Students

New open-source software allows for efficient 3D printing with multiple materials

Alexander James Servantez — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 21:16:15 +0000

New open-source software allows for efficient 3D printing with multiple materials Alexander Jame… Mon, 10/13/2025 - 15:16

Alexander Servantez

A new open-source tool is reshaping how engineers design multi-material objects.

Charles Wade, a fourth-year PhD student in the Department of Computer Science at ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ, has created a design system software package that uses functions and code to map not just shapes, but where different materials belong in a 3D object.

OpenVCAD, a new open-source tool created to help engineers efficiently design multi-material objects.

The project, called OpenVCAD, was developed in the Matter Assembly Computation Lab led by Assistant Professor Robert MacCurdy of the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering. The team is publishing a new paper in the top 3D printing journal Additive Manufacturing on October 13 that will highlight the design tool and its potential to transform 3D printing by enabling engineers to design multi-material objects smarter and more efficiently.

“There’s certainly a history of multi-material design study and practice that existed well before OpenVCAD,” said MacCurdy, who is also affiliated with computer science and the Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering. “But we believe the overhead of writing specific code for specific projects every single time prevents engineers from doing as much design as they could.

“With OpenVCAD, we’re doing all of that work once—and doing it really well—so that people have built-in infrastructure to represent these spatially varying multimaterial designs.”

Pushing the limits of multi-material design

Designing objects with multiple materials has long pushed the limits of conventional computer-aided design (CAD) software.

According to Wade and MacCurdy, traditional design tools tend to represent objects as boundary surfaces only. This means they operate with an implicit assumption that everything inside of a boundary surface is all made up of the same material.

One of the major areas of interest in mechanics is something called gradient design, in which two materials are gradually blended together from one to another—like a shoe sole that shifts from firm at the bottom to soft at the top. But without a powerful design tool, translating rough steps into smooth transitions can be overwhelmingly difficult.

That’s why Wade developed OpenVCAD. The software package acts almost as a set of convenience tools that allow people not only to easily compose complex functions, but also to assign them as materials to objects in a 3D printer.

“This is the first multi-material, code-based design tool that is widely available,” Wade said. “It allows for good complexity when printing objects, it’s accessible and it’s intuitive to write and design. Unlike traditional CAD software, where you’re forced to sketch everything out for each change and you cannot represent graded materials, our tool allows users to change one small variable and watch the whole design update in an easy way.”

A broad impact for all to explore

The team’s new paper will explore OpenVCAD’s capability across a variety of 3D printers, including one available to MacCurdy’s lab group that allows for object printing with up to five materials at a time.

However, it’s the project’s potential impact for the entire engineering community that excites them.

A multi-material scan-to-print medical model for pre-surgical planning.

According to MacCurdy and his team, the OpenVCAD software can be used to help researchers design objects relevant to just about any industry and field. Surgeons in need of realistic planning models to practice on can take advantage of the tool’s gradient mixing properties. Soft robotics experts can use it to create flexible actuators that bend in one direction, but remain straight and stiff in another. Engineers who need to simulate complex multimaterial objects can design in OpenVCAD and easily export a simulation-ready file.

OpenVCAD can even apply specific mechanical properties to specific parts of lattice structures, which are often used for impact-absorbing capabilities to achieve more complicated designs. The possibilities are endless.

“We’re able to rely on OpenVCAD’s core capabilities to represent multi-material objects in a bunch of different domains,” said MacCurdy. “But there is a lot more coming in certain areas that we are excited about and we’re really hoping this approach to multi-material design takes off.”

OpenVCAD is a completely open-source tool, meaning it is widely available for engineers around the world to use. It even comes equipped with a Python implementation so that any user can easily import the team’s repository and get to work with just a single line of code.

“We want this to be widely available to people,” Wade said. “We have a growing base of external researchers from other institutions who are using this tool and we hope to enable that community to do their best work.”

Assistant Professor Robert MacCurdy and fourth-year PhD student Charles Wade have created an open-source design system software package that uses functions and code to map not just shapes, but where different materials belong in a 3D object. The project, called OpenVCAD, has the potential to transform 3D printing by enabling engineers to design multi-material objects smarter and more efficiently.

