UB’s CMI awards over $170K to fund innovative faculty and industry partnerships

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo’s New York State Center of Excellence in Materials Informatics (CMI) has awarded over $170,000 to five projects with commercial potential that showcase collaboration between a UB faculty member and an industry partner.

To be eligible for funding through the CMI, UB faculty submitted brief proposals that were scored by a team of experts based on technology, industry interest, funding impact and relevance to materials informatics.

“We are thrilled with the prospect of the economic impact each of these projects will have for the region,” said Mark Swihart, PhD, CMI’s executive director. “Some of UB’s top researchers are at the helm of these exciting innovations and will continue their life-changing work with industry support.”

The five projects are:

“Development of a drag-reducing xerogel-type coating for watercraft”

• Who: Michael Detty, PhD, professor in the Department of Chemistry.
• Industry Collaborator: Integument Technologies, Tonawanda, New York.
• Summary: Researchers will develop a unique coating technology that will reduce the drag (friction) between a boat hull and water, which will result in faster hull speeds, increased fuel efficiency and greater range.
• Award: $40,000.

“Advancing the Science of Electrical Stimulation Therapy: A Collaboration with Garwood Medical Devices”

• Who: Edward Furlani, PhD, professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Department of Electrical Engineering; and Mark Ehrensberger, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and adjunct assistant professor in Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
• Industry Collaborator: Garwood Medical Devices LLC, Buffalo, New York.
• Summary: This experimental and modeling effort will study electrostimulation, using metals and metal alloys to understand the principles of biofilm eradication in prosthetic implants, resulting in research that could lead to improved infection control methods.
• Award: $40,000.

"Development of flexible sensors for extreme environmental conditions”

• Who: Jung-Hun Seo, PhD, assistant professor Department of Materials Design and Innovation.
• Industry Collaborator: ENrG Inc., Buffalo, New York.
• Summary: This project will develop methods and procedures for producing flexible sensors on ceramic substrates that are no greater than 40 micrometers thick, and can detect high-intensity ultraviolet light without degrading and measure temperatures higher than 400 degrees Celsius.
• Award: $36,000.

"Engineering Graphene Tubes for Advanced Carbon Supports for Fuel Cell Applications”

• Who: Gang Wu, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
• Industry Collaborator: Bettergy Corporation, Peekskill, New York.
• Summary: The applied research will develop novel materials for fuel cell applications with greatly enhanced corrosion resistance.
• Award: $27,000.

“Solution and Surface Properties of Fluorinated Surfactants”

• Who: Paschalis Alexandridis, PhD, UB Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
• Industry Collaborator: Honeywell.
• Summary: This research will focus on the design of fluorinated surfactant molecules that are integral to a range of products. The research may lead to fluorocarbon-containing functional products that are better in terms of environment and health impact than current products.
• Award: $36,000.

CMI leverages UB’s cutting-edge materials science, big data analytics and advanced manufacturing expertise to drive critical research and development activities that directly impact private sector growth.