Mena recently received a CAREER Award through the NSF to develop devices that can "see" wavelengths of light that are invisible to the human eye, such as IR and UV light. He also received a DARPA Director's Fellowship to develop a material that can let ultrasound through the skull and do non-invasive imaging and stimulation of the human brain. Full Story
March 9, 2021
'Wearable microgrid' uses the human body to sustainably power small gadgets
This shirt harvests and stores energy from the human body to power small electronics. UC San Diego nanoengineers call it a "wearable microgrid"—it combines energy from the wearer's sweat and movement to provide renewable power for wearable devices. Full Story
February 25, 2021
Weakness is strength for this low-temperature battery
Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have discovered new fundamental insights for developing lithium metal batteries that perform well at ultra-low temperatures; mainly, that the weaker the electrolyte holds on to lithium ions, the better. By using such a weakly binding electrolyte, the researchers developed a lithium metal battery that can be repeatedly recharged at temperatures as low as -60 degrees Celsius—a first in the field. Full Story