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A multi-material lattice structure with a gradient design used for its impact-absorbing capabilities.

Campos Student Center celebrates community and future success

Alexander James Servantez — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 21:47:12 +0000

Campos Student Center celebrates community and future success Alexander Jame… Fri, 09/05/2025 - 15:47

The College of Engineering and Applied Science honored the ribbon cutting ceremony of the newly named Campos Student Center in recognition of a $5 million investment for student success from Marco Campos and the Campos Foundation. Fourth-year mechanical engineering student Julia Wall weighs in on the importance of the center and how important the investment will be for its future.

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ME undergraduate student works to address methane crisis in summer project

Alexander James Servantez — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 18:06:04 +0000

ME undergraduate student works to address methane crisis in summer project Alexander Jame… Fri, 08/29/2025 - 12:06

Alexander Servantez

Alex Hansen stepped foot in a landfill this summer for the first time to study the consequences of methane emissions. What he saw sparked a growing interest in climate change research and environmental data analysis.

Hansen, a rising senior in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, spent his summer break in ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ’s Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR).

Alex Hansen (right) working alongside graduate student SPUR mentor Gabriela Cortes (left) in the Hannigan Air Quality and Technology Research Lab.

The program aims to increase undergraduate research engagement and interest by pairing nearly 125 engineering students from across the college in research labs with faculty members and graduate mentors. For 10 weeks, students foster unique, hands-on research experiences—like a trip to a landfill in Los Angeles—and develop crucial skills that serve them well beyond their undergraduate journey.

For Hansen, it was a special curiosity that led him to the SPUR program. One that started from a simple conversation.

“I spoke with someone I ran into one day a while back who worked at a landfill. He was telling me how dangerous methane is and how important it is to burn off methane,” said Hansen. “I was just so fascinated by it all. When I saw the project description on the SPUR website, I knew it was something I wanted to learn more about.”

And dangerous is an understatement. Methane, one of Earth’s most potent greenhouse gases, is one of the primary contributors to climate change. Its atmospheric lifespan may be shorter than other greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, but it can trap significantly more heat per molecule, making it extremely hazardous to human and environmental health.

According to the UN Environment Programme, methane is 80 times more potent at warming than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. It’s also responsible for nearly 30% of global warming since pre-industrial times and is a key culprit for the formation of ground-level ozone, which causes one million premature deaths every year.

It’s a spiraling issue, but Hansen says his SPUR project titled “Characterizing Landfill Methane through a Low-Cost Ground-Based Sensor Network,” looks to attack the crisis by addressing some of the world’s most prevalent methane emissions sites.

“Landfills are one of the largest emitters of methane in the United States,” Hansen said. “I believe waste is about third for methane emissions across the entire world. If we are able to study a landfill and learn more about the way methane spreads in the atmosphere, maybe we can find a way to make improvements to landfill infrastructure and lower emissions.”

To do this, Hansen and his lab mates in Professor Michael Hannigan’s Hannigan Air Quality and Technology Research Lab started working with a network of 24 low-cost air quality sensors called L-Pods that were deployed across a landfill in Los Angeles at the beginning of 2025.

The L-Pods are equipped with two metal oxide sensors that collect air pollutant data and another sensor that tracks temperature and relative humidity. The data is then stored locally and transmitted to the cloud every 10 seconds for ongoing monitoring.

These unique sensors may not be as individually powerful as the industry-grade technology used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but they are cheap and efficient. This allows the group the ability to position more sensors across a landfill than they previously could, giving them a precise methane reading that represents a much larger region.

Hansen showcasing the inner workings of an L-Pod air quality sensor.

Hansen spent a majority of his summer SPUR experience helping the team analyze the data gathered from the sensors. But he was able to see the sensors in action firsthand at the Los Angeles landfill where they are deployed.

It was crazy seeing how much trash we make and the operations needed to contain it all,” said Hansen. “And these low-cost sensors were awesome to see, too. We can add so many more positions and measure way more often than traditional measuring devices. It’s super exciting to see the data we collect in real-time and how impactful it is.”

Hansen’s journey through the SPUR program ended with a final presentation at the end of July. It was a chance for him to share his learning and reflect on his summer.

