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UKâs Battalion and Penn State launch research collaboration focused on national security
Penn State University and UK-based Battalion Advanced Technology have launched a research collaboration worth up to $6 million to develop advanced semiconductor platforms and high-temperature materials for next-generation energy, transportation, aerospace, and industrial systems, with direct implications for national security. Led by Penn State’s Materials Research Institute (MRI), the two three-year agreements, effective July 16, address critical materials challenges: integrating advanced semiconductors like gallium nitride (GaN) with high-performance substrates such as diamond and aluminum nitride to improve thermal and electrical performance, and developing durable, oxidation-resistant alloys for extreme environments including hypersonic flight. Battalion Advanced Technology, focused on dual-use next-generation materials, will provide up to $1 million per year per project. The semiconductor project, led by distinguished professor Joan Redwing, explores atomically thin interlayers to minimize crystalline defects and interfacial thermal resistance, enabling GaN growth on traditionally incompatible high-thermal-conductivity substrates. Co-principal investigators include MRI director Joshua A. Robinson, Adrianus van Duin, and Chen Chen. “This collaboration allows us to apply that breadth to two complex materials challenges with direct implications for US technological leadership and national security,” said Robinson. US Senator Dave McCormick noted the collaboration strengthens Pennsylvania’s role as a hub for American innovation in semiconductors, aerospace, and defense. The work leverages Penn State’s interdisciplinary materials research community and specialized facilities. This partnership targets dual-use semiconductor and materials science advances critical for defense and strategic industries.