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.
Why do some materials grow near-perfect crystals with mirror-smooth faces whereas others grow rough, bumpy crystals? Scientists at Cornell University have recently gotten a glimpse of crystal growth in real time — not by watching individual atoms, but rather by freezing model atoms that can be observed directly with an optical microscope. Using a solution of tiny plastic spheres 50 times smaller than a human hair, scientists have reproduced the conditions that lead to crystallization on the atomic scale. In addition to simply watching the particles crystallize, the scientists were able to move individual particles (atoms) and ask “what if…?” With special laser beams known as “optical tweezers,” the scientists placed an individual particle (atom) on top of a growing crystal island and determined how easy it was for the particle to hop off that island. They discovered that the random darting motions of a particle is a key factor that determines how long it spends on the island. When particles can hop off islands more easily, smooth crystals are grown. If the principles they have uncovered can be applied to the atomic scale, scientists will be able to better control the growth of thin films used to manufacture electronic components for our computers and cell phones. R. Ganapathy, M. R. Buckley, S. J. Gerbode, and I. Cohen, Science (to be published Jan. 22, 2010).
Frustration is a feeling known to anyone who has had to choose one course of action from a range of imperfect options. Interestingly,
similar situations arise in nature, and scientific ideas about
frustration have been explored to understand materials as varied as
water, ceramics, magnets and superconductors. Geometric frustration in
condensed matter arises when the geometry of the crystal lattice
prevents minimization of local interaction energies. This multiplicity
of imperfect choices leads to frustrated media with bizarre properties
such as many ‘lowest energy’ states wherein small perturbations cause
giant property fluctuations, and entropy at zero temperature that grows
with sample size. Since the experimental scenario emulates classic
models of spin frustration, the research builds a novel bridge between
two very different fields of materials science: soft matter and
frustrated magnetism.
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.
Frustration is a feeling known to anyone who has had to choose one course of action from a range of imperfect options. Interestingly,
similar situations arise in nature, and scientific ideas about
frustration have been explored to understand materials as varied as
water, ceramics, magnets and superconductors. Geometric frustration in
condensed matter arises when the geometry of the crystal lattice
prevents minimization of local interaction energies. This multiplicity
of imperfect choices leads to frustrated media with bizarre properties
such as many ‘lowest energy’ states wherein small perturbations cause
giant property fluctuations, and entropy at zero temperature that grows
with sample size. Since the experimental scenario emulates classic
models of spin frustration, the research builds a novel bridge between
two very different fields of materials science: soft matter and
frustrated magnetism.