In many ways, he said it was a rollercoaster ride filled with highs and lows. Some seasoned researchers might call that the typical research experience.

But Hansen also said it was valuable and fulfilling. So much so, that he might be eyeing a future career in research.

“Being in the lab was definitely a learning curve at first. Just learning the terminology and trying to get up to speed as quickly as possible was tough,” Hansen said. “But there’s so many opportunities to make a big impact in research. I’ve learned so much from amazing people this summer and I am definitely curious about pursuing research in a master’s program after graduation.”

Rising senior Alex Hansen spent his summer break in ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ’s Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) studying the consequences of methane emissions. His work analyzing data gathered from unique methane detection sensors can one day help researchers address the methane crisis at some of the world's most prevalent methane emissions sites.

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Beyond Arrakis: Dune researchers confront real-life perils of shifting sand formations

Alexander James Servantez — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 19:25:46 +0000

Beyond Arrakis: Dune researchers confront real-life perils of shifting sand formations Alexander Jame… Mon, 08/18/2025 - 13:25

Associate Professor Nathalie Vriend is leading a research effort exploring how sand dunes evolve over time, shifting and surging across the landscape. Her team ultimately wants to answer a pressing question: Can humans efficiently shift or even halt the flow of the planet’s largest dunes?

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Why are hourglasses filled with sand and not water?

Alexander James Servantez — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 20:29:47 +0000

Why are hourglasses filled with sand and not water? Alexander Jame… Wed, 08/13/2025 - 14:29

Alexander Servantez

The hourglass, one of mankind’s earliest forms of timekeeping, is at the forefront of a new, interactive display in the basement of the Engineering Center.

A group of former seniors in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering designed a series of hourglass displays for their Senior Design capstone class this past semester. The project aimed to answer a simple question: why are hourglasses filled with sand and not water?

But be warned—the team’s Logistics Manager Max Van Cleave says the question isn’t as straightforward as you might think.

Associate Professor Nathalie Vriend standing in front of the hourglass display in front of her lab window.

“Water is governed by Bernoulli’s Law, which physically states that the flow rate changes as the fluid level changes. The more water you have, the faster it will flow out and vice versa,” said Van Cleave. “Sand is different—it creates force chains that transmit the load to the edges of an hourglass. The friction created keeps the sand particles together and allows the sand to descend at a constant rate.”

There are other factors that play a role, as well. Things like the angle and shape of the hourglass, or even the size of the sand particles can affect the speed in which the sand and water flow down the funnel.

Van Cleave mentioned it was difficult for his team to account for all of these different variables. But he said it was also extremely interesting to see how much complexity and nuance can be packed into something as small and ancient as an hourglass.

“This question we answered—it’s not really a question you even think about until you absolutely have to. Everyone has used an hourglass, but they don’t realize how advanced they are,” Van Cleave said. “There was a lot of physics involved in this project and it was fun to play around with all of those factors.”

A closer look at the detachable, lightweight aluminum frame the senior design team used to mount their hourglass display.

The project features three motorized hourglass units mounted on a lightweight aluminum frame. Two of them are filled with sand and one is filled with water.

Equipped with wheels, the detachable aluminum frame functions like a cart, allowing the group to transport the display with ease. It’s also fitted with modular components, making it easy to extend or adapt if needed.

With one click of a button on the control panel, users can flip the hourglass displays individually or all at once and observe various flow behaviors firsthand. Project sponsor and Associate Professor Nathalie Vriend says the display is a great way to demonstrate complex fluid dynamics principles in an understandable way.

“I chose the prompt because I was looking for something nice and educational to put in front of my lab windows,” said Vriend. “There’s some interesting science hidden in these hourglasses. It’s fun, interactive and we can use it to teach high school and middle school students at outreach events.”

Van Cleave is returning to ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ as a part of Rady Mechanical Engineering’s Bachelor’s-Accelerated Master’s program. Every time he passes Vriend’s lab windows he will see his hard work front and center, like many others already have.

But he says the real fulfillment will come from how others interact with the project.

“It feels great to know that people enjoy it,” Van Cleave said. “It’s hard to boil down granular flow principles into something anybody can engage with, so it’s awesome that people are already learning a thing or two from the display.”

