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6 ANALYZING TOPOLOGICAL MATERIALS Two recent studies, one on rhodi- um monosilicide and the other on co- balt monosilicide, could provide a new approach for developing devices such as photodetectors and solar cells. Both studies demonstrate that there is a to- pological origin to the ability of two re- lated metal alloys to convert light into electrical current. Both studies were led by assistant professor Liang Wu of the University of Pennsylvania and involved collaborators from the University of Fri- bourg, French National Centre for Sci- entific Research, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Donos- tia International Physics Center, Univer- sity of Maryland, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, and University of Grenoble. Wu and his lab are working on a number of projects involving topo- logical materials for use in new appli- cations and devices. The team’s most recent findings are focused on ways RESEARCH TRACKS to convert light into electric current through a better understanding of the relationship between photocurrent and topology. Their research uses terahertz emission spectroscopy to gain new in- sights into the material. The research- ers found that both CoSi and RhSi’s photocurrents were purely topological in origin, although in RhSi this response was less pronounced. The conclusion in RhSi applies at much lower photon en- ergy than previous theories predicted, which could be due to the presence of more defects in this compound. By us- ing a combination of both experiment and theory, these results also have fur- ther implications for im- proving topological mate- rials for more widespread use in the future. “This study will po- tentially enable new elec- tronic device concepts based on these emerging topological materials that consume less power, are New research demonstrates that two metal alloys are able to efficiently convert light into electricity. Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania. A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 2 1 more energy efficient, and ultimately lead to new electronic systems with im- proved size, weight, and power for the U.S. Army,” says Joe Qiu, programman- ager at the Army Research Office, which funded the research. upenn.edu . USING AI IN MANUFACTURING The Alan Turing Institute and the University of Sheffield Advanced Man- ufacturing Research Center (AMRC), both in the U.K., will work together to- ward three specific goals: identifying opportunities for artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in manufacturing, accel- erating research collaboration, and boosting skills development. The two organizations signed a memorandum of understanding that will take advan- tage of their combined research and de- velopment skills across manufacturing, data science, machine learning, and AI. Researchers fromTuring and AMRC plan to find solutions to some of the grand challenges facing the manufacturing sector, such as how to meet increasing demand and how to best respond to COVID-19. The AMRC is comprised of a network of leading research and inno- vation centers that work with manufac- turing companies of all sizes around the globe. The Alan Turing Institute is the U.K.’s national institute for data science and artificial intelligence, with head- quarters at the British Library in Lon- don. www.amrc.co.uk. Researchers at The Alan Turing Institute are working on AI approaches to manufacturing.