Research

Gold may be a coveted precious metal, but it could also be the key to cleaner drinking water. A team of UCF researchers is exploring the use of the metal to develop a novel method to rid drinking water of harmful algal blooms, or HABs, which occur when colonies of algae grow out of control…

A team of researchers from the University of Central Florida and the University of Delaware’s Institute of Energy Conversion has received a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Technologies Office to develop a novel metallization process that could improve the efficiency and lower the cost of solar cells, making solar energy…

In 2022, a team of researchers from UCF’s College of Community Innovation and Education and College of Engineering and Computer Science set out to solve an elusive question plaguing local officials: How do you provide critical services to residents where and when they need it after a disaster? Neighborhoods throughout Orlando — many typically underserved by existing infrastructure…

University of Central Florida researchers have achieved new record-setting power density for ethanol fuel cells, helping advance the technology as a competitor to fossil fuels and electric car batteries. Ethanol fuel cells offer cleaner emissions than fossil fuels and no charging times compared to electric vehicle batteries. In recent studies published in the journals Nature Communications and Joule,…

A team of UCF researchers, led by Materials Science and Engineering Professor Sudipta Seal, have been awarded a patent for their nanomaterial-based disinfectant that can kill several viruses, including COVID-19. This is the 85th patent that Seal has been awarded through the UCF Office of Technology Transfer. The Pegasus Professor and chair of the Department of Materials Science…

A University of Central Florida research team with collaborators at Virginia Tech have published critical findings about the electrochemical synthesis of ammonia, advancing sustainable fertilizer research and thus aiding global food safety efforts. Ammonia, a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen, is an essential ingredient in many fertilizers for food production. However, its primary method of…

Each time a firefighter puts their life on the line to save a member of the community, they may also put their health in jeopardy. Continuous exposure to extreme heat increases the core body temperature and causes a condition known as heat stress, which has been linked to serious medical conditions. To help firefighters track…

A University of Central Florida researcher will lead a recently announced $1.25 million project to map and manipulate materials at the nanoscale. The project’s funding is through the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, a philanthropic foundation established by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore and his wife Betty Moore to support scientific discovery, environmental conservation, patient care improvements and…

The College of Engineering and Computer Science now offers a new National Science Foundation International Research Experience for Students program, which is designed for engineering and science majors who are interested in conducting research and exploring a new culture through an immersive experience that begins in summer 2023. This IRES program, officially titled “Low-Dimensional Materials…

UCF material sciences engineers Melanie Coathup and Sudipta Seal have designed a cerium oxide nanoparticle — an artificial enzyme — that protects bones against damage from radiation. The nanoparticle has also shown abilities to improve bone regeneration, reduce loss of blood cells and help kill cancer cells. Their study, a collaboration with Oakland University, North…

Developing life-saving medicines can take billions of dollars and decades of time, but University of Central Florida researchers are aiming to speed up this process with a new artificial intelligence-based drug screening process they’ve developed. Using a method that models drug and target protein interactions using natural language processing techniques, the researchers achieved up to…

A team of UCF researchers have proven the efficacy of a nanomaterial-based disinfectant they developed to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Through their experiments, they found that the disinfectant was able to kill several serious viruses including SARS and Zika. The results of their findings were recently published in ACS Applied Materials and…

University of Central Florida researchers have developed a device for artificial intelligence that mimics the retina of the eye. The development could lead to advanced AI that can instantly recognize what it sees, like automatic descriptions of pictures taken by a camera or phone. The technology also has applications in self-driving vehicles and robotics. The device,…

Researchers at the University of Central Florida are developing new devices that will allow artificial intelligence (AI) to work from anywhere, without connecting to the internet. This means technology ranging from natural language processing programs, like Siri or Alexa to robots and other advanced applications, could work in remote regions of the globe or even…

Three University of Central Florida researchers, including two from MSE, are part of recently announced multi-million-dollar research projects aimed at facilitating the growth of newly emerging technologies for the U.S. Department of Defense. The awards, which are part of the DOD’s Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, will support projects that range from advancing hypersonic propulsion to improving…

UCF awarded a total of $1 million in SEED Funding awards to 32 research teams, one of which includes MSE faculty. This is the third year the program has been available to faculty. The program, a result of a collaboration between the Office of Research and the Office of the Provost, is aimed at facilitating…

Our human bones are under constant attack. From the moment we are born, they are fending off against aging and degenerative diseases. Some begin to crumble under the weight of cancer and there is evidence that time in gravity free space also weakens our bones. At UCF, Melanie Coathup is working to find ways to…

Like the charged power suit worn by Black Panther of Marvel Comics, UCF researchers have advanced NASA technologies to develop a power suit for an electric car that is as strong as steel, lighter than aluminum and helps boosts the vehicle’s power capacity. The suit is made of layered carbon composite material that works as…

A new material developed by the University of Central Florida may one day mean people could be pouring a drink for their car. That’s because UCF researchers are developing an alcohol-based power source for cars and other technology. The power source —an ethanol fuel cell — is a renewable energy alternative to fossil fuels and…

UCF researchers have developed a nanoparticle-based disinfectant that can continuously kill viruses on a surface for up to seven days – a discovery that could be a powerful weapon against COVID-19 and other emerging pathogenic viruses. The findings, by a multidisciplinary team of the university’s virus and engineering experts and the leader of an Orlando technology firm,…