You can try out the hourglass display yourself in the Granular Flow Laboratory located at ECNW 1B90 in the basement of the Engineering Center.

A group of former seniors designed a series of hourglass displays for their Senior Design capstone class this past semester that currently sit in the window of Associate Professor Nathalie Vriend's Granular Flow Laboratory. The project, located at ECNW 1B90 in the basement of the Engineering Center, aims to answer a simple question: why are hourglasses filled with sand and not water?

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Racing toward innovation: Inside ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ’s fastest student organization

Alexander James Servantez — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 15:25:54 +0000

Racing toward innovation: Inside ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ’s fastest student organization Alexander Jame… Mon, 08/04/2025 - 09:25

Madison Seckman

On any given weekend, tucked away in a Longmont workshop or tearing down a raceway in Daytona, ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ students are doing something remarkable: building and racing their own cars. But ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Racing is far more than a high-speed hobby—it’s an engine of innovation, leadership, and community.

Led by Carson Malpass a senior in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, the team builds internal combustion race cars from the ground up to compete in the prestigious Formula SAE competition, travels the country racing endurance cars against professional teams, and is now venturing into the electric vehicle (EV) frontier. With about 300 members across engineering, business, arts and sciences, and even English majors, ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Racing is one of the university’s largest and most multidisciplinary student-run organizations.

"It’s not just a race team," Malpass said. "It’s a team where students become engineers, project managers, designers, and leaders."

The ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Formula Racing team at this year's Formula SAE competition in Michigan.

That transformation begins with Formula SAE, one of the most rigorous student engineering competitions in the world. Each year, student teams design, build, and race a new single-seater open-wheel vehicle guided by a thick rulebook and strict deliverables. ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ’s Formula team has been on an upward trajectory—placing 31st out of 120 teams in May 2025, their best finish since placing 20th in 2023. But the competition is about far more than speed. Teams are judged on design presentations, cost reports, business proposals, and how the car performs on the track.

A closer look at ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Racing's 2025 Formula SAE vehicle.

The competition, held each May in Michigan, begins with a heavy number of technical inspections. Teams must pass a tilt test, brake tests, decibel limits, and a comprehensive safety inspection before even qualifying for the dynamic events. This year, the team encountered a major challenge the night before departure: a seized wheel bearing due to improper lubrication. With the trailer already packed, members stayed up overnight chiseling out the frozen part and grinding away each ball bearing. They ultimately secured liquid nitrogen through a helpful alum to finish the fix. Despite these obstacles and racing most events stuck in a single gear, the team completed every major section and walked away as the top Colorado team.

"That was a proud moment," Malpass said. "The team was up all night solving a really technical problem and it all paid off. Those kinds of moments are what make this team special."

While the combustion team continues to fine-tune their design, ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Racing is charging into the future with a full-fledged electric vehicle initiative. Their EV team is currently designing a brand-new race car set to debut at Formula SAE Electric in June 2026. According to Malpass, building an EV is an entirely different challenge. Some components—like suspension geometry—can carry over, but major systems like the frame and powertrain must be reimagined for electric power.

"There’s stuff you can tweak and carry over," he said. "But there’s also stuff that’s totally different. It’s a clean-sheet design in a lot of ways."

The transition has been years in the making, with early behind-the-scenes research now evolving into a dedicated team working on the design. As Malpass put it, "We’re optimistic. We know it’s a massive undertaking, but the team has the knowledge and motivation."

��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Racing's endurance team standing alongside their endurance racing vehicle.

That same spirit of exploration and grit drives the team’s endurance racing efforts. ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Racing’s endurance division competes in production-based Mazda Miatas at tracks across the U.S., running in events that last anywhere from seven to 24 hours. Even club members with no driving experience are welcome to try out on their qualifying car.

"There’s a clear learning curve," Malpass said. "We have a lower-performance car to train people, and then the top drivers get into our 719 or 303 Miata. We’ve had people start from scratch and become some of our best drivers."

And it’s not just for fun. The professionalism of the team has been noticed across the country. In some cases, ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Racing has even outperformed fully professional or dedicated senior design teams.

