Eva Schubert’s laboratory is brimming with possibilities.

Schubert, a UNL materials scientist, is one of a handful of people in the world studying the potential for harnessing a unique type of nanomaterial known as hybrid chiral nanostructures. Her complex basic research could lead to diverse practical applications in advance computing, electronics and solar cells or batteries.

“Right now, there is so much that is unknown,” said Schubert, an assistant professor of electrical engineering. “And hybrid chiral nanostructures have a tremendous potential for making new materials and for unique applications.”

Schubert earned a five-year, $400,000 Faculty Early Career Development Award for this research. The National Science Foundation gives CAREER awards to outstanding pre-tenure faculty to help them develop as teacher-scholars and researchers.

Eva Schubert and students.

Her research aims to improve the functionality of chiral hybrid nanomaterials and to test how they perform in new types of electronic devices. She’s focusing on using these materials in electromagnetic devices, such as terahertz antennas and magnetic memory systems for computers.

Examples of potential commercial applications include storage for library databases, security scanners and biomedical devices.