The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded the University of Central Florida an $800,000 grant to help build a partnership with the University of Washington that will accelerate research in the areas of Ultrafast Dynamics and Catalysis in Emerging Materials. UCF was one of 10 universities selected across the nation for the award. The funding,…

Hydrogen fuel derived from the sea could be an abundant and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, but the potential power source has been limited by technical challenges, including how to practically harvest it. Researchers at the University of Central Florida have designed for the first time a nanoscale material that can efficiently split seawater into…

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – Army researchers collaborated with academic partners from the University of Central Florida to improve additive manufacturing. This partnership may help deliver extreme lightweight components to future soldiers. By optimizing the printing process for the additive manufacturing of a high-strength magnesium alloy and fabricating 24 micro-lattice structures, researchers characterized the compressive…

University of Central Florida researchers have helped develop a new, seawater-based battery that’s safer for humans and the environment than the fire-prone lithium-ion batteries that power everything from cell phones to electric cars. In a study published recently in the journal Nature Communications, UCF NanoScience Technology Center assistant professor Yang Yang and co-authors demonstrated the ability of the…

Current disinfectant products for killing viruses like coronavirus take minutes to fully sanitize surfaces, which isn’t practical on high-contact areas such as door handles, elevators and bannisters. That’s why the University of Central Florida is co-developing a new, rapid-acting, long-lasting disinfectant spray that instantly kills viruses without using harsh chemicals. The project is led by Christina Drake…

Masks that protect doctors and nurses from COVID-19 only block the virus before it reaches their faces, but UCF researchers are working to create a protective coating that would include a novel mask material that would catch the virus and kill it within seconds. Sudipta Seal, an engineer specializing in material science and nanotechnology, initiated this project…

A University of Central Florida researcher’s novel work in nanoscale antioxidants is continuing to show promise in the medical field, with a new study that shows their effectiveness in helping to heal diabetic wounds. The study, published recently in the journal Acta Biomaterialia, showed that gels containing cerium oxide nanoparticles, whose therapeutic properties were discovered by UCF,…

Artificial Intelligence may be just the thing to accelerate spray-on solar cell technology, which could revolutionize how consumers use energy. A research team at the University of Central Florida used Machine Learning, aka Artificial Intelligence to optimize the materials used to make perovskite solar cells (PSC). The Organic-Inorganic halide perovskites material used in PSC converts…

University of Central Florida researchers are working to improve energy sources for zero-emission, electric vehicles that are an environmentally friendly alternative to combustion engines. In some of their latest work, published recently in the journal Energy & Environmental Science, the researchers detailed how they stabilized platinum atoms for use in large-scale production of metal-air batteries.…

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is turning to the University of Central Florida to develop new technology to help keep first responders safe during potentially toxic fires. It’s doing so with a new, $500,000 grant from the department’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, which will fund the development of a sensor that remotely detects fires and…

By combining the ancient Japanese art of paper cutting with nanotechnology, University of Central Florida researchers have created a super flexible electronic material that could have applications in products ranging from smart jackets to solar cells. “Connecting this idea, using kirigami for strain engineering with the nanomaterial we’ve created, this is entirely novel,” says Yeonwoong Jung,…

Electric cars are a low-emission alternative to combustion engines; however, their lithium-based batteries can catch fire, thus posing a safety threat that limits the technology A University of Central Florida researcher is working to overcome that problem by designing fuel cells that are safer, more powerful and less expensive. The work is detailed in a…

Using nanotechnology, UCF researchers have developed the first rapid detector for dopamine, a chemical that is believed to play a role in various diseases such as Parkinson’s, depression and some cancers. Studies show too much dopamine could be associated with some cancers, while low dopamine could be associated with Parkinson’s disease and depression.  The new…

It’s a fact known to fetal surgeons like Dr. Kenneth Liechty that fetuses can heal perfectly, without scars. Surgeries, heart attacks, tears and contusions to organs, tendons, skin — fetuses weather them all and come out like new. “You look at animals like the salamander that can regrow limbs or the zebrafish that can regenerate…

New research shows that a powerful antioxidant may be just as useful one-day protecting beachgoers and cancer patients from radioactive rays as it could astronauts. In a recent study published in the journal Nanoscale and identified as a top article, the University of Central Florida researchers found that tissues and DNA from mice treated with an antioxidant,…

Two UCF alumni are in the process of developing a self-heating blanket that will protect infants from hypothermia in low- and middle-income regions, increasing their chances of survival. Ajay Karakoti ’10 Ph.D., and Satyanarayana Kuchibhatla ’08 Ph.D., received a grant of more than $75,000 to continue their development of a non-electric blanket, which is made entirely of ecofriendly…

A UCF research team with collaborators at Virginia Tech have developed a new “green” approach to making ammonia that may help make feeding the rising world population more sustainable. “This new approach can facilitate ammonia production using renewable energy, such as electricity generated from solar or wind,” said physics Assistant Professor Xiaofeng Feng. “Basically, this…

The U.S. Army and the U.S. Office of Naval Research have turned to the University of Central Florida to help push the limits of additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3-D printing with metallic alloys. Additive manufacturing looks to use different metallic alloys to print a variety of finished components used in everything from children’s toys…