Mentorship is at the heart of that success. Now in his fourth year, Malpass has shifted from building cars to building people. The club runs its own internal workshops in areas like computer-aided design (CAD), finite element analysis, and design for manufacturing—topics that many students won’t see until late in their curriculum.

"We teach the stuff we wish we’d learned earlier," Malpass said. "So when members get to those classes or internships, they’re already ahead."

This year, the team brought a record 42 members to the Formula competition in Michigan. “Seeing them experience it for the first time—seeing the payoff for all those late nights in the shop—that’s what keeps people coming back,” he said.

That commitment to creating a supportive, inclusive space also drives the team’s Women in Motorsports initiative. Though racing and mechanical engineering remain male-dominated fields, CU Boulder Racing is working to change that. In recent years, they’ve seen significant growth in female membership and leadership. Some students have even joined the team specifically because of the welcoming environment.

"It’s not just about optics—it’s about culture," Malpass said. "We’ve hosted dedicated meetings, events, and conversations to make sure everyone feels like they belong here."

And it’s working. Female leads now play a major role across multiple divisions. The initiative, which started as a conversation, has become a structural pillar of the team’s recruitment and retention strategy.

��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Racing's Women in Motorsports division.

The results speak for themselves. Alumni have gone on to become professional race car drivers, compete in European NASCAR, pursue advanced degrees in automotive engineering and even join Formula One teams like Mercedes.

"One of our former members, Liam Travis, recently got hired by the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team," Malpass said. "It’s wild to think that what starts in our little shop in Longmont can lead to that."

Malpass, who is also minoring in engineering management, credits the club with shaping both his resume and his mindset.

"The majority of what I talk about in interviews comes back to this team," he said. "Whether it’s solving problems, leading people, or learning how to design something that actually gets built—it all comes from here."

As ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Racing prepares for another year, they are gearing up to welcome new members. The club recruits each fall and spring at events like the Engineering Immersion and Be Involved Fair, where students can learn about both the Formula and Endurance divisions. Even those without prior experience are encouraged to dive in.

"You don’t need to know anything when you start," Malpass said. "Just show up and be ready to learn. That’s all it takes."

In a university filled with clubs and organizations, ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Racing stands out not just for its speed, but for its commitment to growth, inclusion, and real-world experience. Whether students are machining parts at midnight or giving their first design presentation, they’re gaining something far greater than trophies.

They’re becoming engineers. And in the process, they’re proving that college students don’t just compete—they lead.

Carson Malpass isn't just a senior in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, he's the leader of one of ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ's fastest student organization: ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Racing. The team builds internal combustion race cars from the ground up to compete in the prestigious Formula SAE competition, travels the country racing endurance cars against professional teams and is now venturing into the electric vehicle (EV) frontier.

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ME grad student probes industrial pollution in Mississippi neighborhood

Alexander James Servantez — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 21:55:39 +0000

ME grad student probes industrial pollution in Mississippi neighborhood Alexander Jame… Fri, 07/25/2025 - 15:55

Caroline Frischmon is a graduate student leading a critical study documenting industrial pollution near the Cherokee Forest subdivision in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Her findings show that industrial activities are leading to negative impacts on human health and the residents of the neighborhood are looking to take action.

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Two ME graduate peer mentors recognized for outstanding support

Alexander James Servantez — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 17:36:27 +0000

Two ME graduate peer mentors recognized for outstanding support Alexander Jame… Mon, 07/07/2025 - 11:36

PhD students Marissa Dauner and Elijah Miller have been selected by the Graduate School to receive the Graduate Peer Mentoring Impact Recognition, an honor awarded to those who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to supporting their peers through mentorship. These outstanding mentors were nominated by their mentees for providing not only practical guidance, but also meaningful personal support and connection.

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��ý�Ļ��Ʒ students win big at collegiate hydropower competition

Alexander James Servantez — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 22:32:51 +0000

��ý�Ļ��Ʒ students win big at collegiate hydropower competition Alexander Jame… Wed, 06/18/2025 - 16:32

Alexander Servantez

A powerhouse group of graduating seniors from the University of Colorado Boulder made waves in a sustainable challenge that’s all about energizing the future.

