Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Science Foundation's Division of Materials Research awarded a $665,575 Project Grant to the University of Wisconsin-Madison effective April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2030, under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049). This collaborative research initiative, conducted in partnership with German institutions through the Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future (DMREF) program, focuses on the rational design and development of tunable anisotropic chalcogenides—a new class of low-loss optical materials with controlled spatial variations and dynamically tunable optical anisotropy across visible to mid-infrared spectral ranges.

The project deliverables encompass materials discovery through first-principles density functional theory and materials informatics screening, followed by synthesis of single crystals and thin films using vapor transport crystal growth and pulsed laser deposition techniques. Structural and optical characterization will be conducted using X-ray, neutron, and electron-based analytical methods combined with optical spectroscopy. These materials have applications in next-generation light-based communication systems, advanced sensors, mixed reality displays, photon routers for quantum computing, and laser-based manufacturing tools. The award also includes significant educational components featuring student-faculty training, coordinated international exchanges with German partner institutions, collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory, and entrepreneurship development activities including an online photonics research forum.