EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State University and the Traverse City-based Tellurex Corp. have signed a licensing agreement for the development of a new material, discovered at MSU, whose temperature can drop by as much as 100 degrees when jolted by an electrical current.

Under the agreement, MSU will receive research funding over a three-year period to help optimize the product.

"We're very pleased that we were able to work out this research agreement," said Robert J. Huggett, MSU vice president for research and graduate studies. "The agreement will allow Dr. Kanatzidis to continue his work in this very promising area, while returning to the university proper remuneration for its economic input."

The new material - a combination of the elements cesium, bismuth and tellurium - was discovered in the laboratory of Mercouri Kanatzidis, MSU professor of chemistry. He found that when jolted by electrical current, the temperature of the material can drop by as much as 100 degrees, nearly 40 degrees lower than current materials.

Eventually the material could be used to cool items such as computer chips, which operate much more efficiently at lower temperatures.

Kanatzidis' research was published in the Feb. 11 issue of the journal Science.

The Tellurex Corp., located in Traverse City, is a major manufacturer of solid state cooling devices used in consumer products, medical products and automotive applications.

"The semiconductor achievement of Dr. Kanatzidis' work, combined with Tellurex's semiconductor experience and market knowledge, could spell a major shift in worldwide cooling technology," said Charles Cauchy, president of Tellurex Corp. "We are excited about this collaboration."</