The CU Hydropower Team took part in this year’s Hydropower Collegiate Competition, where 12 teams from universities across the country were tasked with developing unique energy solutions using fresh, moving water—one of the Earth’s oldest forms of renewable energy.

The CU Hydropower Team holding up their award-winning testing apparatus on competition day.

But they weren’t just participants. They were overwhelming winners, earning first-place honors in a variety of contests within the competition, including the highly coveted Overall Best Team award.

“We had a great group and a really good workload sharing system,” said Logistics Manager Miles Salzer. “We weren’t really sure how we were going to do or what the outcome would be. There were a lot of challenges, but we overcame them and we’re proud of what we were able to accomplish.”

The competition, sponsored by the Department of Energy and the Water Power Technologies Office, was launched in 2022. It allows teams to showcase their engineering prowess by conceptually designing plans for either an electricity generating power dam or a functioning closed-loop pump storage facility.

The team chose to tackle the closed-loop pump storage facility—a novel hydropower solution that features two independent reservoirs that transport water back and forth, much like the sand in an hourglass. The system is also hydrodynamically sealed, preventing water from exiting the system.

CAD Engineer Jack Printup says this new pump storage concept is currently growing in popularity as a clean energy and sustainable alternative, but there are still some environmental risks involved.

“It’s basically a big water battery that lasts longer and is more consistent than other nonrenewable sources, but like nuclear plants, they can cause some damage to the area around it,” Printup said. “Our task was to choose and develop a site for our pump storage facility that was safe and could be implemented in the real world.”

CU Hydropower team members Sascha Fowler (left) and Pisay Suzuki (right) working on their testing apparatus in preparation for the competition.

But the competition doesn’t just focus on technical design. Judges also assessed the team’s ability to manage their facility’s finances and cybersecurity.

They even measured the group’s ability to use digital tools to increase community awareness or quickly pitch their plan to a panel of “investors” in an environment reminiscent of the hit TV show “Shark Tank.”

Luckily, Salzer said the group was perfectly equipped to handle the interdisciplinary obstacles with a well-rounded force of their own. The team featured students from the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Environmental Engineering Program, Integrated Design Engineering, the Department of Computer Science and even the Leeds School of Business.

“I think the different backgrounds made our group really unique,” said Salzer. “Hydropower—and renewable energy in general—are large and complex infrastructure projects. One of our team’s biggest strengths compared to other teams was our varied skill sets that allowed us to handle all of the challenges.”

Most importantly, however, the competition is designed to help college graduates develop skills, connections and interest in the hydropower industry.

Printup says increased activity and engagement in hydropower can be crucial, and this competition really sparked his passion.

“There are spurts in the hydropower industry—you build a large plant and then 60 years later it needs to be refurbished or new facilities need to be built,” Printup said. “I’m going into hydropower to continue developing this incredible technology, but also make sure public safety is at the forefront.”

The CU Hydropower Team had a strong showing in this year's Hydropower Collegiate Competition, bringing home multiple awards including the best design award, the cybersecurity award, the best quick pitch award and the highly coveted first-place honor in the overall competition.

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From left to right: Maximilian Schmid, Pisay Suzuki, Jack Printup, Patrick Liu, Luke Shaw, Sara Leschova, Charlie Loewenguth, Sascha Fowler, Miles Salzer, Tristan Wrable and Landon Nattrass.

New discovery shows how molecules can mute heat like music

Alexander James Servantez — Wed, 07 May 2025 03:00:00 +0000

New discovery shows how molecules can mute heat like music Alexander Jame… Tue, 05/06/2025 - 21:00

Alexander Servantez

Imagine you are playing the guitar—each pluck of a string creates a sound wave that vibrates and interacts with other waves.

Now shrink that idea down to a small single molecule, and instead of sound waves, picture vibrations that carry heat.

Ultra-high vacuum scanning probe setup modified by the Cui Research Group to conduct thermal microscopy experiments.

A team of engineers and materials scientists in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ has recently discovered that these tiny thermal vibrations, otherwise known as phonons, can interfere with each other just like musical notes—either amplifying or canceling each other, depending on how a molecule is "strung" together.

