2008 Highlights [total: 134 :: View full text :: Titles only]

Brown University

No highlights in year 2008

California Institute of Technology

No highlights in year 2008

Carnegie Mellon University

No highlights in year 2008

Columbia University

No highlights in year 2008

Cornell University

Studying a Single-Atom Magnet [Research]



Graphene Membranes: Atomically Thin Balloons [Research]



Lending Library Lets Teachers get their “Hands-On” Science Activities [Education]

Harvard University

Shear Transformation Zones in Colloidal Glasses [Research]
Direct, real-space 3-D observation of shear transformation zones in a glass. A colloidal glass is used to mimic the behavior of atomic and molecular glasses. Upon application of an external shear strain, there are highly localized regions of much higher strain, where particles move irreversibly. These are illustrated in the Figure, where the high-strain regions are colored red. Particle motion here is irreversible. Application of larger strains leads to a network of shear transformation zones whose formation are coupled through the elasticity of the glass. This is the first direct observation of shear transformation zones.


BASF Advanced Research Initiative at Harvard [Industry]
BASF, a major international chemical company headquartered in Germany, has established a major research initiative at Harvard, the BASF Advanced Research Initiative, that will provide up to $4M/yr in research support. BASF was drawn to the University by the strong interdisciplinary community fostered by the Harvard MRSEC. The new initiative will support collaborative research by teams of Harvard professors and postdoctoral fellows investigating common themes and will be modeled on the IRG structure in the MRSEC program, complementing the research carried out by the Harvard MRSEC. Here, the BASF Advanced Research Initiative’s director, Jens Rieger (center) discusses research with Anderson Shum (right), a former REU student who is now a BASF-supported graduate student at Harvard. The presence of the BASF initiative in parallel to our MRSEC will reinforce the value of collaboration with industry, their unique approach to research problems, and the important opportunities for industrial career paths for our students and postdoctoral fellows.

Johns Hopkins University

No highlights in year 2008

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

A story of two spin off companies [Industry]


Fundamental MRSEC research often leads to new technologies that in turn create innovative start-up companies. QD Vision and Luminus Devices are two exciting examples of this process. In both cases, MRSEC-supported research at MIT helped to develop the basic platform for these new technologies.
QD Vision, co-founded by former students in the Bawendi and Bulovic groups, has produced the world’s first quantum dot light emitting display and is on track to develop this product for the commercial market. Luminus Devices, co-founded by students who worked on IRG-I research, has patented a photonic lattice technology called PhlatLight™, which is the world’s first single-chip solid-state lighting source powerful enough to be used in high definition TVs. QD Vision and Luminus Devices have invented technologies that are more environmentally friendly than standard mechanisms. Together, both companies have contributed a total of about 200 jobs to their local economy.


Dual Function Drug-Release Coating Mimics Hummingbird Wings [Research]
Functionally active thin film coatings find many important uses in the biomedical field as sensors and drug delivery systems. Members of IRG-II have created a new multilayer coating that can serve both functions. By creating a patterned multilayer stack comprised of alternating regions of low refractive index (nanoporous regions) and high refractive index (dense regions), the coating exhibits bright iridescent colors similar to those observed in, for example, hummingbird wings (see Figure below). In contrast to the multilayer structures evolved in nature, however, these new multilayer heterostructures have individually addressable nanoporous regions that can be selectively loaded with different drugs and therapeutic proteins. When the nanoporous regions are loaded, the refractive index changes and the color of the coating changes dramatically. Thus, independent loading of specific nanoporous regions of the multilayer makes it possible to design thin film coatings and patches with built-in self-monitoring capability for drug loading and release. With suitable design of release kinetics, the reflective color and intensity of the multilayer coating will change in a predictable manner as the contents of the different nanoporous regions are systematically released.

Figure: Patterned multilayer coatings with multiple reflective colors due to different underlying layers of high and low refractive index. Cartoon shows a side view of an area where two individually addressable nanoporous layers (green regions) overlap, producing the bright yellow color of (b). Dramatic color changes occur when the various nanoporous regions release previously loaded drugs.


