Welcome to the internet hub of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC). This website provides organized information and resources at the various MRSECs for the international scientific, industrial, and educational materials research and development communities.
Block copolymer/nanoparticle (BCP/NP) composites have attracted interest because of the unique opportunities for tuning the properties of hybrid materials arising from the control of orientation and location of particle fillers within the copolymer matrix. However, quiescent organized block copolymer microstructures are not macroscopically uniform but rather exhibit ‘polycrystal-type’ texture with grain boundary defects that disrupt the long-range periodicity.
A collaboration between the CMU MRSEC and Sandia National Laboratory has permitted the first large scale comparison between experimentally measured grain boundary energies and energies calculated based on atomistic simulations. The techniques for the measurement (at CMU) and the calculations (Sandia) are unique to each institution and largest experimental and theoretical data sets currently available. The favorable comparison validates the methods.
Xavier University of Louisiana
and New York University have received a $3 million grant from the
National Science Foundation to bolster diversity among materials
scientists through collaborative research and curriculum development.
The award was one of eight awarded this year under NSF’s Partnerships
for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) program and funded
through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
MRSEC programs provide transformative opportunities for students and faculty at minority-serving institutions to participate in leading-edge materials science and engineering research. But in order to encourage more underrepresented minority researchers to take advantage of these opportunities, we need to cultivate personal connections with those at minority serving institutions. At the meeting, we networked with HRD PIs to identify potential collaborative opportunities on behalf of the nationwide network of MRSECs. We disseminated information about MRSEC research and education activities, and referred participants to programs of interest at individual MRSECs.
Block copolymer/nanoparticle (BCP/NP) composites have attracted interest because of the unique opportunities for tuning the properties of hybrid materials arising from the control of orientation and location of particle fillers within the copolymer matrix. However, quiescent organized block copolymer microstructures are not macroscopically uniform but rather exhibit ‘polycrystal-type’ texture with grain boundary defects that disrupt the long-range periodicity.