ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY 2026 6 METALS | POLYMERS | CERAMICS to enhance process controls and energy efficiency in glass melting. The threeyear initiative is part of the Northwest Ohio Glass Innovation Hub, established in 2024 to bring together industry and academia to strengthen the state’s economy through research and innovation. Associate professor Mohammed Abouheaf will lead the research. “By integrating AI and machine learning into the glass-melting processes, our goal is to improve performance, which, in turn, will improve energy efficiency,” says Abouheaf. The work is being supported by a $652,000 grant from the Northwest Ohio Innovation Consortium, which established the Glass Innovation Hub. The hub is funded by the Ohio Department of Development and is expected to increase state tax revenue by $25 million and produce more than 200 new graduates working in STEM fields to meet surging workforce demands. Industry partners leading the ULTRAFAST MICROSCOPY PROBES TINY METALLIC FRAMES Researchers at the DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory worked with scientists at Northwestern University to visualize tiny electron oscillations in a class of metallic nanoframes that are promising candidates for applications in light-driven catalysis and biosensing. The team used advanced ultrafast electron microscopy techniques at Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) to visualize and analyze these oscillations in nanoframes of various shapes made of gold and platinum. The researchers discovered that, when excited by ultrashort optical pulses, the electron oscillation—known as localized surface plasmon resonances—shift in space and time depending on the nanoframe’s shape and size. They also showed that coupling between multiple nanoframes can influence the behavior of these oscillations, creating new opportunities for energy transfer and field enhancement. “By capturing how light interacts with nanostructures in both space and time, we’ve opened a new window into the nanoscale world,” says Northwestern scientist Koray Aydin, “Our work reveals how the shape and arrangement of metallic nanoframes can be harnessed to control energy flow, paving the way for advances in sensing, catalysis, and quantum information sciences.” At Northwestern, the team synthesized nanoframes of different shapes such as triangles and hexagons. They brought the nanoframes to the CNM and used photon-induced nearfield electron microscopy (PINEM) to probe the light-matter interactions within these nanostructures. PINEM allowed the researchers to capture the spatial and temporal dynamics of the plasmonic fields with nanometer-scale resolution. The study also employed advanced computational simulations to model the electric field distributions and other optical properties of the nanoframes. anl.gov. AI RESEARCH TARGETS GLASS INDUSTRY At Bowling Green State University (BGSU), researchers are starting on a project that uses artificial intelligence (AI) 6K Additive Inc., Burgettstown, Pa., broke ground on a 45-acre headquarters and manufacturing expansion. The project is funded by a $23.4 million Defense Production Act Title III grant and an IPO on the Australian Securities Exchange raising $31.4 million. The company also tripled its footprint for producing nickel, titanium, and stainless steels powders. 6kadditive.com. Arclin, Alpharetta, Ga., acquired DuPont’s Aramids business, including the Kevlar and Nomex brands, for approximately $1.8 billion. Arclin’s offerings now support the aerospace, electrical infrastructure, electric vehicles, and personal protection and defense industries. arclin.com. BRIEFS A simulated electric field amplitude map of a hexagonal metallic nanoframe. Courtesy of Ibrahim Tanriover/Argonne National Laboratory. BGSU researchers are leading AI research alongside industry partners as part of a state-funded initiative to ensure Ohio remains a global leader in glass technology. Courtesy of BGSU.
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