Dynamic Surface-Emitting Fiber Lasers [Research]
Members of of IRG-I have recently introduced a new concept in fiber lasers. Until now, emission from fiber lasers originated solely from the fiber ends in the axial direction with a spot size dictated by the core radius. In contrast, these novel lasers, termed surface-emitting fiber lasers (SEFLs), emit radiation radially and are capable of dynamic tuning of both the gain-medium position along the fiber axis and the direction of emission.These interesting results suggest that the direction of the laser beam can be controlled remotely just by rotating the pump polarization. Another key aspect of the SEFL is that the gain medium need not be fixed in place with respect to the fiber. By introducing a mobile gain medium into the fiber core, it is possible to engineer a SEFL with a highly-collimated dynamically tunable lasing position as shown in the Figure. Thus any point along the fiber may be utilized for lasing, as needed, in real time. Motion control is achieved from one end of the fiber by a series of electronically controlled microdispensing solenoid valves connected to a positive pressure source and a vacuum generator to allow displacement of the dye doped fluid-plug in both axis directions. SEFLs could provide enhanced capabilities for diverse technologies, including medical imaging, explosive vapor and chemical detection, photodynamic therapy, and fabric displays.

Northwestern University

No highlights in year 2008

Pennsylvania State University

No highlights in year 2008

Princeton University

Breaking the Mold to Produce Submicron Polymeric Gratings with Large Areas [Research]
PCCM researchers have discovered a new method for making gratings: by prying apart two rigid plates that sandwich a thin, glassy polymeric film. The process fractures the film into complementary sets of ridges on each plate, with the ridges on one corresponding to the valleys on the other. The technique produces patterns with periodic spacing from 120 nm to 200 µm, and the period simply scales as four times the film thickness, regardless of the molecular weight or chemical composition of the glassy polymer. Gratings with areas as large as two square centimeters have been obtained, suggesting the possibility of an easy, rapid, and inexpensive means to manufacture optical gratings whose pitch can be simply and precisely controlled.

Figure 1: Process schematic for fracture-induced structuring. Rigid substrates, adhering strongly to a glassy polymer film, are pried apart to generate the grating.

Figure 2: Patterns formed from 50 nm and 100 nm thick polystyrene films and 6.5 µm and 45 µm poly(methyl methacrylate) films. The solid line represents the best fit of four times the film thickness.


An Electronic Density-Wave Turns into a Superconductor [Research]
At low temperatures, the electrons in most layered transition-metal chalcogenides undergo a phase transition into an interesting, highly-ordered state called the charge-density-wave (CDW), in which the electron density spontaneously acquires a weak, periodic spatial modulation. In a small subset of materials, the CDW state is destroyed and replaced by the superconducting state. The recent discovery of superconductivity in the titanium selenide Cu_xTiSe₂ provides a nearly ideal system to investigate the competition between the two states, which involve different ways to pair electrons. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measures the angular distribution of photo-ejected electrons. PCCM researchers and collaborators [1] have applied this powerful technique to measure the energy dispersion of electrons in Cu_xTiSe₂ and to map out its Fermi Surface (FS, see figure). Results from a series of samples reveal the evolution of states participating in CDW formation, and the growth of the superconducting gap. They find [1,2] that CDW formation does not follow the usual “nesting” pattern involving parallel FS segments. Instead, it originates from pairing between electron and holes to form excitons, with electron-phonon interaction playing a complementary role. A single parameter -- the density of states -- appears to dictate whether the CDW state or superconductivity dominates.



Si Nanowire Grids Polarize Down to 193 nm [Industry]
The continual decrease in microelectronic device feature size, captured in the famous "Moore’s Law", has come in part from a decrease in the wavelength of light used in the photolithographic steps used to pattern these features. Today, the most advanced production photolithography uses 193 nm ultraviolet (UV) light from an ArF excimer laser. At such short wavelengths, control of the polarization of the light becomes critical for achieving minimum feature size. Recently, PCCM researchers demonstrated a method for making grids of silicon (Si) nanowires, spaced by only 33 nm but aligned over square-inch areas. These Si grids polarize ultraviolet and deep ultraviolet light, even down to 193 nm. Since these polarizers are compact, do not deflect the beam, and function with light as it is being focused, they can be inserted into the lithographic optical train– and could also be used in the immersion lithographic processes which are on the horizon.

 
Figure 1: Schematic of the process flow for the fabrication of a Si nanowire polarizer.

Figure 2: Scanning electron microscope image of an oblique view of a Si nanowire grid, supported on a transparent quartz substrate. The wires have a pitch (line + space) of 33 nm.


