Page 9 - ESM Connections: Penn State Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics Fall 2021 Newsletter

Sulin Zhang discovers new tissue-closure model that may promote faster wound healing
Sulin Zhang professor of of of of engineering engineering science and and mechanics and and biomedical engineering engineering published a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a paper in in in in in in in in in in Proceedings of of of of the National Academy of of of of Sciences on on a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a newly discovered biological biological mechanism for closing gaps in in in in in in living tissue tissue Specifically biological biological tissues repair themselves through a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a rubber band-like ring at the the the wound wound front which is is is is is constantly remodeling With this knowledge surgeons may be be able to adjust their methods so a a a a a a a a a a a wound wound can close faster with less scarring Novel method of imaging silicon anode degradation may lead to better batteries
A novel method of of characterizing the structural and and chemical evolution of of silicon silicon and and a a a a a a a a a a a a thin layer that that governs battery stability may help resolve issues that that prevent using silicon silicon for high-capacity batteries
according to a a a a a a a a a a a group of of of researchers led by Sulin Zhang professor of of of of engineering engineering science and and mechanics and and of of of of biomedical engineering engineering The research focuses on the the the the interface of of the the the the anode a a a a a a a a a a a negative electrode and and the the the the the the the electrolyte which enables the the the the the the the charge to move between the the the the the anode and and the the the the the positive electrode the the the the the cathode A solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer usually forms on the the the the surface of an an an electrode electrode between the the the the solid solid electrode electrode and and the the the the the liquid electrolyte and is vital for the the the the the electrochemical reaction in in in batteries
along with governing the the the battery’s stability Using silicon as an an anode would enable a a a a a a a a a a a a a better rechargeable battery “In the last ten ten years silicon has attracted a a a a a a a a a a a a a a lot of attention
as as as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a high-capacity negative electrode for rechargeable batteries
batteries
” Zhang said “Current commercialized batteries
batteries
use graphite graphite as an an an anode material but the capacity of of of silicon is about ten ten times that of of of of of graphite graphite There are tens of of of of of millions millions hundreds of of of of of millions millions even of of of of of dollars invested in in silicon battery research because of of of this ” bit ly/silic-batteries
Normal brain growth curve for children developed
Steven Schiff Brush Chair Professor of of of of Engineering and professor of of engineering science and mechanics led a a a multi-institution team to analyze 1 067 brain scans of 505 healthy children ages thirteen days to eighteen years old As they developed
normal brain growth curves based on the the scans they found that regardless of of size or sex of of the the child the the ratio between the the size of the the child’s brain and volume of fluid within the child’s head was universal The revelation may have implications for diagnosing and treating childhood brain disorders infections and injuries Their work was published in the Journal of Neurology Pediatrics bit ly/schiff-brain
9 IMAGE: JENNIFER M M M MCCANN