A research team led by Professors Christine Ortiz, Krystyn Van Vliet,
and Paula Hammond of IRG-II have designed and characterized an
electrochemically responsive polymer nanocomposite thin film with
control over film thickness and mechanical properties. Specifically,
they have used layer-by-layer assembly to create a thin film containing
cationic linear poly(ethyleneimine) (LPEI) and anionic Prussian Blue
(PB) nanoparticles.
Research funded in part by the MIT MRSEC has
led to a discovery of one-way photonic behavior. A team made up of MIT
physicists Zheng Wang, research scientist in MIT's Research Laboratory
of Electronics; recent MIT PhD recipient Yidong Chong; Professor John
Joannopoulos; and Professor Marin Soljacic have developed and
experimentally tested photonic crystals that restrict light to travel
in only one direction without back-scattering, even in the presence of
large disorders.
Polyurethanes have many properties that qualify them as high
performance polymeric materials, but they still suffer from mechanical
damage. We report the development of polyurethane networks that exhibit
self-repairing characteristics upon exposure to ultraviolet light. The
network consists of an oxetane-substituted chitosan precursor
incorporated into a two-component polyurethane. Upon mechanical damage
of the network, four-member oxetane rings open to create two reactive
ends.
The “life” in organisms is due to the specific molecular interactions of proteins, called molecular recognition, that leads to a self-assembly and a large diversity of functions in biology;
Emulating biology, in Molecular Biomimetics, GEMSEC is developing novel protocols towards materials and systems based on proteins, engineered in our labs;
GEPI, Genetically engineered peptides for inorganics, are as building blocks; synthesizers, erectors, and assemblers, in forming functional molecular materials for implemen
A team of researchers, led by Yoel Fink of the MIT MRSEC, has developed light-detecting fibers that can be woven together to create a flexible, basic camera. These fibers are each less than a millimeter in diameter, and consist of several nested layers of light-detection materials. The fibers measure the intensity of the light illuminating them and convert it to an electrical signal, which is then fed into a computer that creates an algorithm to assimilate the data and create a black-and-white image on a screen.
Graduate students at the University of Arkansas bring cutting edge technology to local middle school students and allow them to explore the world of nanoscience in real-time. The MRSEC graduate students with the help of an education outreach program from the FEI, electron microscopy company were able to bring a portable scanning electron microscope (SEM) into the classrooms of local middle schools. The SEM allows the students, with their own hands, to explore the world of the “nano.”
Graphene is comprised of a single layer of C atoms in a hexagonal lattice array. The electronic state of graphene is of great interest because the electron energy increases linearly with momentum, just like for photons and neutrinos. This is called a massless, Dirac dispersion. The nature of the electronic state at zero energy (the “Dirac point”) in a strong magnetic field H is currently the subject of theoretical debate.
A research team led by Professors Christine Ortiz, Krystyn Van Vliet,
and Paula Hammond of IRG-II have designed and characterized an
electrochemically responsive polymer nanocomposite thin film with
control over film thickness and mechanical properties. Specifically,
they have used layer-by-layer assembly to create a thin film containing
cationic linear poly(ethyleneimine) (LPEI) and anionic Prussian Blue
(PB) nanoparticles.
Polyurethanes have many properties that qualify them as high
performance polymeric materials, but they still suffer from mechanical
damage. We report the development of polyurethane networks that exhibit
self-repairing characteristics upon exposure to ultraviolet light. The
network consists of an oxetane-substituted chitosan precursor
incorporated into a two-component polyurethane. Upon mechanical damage
of the network, four-member oxetane rings open to create two reactive
ends.
A team of researchers, led by Yoel Fink of the MIT MRSEC, has developed light-detecting fibers that can be woven together to create a flexible, basic camera. These fibers are each less than a millimeter in diameter, and consist of several nested layers of light-detection materials. The fibers measure the intensity of the light illuminating them and convert it to an electrical signal, which is then fed into a computer that creates an algorithm to assimilate the data and create a black-and-white image on a screen. 