Direct-Transfer Patterning on Three- Dimensional Surfaces [Research]
While many approaches have been developed over the years to transfer patterns onto flat surfaces, faithfully transferring patterns onto curves substrates remains a major obstacle to the development of large-area electronics. Recently, PCCM researchers have successfully patterned domed polyester substrates with metal stripes (gold, silver, etc.). They employed a soft, pre-patterned elastomeric stamp coated with a thin layer of metal by electron-beam evaporation, bent into a complementary hemisphere. By coating the polyester dome with a thin metal strike layer and bringing the two into contact, cold welding occurs, successfully transferring the gold or silver stripes. This demonstration significantly extends the ability of direct transfer patterning, previously only demonstrated on planar substrates, to advanced optical and electronic applications. In particular, this technique was applied to produce a passive, organic focal plane array directly onto a transparent polyester hemisphere.

(a) Optical microscope image of the Au stripes (500 µm feature size) patterned on a dome via a 3D elastomeric (PDMS) stamp. (b) No fracture observed in metal stripe transferred from stamp.


Self-Assembly of Soft Materials: A Multiscale Computational Approach [Research]
Surfactant adsorption at solid-liquid interfaces is important in many industrial processes, including corrosion inhibition, dispersion stabilization, and lubrication. Furthermore, surfactant adsorption may provide novel and exciting means to guide soft materials to self-assemble into a myriad of tailored shapes. Recently, PCCM researchers have made a breakthrough in elucidating the physical mechanisms behind surfactant self-assembly on a graphite surface [1]. Their simulations reveal that graphite-hydrocarbon chain interactions favor specific molecular orientations along the crystallographic directions, leading to the formation of oriented hemimicellar aggregates as observed in previous experiments [2] from PCCM’s IRG2. The results suggest that manipulating the structure of the graphite surface can be employed to tune the orientational order of the hemimicellar aggregates

Top left: snapshot of a C₁₂ aggregate on graphite. Top middle: orientational distribution for varying surface coverage. Top right: schematic of the orientations in the middle panel. Bottom left: snapshot of an SDS aggregate on graphite. Bottom right: orientational distribution for varying surface coverage. Both C₁₂ and SDS molecules display strong orientational bias the single molecule level, while bias disappears at intermediate coverages only to re-emerge at complete filling.


PCCM Helps Integrate Materials Science into NJ School Curricula [Education]
In 2004, PCCM launched a partnership with ASM to run a week-long “Materials Camp” for high school teachers. Over the past four years, over 120 teachers have been trained to teach materials science in local schools. In follow-up evaluations and refresher sessions, teachers report in using this knowledge in their classrooms.
These camps, plus PCCM’s Princeton University Materials Academy (P.U.M.A.) and Research Experience for Teachers (RET) programs, have resulted in a for-credit materials science curriculum in local high schools. A full-year materials science course is now taught at Middlesex High School, and courses are being developed at Perkiomen School, East Brunswick High School and Hudson County School of Technology.



New Initiatives in PCCM REU Program [Education]
The Princeton Center for Complex Materials has run a highly successful Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program for over a decade. The 33 participants in 2007’s program were selected from a strong pool of 310 applicants, and through our Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) with California State University – Northridge (CSUN), we were able to include five CSUN undergraduates in this group. Through our REU program, students become familiar with Princeton as well as research; five former REU students are currently enrolled here as Ph.D. candidates, across two science and two engineering departments.
PCCM is partnering with the Cornell, Northwestern, and MIT MRSECs to create an innovative new online collaborative research community of REU students across the country in the NSF-sponsored NSDL MatDL “Soft Matter Wiki” pilot program of the Materials Digital Library (MatDL), part of the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) project. Our 2007 PCCM REU students tested the Wiki and provided feedback, and Laura Huntley (PCCM REU ’07) presented the project at the MRS 2007 Fall Meeting.



Fine Print: New Technique Allows Fast Printing of Microscopic Electronics [Research]
While electronics have become much smaller and more powerful, an elusive goal has been to "print" these tiny devices rapidly over very large areas. The ability to do so could lead to larger and less expensive video displays in the near-term and wide-area sensors or medical devices in the longer term. Recently PCCM researchers took a major step in this direction by solving a long-standing problem related to "electrohydrodynamic" (EHD) jets– a liquid stream forced from a nozzle by a very strong electric field. EHD jets are commonly used in industrial painting and fiber spinning, but had the drawback that the liquid stream whips uncontrollably or breaks into droplets. The researchers found what caused the instability and demonstrated a technique for taming it, printing straight lines just 100 nanometers (one-ten thousandth of a millimeter) wide. The method could potentially print at speeds of meters per second.
Left: Typical electrodynamic (EHD) jet (dark fluid) becomes unstable and "whips around" after only a short distance. Right: Ionization of the gas surrounding the liquid jet lead to a stable liquid bridge, which can be used to write complex patterns with submicron features.

