The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded Penn State’s Two-Dimensional Crystal Consortium (2DCC) $4.6 million over four years to support its transition toward long-term sustainability while the national user facility continues providing researchers across the country with access to specialized materials, equipment and expertise. These users conduct cutting-edge research to develop faster, more energy-efficient electronics, photonics, quantum technologies and computing systems.
Part of Penn State’s Materials Research Institute (MRI) and housed in the Millennium Science Complex, the 2DCC was established in 2016 as one of only two of NSF’s inaugural Materials Innovation Platforms (MIP). The two inaugural facilities were designed to focus on complex, transdisciplinary research and offer open, public access to lab instruments, as well as shared data and collaborative training. MIPs combine materials synthesis, characterization, theory, simulation and data capabilities around a targeted research area, while sharing those resources with a national community of users to accelerate materials discovery.
