Penn State, Battalion launch $6 million materials research agreements
Penn State University and Battalion Advanced Technology Ltd have started two three-year research agreements on semiconductor and refractory alloy technologies.
Penn State University and Battalion Advanced Technology Ltd have entered two three-year research agreements worth up to $6 million to develop semiconductor and refractory alloy technologies for national security and other high-performance applications.
The agreements took effect July 16 and will run for three years. Penn State said the work is led by its Materials Research Institute and brings together researchers across the university.
The projects focus on materials used in advanced electronics, communications, sensing and hypersonic applications. Penn State said the research is intended to support U.S. technological leadership and national security, while Battalion said the partnership will help it work on advanced dual-use materials.
One project, led by Joan Redwing, will study how to integrate gallium nitride and related wide-bandgap and ultrawide-bandgap semiconductors with substrates that improve thermal and electrical performance. The team will examine atomically thin interlayers intended to reduce crystalline defects and interfacial thermal resistance. Penn State said the work will consider materials such as diamond and aluminum nitride.
According to the release, those semiconductors can operate at higher voltages, temperatures and power densities than many traditional materials. The university said that makes them useful in advanced electronics, communications and sensing.
The semiconductor project’s co-principal investigators are Joshua A. Robinson, Adrianus van Duin and Chen Chen, the release said. Robinson is also the director of the Materials Research Institute and a professor of materials science and engineering.
The second project, led by Douglas Wolfe, focuses on refractory metal alloys for extreme heat and hypersonic applications. Penn State said the team will work on new alloy compositions, material architecture, functionally graded materials and environmental protection systems to improve oxidation resistance, thermal compatibility and durability.
The release names tungsten, molybdenum and niobium as refractory metals of interest. The co-principal investigators on that project are Long-Qing Chen and Bed Poudel.
Penn State described Battalion Advanced Technology Ltd as a U.K.-based company focused on next-generation materials for dual-use applications. In a quoted statement, Battalion chief executive R. Michael Jones said the company is pleased to support “leading innovations with essential dual uses for national security and economic technologies.” Jones also said the partnership lets the company work on “highly sophisticated solutions immediately” with Penn State.
Penn State said Battalion will provide up to $1 million per year for each project over the three-year research period.
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