Stanford/ IBM ARC/ UC Davis/ UC Berkeley

No highlights in year 2008

SUNY at Stony Brook - Garcia Polymer Alumni Center

No highlights in year 2008

SUNY Stony Brook - Thermal Spray Alumni Center

No highlights in year 2008

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Perfectly Hydrophobic Materials [Research]
Hundreds of person-years have been spent during this decade to prepare that exhibit high water contact angles. McCarthy recently reported contact angle studies of compressed samples of a commercially available lubricant (variable diameter submicron particles of tetrafluoroethylene oligomers - OTFE) that indicate that this surface is perfectly hydrophobic (qA/qR = 180°/180°). They also reported XPS spectra, a SEM micrograph and 19F NMR characterization data, as it is a material for which no characterization data are available. These samples exhibit the most general lyophobicity of any material reported, showing nearly 180° contact angles with other liquids. That this material is commercially available (in kilogram quantities) will allow other groups, particularly non-synthetic ones, to prepare and study perfectly hydrophobic surfaces


Chip Breakthrough Technology [Research]
A collaboration between researcher supported by the DOE and NSF-MRSEC’s at UC Santa Barbara and UMASS Amherst, and IBM has led to a revolutionary chip breakthrough that promises to be used in every future microelectronic device. Exploiting novel chemistry and physics, nanoporous thin films have been fabricated from self assembling block copolymers in a lithographic process that allows traditional dielectric materials to be replaced by air. This permits chips to run faster and use less energy. This is a significant advance in exploiting nanotechnology and enhances the competitiveness of US companies in this critical industry. According to Dr. John Kelly, IBM's senior vice president of research and development, "To our knowledge, this is the first time anyone has used nanoscale self-assembled materials to build things that machines aren't capable of doing."

University of Alabama

No highlights in year 2008

University of California at Santa Barbara

Materials Research Outreach Program (MROP) [Industry]
The annual 3-day program is held in late January to showcase the materials research capabilities of UCSB. The MROP has evolved from a polymer-focused program to a broad materials-themed event over the past 6 years, and features a combination of “latest and greatest” research presentations by UCSB senior students, post-docs, and faculty as well as featured guest speakers from Industry and National Laboratories. MRL actively seeks unrestricted gift support from industry and national labs to leverage the NSF funding of the IRG and Seed projects and to collaboratively bring this cutting-edge research to the marketplace. The high profile of the MRL and the excellence of the research programs combined with the annual MROP event and other technology outreach efforts, have proved extremely successful.


Traveling Display Booth for Promotion of the Materials Research Facilities Network [Facilities]
For the first time, a traveling exhibit promoting the MRSEC program and the Materials Research Facilities Network was presented at the 2008 NOBCChE (National Organization of Chemists and Chemical Engineers) meeting in Philadelphia. The booth was a resounding success in generating interest amongst potential users while at the same time promoting the MRSEC program and its diversity mission. In addition to significant "foot traffic" throughout the day, numerous individuals collected fliers (over 300 passed out) and a large number (75) signed up to be on the mailing list. A key feature of the display booth is its ability to be shipped to other conferences and MRSEC locations to maximize the visibility and impact of the MRFN/Diversity programs.

University of Chicago

Generating well-defined gradients of adhesion molecules for the attachment of cells [Research]
The Ismagilov and Mrksich groups at the University of Chicago MRSEC have recently established that a microfluidic system utilized in conjunction with surface immobilization chemistries can be used to pattern surfaces with well-defined gradients of adhesion molecules for the attachment of cells. The images show the patterned surfaces after placement in a suspension of B16F10 mouse melanoma cells and fixing and immunostaining with antibody against vinculin (found in the focal adhesion structures integrating the cytoskeleton with the extracellular matrix). Each gradient microisland contained a nonuniform distribution of active ligands for cell adhesion.
The general technique of preparing gradients of immobilized species with specific patterns is expected to be an important tool for understanding the influence of nonuniform microenvironments on cell function, including polarization and migration.

