In the news

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A new concept proposes to provide food, energy and water resources for the world’s growing population by combining systems that simultaneously use different parts of sunlight’s spectrum to produce crops, generate electricity, collect heat and purify water.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Stray-bullet shootings are an often-overlooked consequence of gunfire that can cause severe injury or death to bystanders, or collateral damage victims in the military. A novel technology being developed at Purdue University could help prevent these incidents. A research group led by Ernesto Marinero, a professor of materials engineering and electrical and computer engineering has developed novel materials and fabrication that could allow a bullet to become non-lethal and disintegrate after a designated distance. The technology was built out of a need for a safer bullet that will significantly reduce collateral damage and injury in law enforcement, military and civilian sectors.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. –The emerging field of plasmonics could bring advances in chemical manufacturing, usher in new clean and sustainable technologies and desalination systems to avert a future global water crisis.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Sources that integrate two artificial optical material concepts may drive ultrafast “Li-Fi” communications. In many applications, Li-Fi through-the-air optical networks potentially offer major advantages over Wi-Fi and other radiofrequency systems. Li-Fi nets can operate at extremely high speeds. They can exploit an extremely broad spectrum of frequencies. They avoid the interference problems that plague radiofrequency systems, which are especially problematic in high-security environments such as airplane cockpits and nuclear power stations. They are less open to hackers. And while their range is relatively limited, they don’t need line-of-sight connections to operate, said Evgenii Narimanov, a Purdue University professor of electrical and computer engineering.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – "If this project is successful it will cause a revolution in computing." That's the forecast of Michael Manfra, Purdue University's Bill and Dee O'Brien Chair Professor of Physics and Astronomy, professor of materials engineering and professor of electrical and computer engineering, on a new long-term enhanced collaboration between Purdue and Microsoft Corp. to build a robust and scalable quantum computer by producing what scientists call a "topological qubit."

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A new technique being developed at Purdue University could provide patients who require implantable catheters in the treatment of neurological and other disorders with a reliable and self-clearing catheter that could eliminate the need for additional surgery to replace failing devices.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - An innovation at Purdue University could allow highly sensitive detection of an infectious disease such as HIV or whooping cough by using a low-cost, automated, point-of-care test similar in packaging to a pregnancy test.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  A "chemical imaging" system that uses a special type of laser beam to penetrate deep into tissue might lead to technologies that eliminate the need to draw blood for analyses including drug testing and early detection of diseases such as cancer and diabetes. The system, called stimulated Raman projection microscopy and tomography, makes possible "volumetric imaging" without using fluorescent dyes that might affect biological functions and hinder accuracy, said Ji-Xin Cheng, a professor in Purdue University's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Chemistry and Birck Nanotechnology Center.

Imagine diabetics no longer having to prick their fingers to test their blood sugar. Elderly patients wearing a temporary tattoo that shows their doctors if they've taken their medicine. These far-fetched ideas are becoming a reality, thanks to Purdue researchers looking into new diagnostic platforms and low-cost devices. One of those innovators is Jacqueline Linnes, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, who specializes in creating paper-based devices to instantly diagnose diseases in the field that previously took days in a lab. She is collaborating with other researchers to make a quantitative test that will empower officials to track water quality, helping to prevent cholera's spread in Haiti.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  A Purdue University professor is developing a technology to replace steel and titanium orthopedic implants. "Yeah, so there's going to be nothing there," said Materials Engineering Professor Lia Stanciu. "It's going to be just your bone, just your regular tissue, that's our final target."