Phonon interference is something that’s never been measured or observed at room temperature on a molecular scale. But this group has developed a new technique that has the power to display these tiny, vibrational secrets.

The breakthrough study was led by Assistant Professor Longji Cui and his team in the Cui Research Group. Their work, funded by the National Science Foundation in collaboration with researchers from Spain (Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Italy (Istituto di Chimica dei Composti Organometallici) and the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Department of Chemistry, was recently published in the journal Nature Materials.

The group says their findings will help researchers around the world gain a better understanding of the physical behaviors of phonons, the dominant energy carriers in all insulating materials. They believe one day, this discovery can revolutionize how heat dissipation is managed in future electronics and materials.

“Interference is a fundamental phenomenon,” said Cui, who is also affiliated with the Materials Science and Engineering Program and the Center for Experiments on Quantum Materials. “If you have the capability to understand interference of heat flow at the smallest level, you can create devices that have never been possible before.”

The world’s strongest set of ears

Cui says molecular phononics, or the study of phonons in a molecule, has been around for quite some time as a primarily theoretical discussion. But you need some pretty strong ears to “listen” to these molecular melodies and vibrations first-hand, and that technology just simply hasn’t existed.

A sneak peek into the ultra-high vacuum scanning probe microscopy setup used to conduct molecular measurements.

That is, until Cui and his team stepped in.

The group designed a thermal sensor smaller than a grain of sand or even a sawdust particle. This little probe is special: it features a record-breaking resolution that allows them to grab a molecule and measure phonon vibration at the smallest level possible.

Using these specially designed miniature thermal sensors, the team studied heat flow through single molecular junctions and found that certain molecular pathways can cause destructive interference—the clashing of phonon vibrations to reduce heat flow.

Sai Yelishala, a PhD student in Cui’s lab and lead author of the study, said this research using their novel scanning thermal probe represents the first observation of destructive phonon interference at room temperature.

In other words, the team has unlocked the ability to manage heat flow at the scale where all materials are born: a molecule.

“Let’s say you have two waves of water in the ocean that are moving towards each other. The waves will eventually crash into each other and create a disturbance in between,” Yelishala said. “That is called destructive interference and that is what we observed in this experiment. Understanding this phenomenon can help us suppress the transport of heat and enhance the performance of materials on an extremely small and unprecedented scale.”

Tiny molecules, vast potential

Developing the world’s strongest set of ears to measure and document never-before-seen phonon behavior is one thing. But just what exactly are these tiny vibrations capable of?

PhD student and lead author of the study Sai Yelishala (right), along with Postdoctoral Associate and second author Yunxuan Zhu (left). Both are members of the Cui Research Group led by Assistant Professor Longji Cui.

“This is only the beginning for molecular phononics,” said Yelishala. “New-age materials and electronics have a long list of concerns when it comes to heat dissipation. Our research will help us study the chemistry, physical behavior and heat management in molecules so that we can address these concerns.”

Take an organic material, like a polymer, as an example. Its low thermal conductivity and susceptibility to temperature changes often poses great risks, such as overheating and degradation.

Maybe one day, with the help of phonon interference research, scientists and engineers can develop a new molecular design. One that turns a polymer into a metal-like material that can harness constructive phonon vibrations to enhance thermal transport.

The technique can even play a large role in areas like thermoelectricity, otherwise known as the use of heat to generate electricity. Reducing heat flow and suppressing thermal transport in this discipline can enhance the efficiency of thermoelectric devices and pave the way for clean energy usage.

The group says this study is just the tip of the iceberg for them, too. Their next projects and collaborations with ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ chemists will expand on this phenomenon and use this novel technique to explore other phononic characteristics on a molecular scale.

“Phonons travel virtually in all materials,” Yelishala said. “Therefore we can guide advancements in any natural and artificially made materials at the smallest possible level using our ultra-sensitive probes.”

Assistant Professor Longji Cui and his team in the Cui Research Group have developed a new technique that allows them to measure phonon interference inside of a tiny molecule. They believe one day, this discovery can revolutionize how heat dissipation is managed in future electronics and materials.

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An artistic rendering showing thermal phonon interference in a molecule, otherwise known as "a molecular song."

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