University of Colorado

No highlights in year 2008

University of Maryland

No highlights in year 2008

University of Minnesota

Understanding Magnetic “Exchange Pinning” [Research]
Magnetic storage of digital data is now possible at densities approaching 1 Terabit per square inch at a cost of only about a tenth of a cent per Megabit. To a large extent, the breathtaking progress in this area of technology is sustained by discovery of bits. The invention of “GMR” sensors based on stacks of ultra-thin films of magnetic metals (for which the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded in 2007) is a perfect example. In these devices the ability to “pin” the magnetic orientation of one film in the stack while allowing another to respond freely to a magnetic field is a key principle. This “magnetic pinning”, or “exchange pinning”, is achieved by layering a simple magnet with a more complex magnetic material called an antiferromagnet. This pinning effect discovered over 50 years ago, has been used in devices for over a decade, but is poorly understood. One of the major reasons for this is that the pinning effect is due to atomic defects in the antiferromagnet. Experiments are hindered by the fact that these defects are difficult to probe, while theoretical research is hampered by the fact that it is difficult to incorporate such defects in calculations. Recently, IRG-3 students Jyo Saha, Mike Lund, and Mun Chan, working with postdoc Jeff Parker and IRG faculty Chris Leighton, Randy Victora, and Paul Crowell, have performed one of the most detailed studies of this exchange pinning in materials very similar to those used in hard disks. Most importantly, the experimental results were directly compared to realistic micromagnetic simulations. These supercomputer simulations break the sample up into hundreds of thousands of tiny magnetic elements (see figure), and are sufficiently powerful that the all-important defects can be properly accounted for. This approach has enabled the researchers to understand important factors such as the influence of layer thickness and grain size, complex magnetic switching, and even a mysterious effect where the exchange pinning deteriorates over time, a major problem for applications.

_{Spatial map of the distribution of magnetization directions in a 6.4 x 6.4 µm NiMn / NiFe sample according to a micromagnetic simulation. The sample is at the coercive field after demagnetizing from saturation. Comparison to similar images on the opposite side of the hysteresis loop reveals a magnetization reversal asymmetry also observed in experiment.}

University of Nebraska

Summer Programs Share Nanoscale Research [Education]
Visiting school teachers, undergraduate students and their professors get a macroscale immersion in nanoscale research through summer programs at Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Nebraska (NU). The Center fosters collaboration among NU physicists, chemists and engineers to advance nanomaterials research. Education and outreach is a vital part of the Center’s mission.
Each summer, the 14 MRSEC faculty members invite middle and high school teachers, and student-professor teams from four-year colleges to participate in nanomaterials research. “We’re inviting folks to gain some new skills, learn some new things and to take what they learn here back home to disseminate to their students, some of whom will become scientists or engineers,” explained Roger Kirby, MRSEC Associate Director, who heads the summer outreach programs. “We’re building for the future.”
MRSEC’s summer programs give participants the chance to work closely with NU scientists and engineers on cutting-edge research in nanomagnetics. In summer 2007, five middle- and high-school teachers and seven students and their professors from smaller colleges joined our MRSEC research effort. More than half the teacher and professor participants were women or ethnic minorities. Visiting summer participants work on a variety of nanomaterials research projects, including investigating ferroelectric properties, x-ray diffraction, biomedical applications of functionalized nanomagnetic clusters, and making nanoscale clusters of atoms, which can be used in various modern technologies, such as hard disk drives. Organizers encourage the participating teachers to return to their classrooms and inspire young men and women to consider careers in materials science.
These programs are supported by the National Science Foundation, Division of Materials Research, Materials Research Science and Engineering Program, Grant 0213808.



Correlation Effects and Electronic Structure of Gd@C60 [Research]
Water soluble Gd-based endohedral metallofullerenes (Gd@C₈₂(OH)_x, Gd@C₆₀(OH)_x, and Gd@C₆₀[C(COOH)₁₀]) have been studied extensively as a result of their novel electronic and structural properties. These Gd-based metallofullerenes are regarded as a possible new generation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents not only because of their excellent proton relaxivities (which are greater than commercially-available MRI contrast agents) but also because they may serve as a safer alternative. The toxic Gd ions are off-center and completely encaged inside the fullerenes (see figure) and appear to be inhibited from dissociation and oxidation under physiological conditions and the cytotoxicity of water-soluble fullerene species, particularly C₆₀, can be controlled by surface derivatization. The electronic structure of Gd@C₆₀ shows that Gd 4f states exhibit enhanced correlation energies. These correlation energies have values larger than normally observed in metallic gadolinium and gadolinium compounds due to the diminished screening. Also, this is a rather unusual and interesting “nanomolecular” system where there are likely strong electric dipole and magnetic dipole interactions.
This research is supported by the National Science Foundation, Division of Materials Research, Materials Research Science and Engineering Program, Grant 0213808.
Gd atom in a fullerene cage


Reaching a New Level of Nanostructuring: Two-Phase Clusters [Research]
Novel magnetic behavior occurs when interactions between nanoscale phases dominate. In particular, interactions between hard and soft magnetic phases lead to dramatically improved energy densities. However, relevant interaction lengths make it necessary that the soft magnetic phase be on the order of 6-8 nanometers. Achieving this level of nanostructuring using conventional processing routes is virtually impossible. Here, we use a novel approach to generate phases with length scales never before achieved in granular systems. With appropriate ratios of Fe and Pt atoms, the Fe-Pt alloys naturally separate into hard magnetic FePt and soft magnetic Fe₃Pt phases. When we geometrically confine the alloy to sub-10 nm clusters produced by inert gas condensation and avoid large-scale coalescence, the phase evolution occurs over a few nanometers, ensuring complete magnetic coupling between the two phases. The figures show a model structure of a two-phase cluster and a high-resolution transmission electron micrograph of the two-phase structure, where the white lines have been drawn to delineate the different phases. The two-phase clusters achieved an energy density that was more than twice that of single-phase hard magnetic clusters.
This research is supported by the National Science Foundation, Division of Materials Research, Materials Research Science and Engineering Program, Grant 0213808.
                           

University of Oklahoma / University of Arkansas

No highlights in year 2008

University of Pennsylvania

No highlights in year 2008

University of Southern Mississippi

No highlights in year 2008

University of Virginia Alumni Center

No highlights in year 2008

University of Washington

Multi-faceted Education and Partnerships at GEMSEC [Education]
With a particular focus on engaging and including Native Americans in its entire range of programs, GEMSEC is weaving a fabric of education offerings to seamlessly support and complement its research thrusts. The programs address the needs of multiple audiences; (i) Furthering training of graduate and undergraduate students with interests in biomimetic science through: Annual, multi-day biomimetics workshops, Graduate level courses and teaching modules, Partnerships with industry, national labs, and other colleges and universities, Undergraduate curriculum on molecular biomimetics, Research Experience for Undergraduates program ; (ii) Engaging younger students and their teachers in learning about molecular Biomimetics via: High school level academic year and summer enrichment programs and internships, Research Experiences for Teachers, Visitations programs for younger students; and (iii) Familiarizing the broader public with this dynamic field by:Engaging and accessible public lectures delivered by dynamic speakers and Collaboration with the Pacific Science Center to create exhibits and programs.
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GEMSEC Partnership with a Community College for Curriculum Development [Education]
To create a nationally replicable model of a sustainable and continuously up-gradable hands-on undergraduate teaching laboratory of scanning probe methods, GEMSEC is working with researchers from the UW's Center for Nanotechnology, educators from North Seattle Community College, representatives from a scanning probe microscopy manufacturer, and a nanotechnology SPM distributor. This partnership, NUE UNIQUE, will inaugurate a new paradigm of initiating, operating, and maintaining a SPM laboratory to serve entire classes of undergraduate students with a student to instrument ratio of ~3:1. UNIQUE is based on leasing a SPM bundle of five instruments with well documented laboratory units and teaching materials for a two-week-long intensive class. UNIQUE will develop the laboratory course with 10 units as well as an introductory course and a seminar in nanotechnology. After development and refinement at the UW, dissemination will occur nationwide though the Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers and the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network.
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Molecular Biomimetics
Molecular Biomimetics is an emerging multidisciplinary research area in which genetically selected and designed inorganic-binding peptides are utilized as building blocks, i.e., molecular synthesizers, erectors, and assemblers, in forming functional nanomaterials for implementation in technology and medicine.



NUE-UNIQUE [Education]
Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education- using Nanoscience Instrumentation for Quality Undergraduate Education

University of Wisconsin-Madison

No highlights in year 2008

Yale University

Growth of epitaxial oxides on silicon(100): the role of strontium [Research]
Understanding the locations of atoms as they are deposited on a surface is critical for growing interfaces of electronic device quality.