Highlights http://mrsec.org/highlights MRSEC program higlights Fri, 16 May 2008 20:18:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 en The CRISP teaching molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/16/the-crisp-teaching-molecular-beam-epitaxy-mbe/ http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/16/the-crisp-teaching-molecular-beam-epitaxy-mbe/#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 20:16:04 +0000 yale http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/16/the-crisp-teaching-molecular-beam-epitaxy-mbe/ CRISP, the Yale MRSEC, has constructed a safe, user-friendly, oxide molecular beam epitaxy facility that is simple enough for effective use by undergraduates, yet capable of preparing research-grade samples
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]]> http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/16/the-crisp-teaching-molecular-beam-epitaxy-mbe/feed/ Growth of epitaxial oxides on silicon(100): the role of strontium http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/16/growth-of-epitaxial-oxides-on-silicon100-the-role-of-strontium/ http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/16/growth-of-epitaxial-oxides-on-silicon100-the-role-of-strontium/#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 19:40:46 +0000 yale http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/16/growth-of-epitaxial-oxides-on-silicon100-the-role-of-strontium/ highlight1b.jpgUnderstanding the locations of atoms as they are deposited on a surface is critical for growing interfaces of electronic device quality.

]]> http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/16/growth-of-epitaxial-oxides-on-silicon100-the-role-of-strontium/feed/ Lending Library Lets Teachers get their “Hands-On” Science Activities http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/16/lending-library-lets-teachers-get-their-%e2%80%9chands-on%e2%80%9d-science-activities/ http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/16/lending-library-lets-teachers-get-their-%e2%80%9chands-on%e2%80%9d-science-activities/#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 18:49:42 +0000 cornell http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/16/lending-library-lets-teachers-get-their-%e2%80%9chands-on%e2%80%9d-science-activities/ ]]> Science teachers everywhere dream about free lesson plans and supplies, but until recently, the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR) could only provide these materials to teachers in the local community. All that has changed with the new CCMR internet lending library of science experiments. This new resource makes activities available to teachers across the country at the click of a mouse. The lending library currently features 28 modules, with more being added each week. Modules can be sorted by grade level and subject, making it easy for teachers to quickly access activities that are appropriate for their students. Lesson plans and student activity sheets can be downloaded from the site. Alternatively, teachers can request delivery of a pre-packaged kit containing supplies for the activity. The CCMR covers all shipping costs and replenishes materials, making the lending library a completely free resource for teachers —a dream come true.<br />

]]> http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/16/lending-library-lets-teachers-get-their-%e2%80%9chands-on%e2%80%9d-science-activities/feed/ BASF Advanced Research Initiative at Harvard http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/basf-advanced-research-initiative-at-harvard/ http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/basf-advanced-research-initiative-at-harvard/#comments Thu, 15 May 2008 21:11:29 +0000 harvard http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/basf-advanced-research-initiative-at-harvard/ basf-advanced-research-initiative-at-harvard.jpg 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-advanced-research-initiative-at-harvard.jpg 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.

]]> http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/basf-advanced-research-initiative-at-harvard/feed/ Shear Transformation Zones in Colloidal Glasses http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/shear-transformation-zones-in-colloidal-glasses/ http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/shear-transformation-zones-in-colloidal-glasses/#comments Thu, 15 May 2008 21:04:04 +0000 harvard http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/shear-transformation-zones-in-colloidal-glasses/ 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.]]> shear-transformation-zones-in-colloidal-glasses.jpgDirect, 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.

]]> http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/shear-transformation-zones-in-colloidal-glasses/feed/ NUE-UNIQUE http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/nue_unique/ http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/nue_unique/#comments Thu, 15 May 2008 20:15:19 +0000 washington http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/nue_unique/ Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education- using Nanoscience Instrumentation for Quality Undergraduate Education

NUE-UNIQUE

]]> http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/nue_unique/feed/ Molecular Biomimetics http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/molecular-biomimetics/ http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/molecular-biomimetics/#comments Thu, 15 May 2008 20:07:15 +0000 washington http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/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.

Molecular Biomimetics

]]> http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/molecular-biomimetics/feed/ Plasmonic Properties of Aluminum Nanoparticles Fabricated by Nanosphere Lithography http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/plasmonic-properties-of-aluminum-nanoparticles-fabricated-by-nanosphere-lithography/ http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/plasmonic-properties-of-aluminum-nanoparticles-fabricated-by-nanosphere-lithography/#comments Thu, 15 May 2008 15:26:57 +0000 northwestern http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/plasmonic-properties-of-aluminum-nanoparticles-fabricated-by-nanosphere-lithography/ A plasmon is the result of light interacting with the surface electrons in materials that meet specific dielectric requirements. Noble metals have long been used as plasmonic materials, yet other materials are capable of supporting surface plasmons. Recent work in the Van Duyne lab has shown that aluminum nanoparticles fabricated using a process known as nanosphere lithography (NSL) display plasmons throughout the UV-vis region. Both from experiment and theory, the presence of an oxide layer does not significantly affect their plasmonic properties. As a result, a promising plasmonic active UV material has been developed for use in surface enhanced spectroscopies (i.e., Raman) and in plasmonic devices.

Plasmonic Properties of Aluminum Nanoparticles

]]> http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/plasmonic-properties-of-aluminum-nanoparticles-fabricated-by-nanosphere-lithography/feed/ Detection of Single Gold Atoms in Silicon Nanowires http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/detection-of-single-gold-atoms-in-silicon-nanowires/ http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/detection-of-single-gold-atoms-in-silicon-nanowires/#comments Thu, 15 May 2008 15:21:17 +0000 northwestern http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/detection-of-single-gold-atoms-in-silicon-nanowires/ Semiconductor nanowires grown with metal nanocatalysts are new materials that provide a basis for transformative improvements in diverse technologies including thermoelectrics and photovoltaics.  Nanowire electronic properties depend strongly on incorporated impurity atoms, which have not been previously observed.  Northwestern researchers and their collaborators have imaged single gold catalyst atoms in individual silicon nanowires, and measured the influence of the gold on the electrical properties.

Gold atoms in silicon nanowire

Scanning transmission electron microscope image of lines of single gold atoms in a twinned silicon nanowire.

]]> http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/15/detection-of-single-gold-atoms-in-silicon-nanowires/feed/ Chip Breakthrough Technology http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/02/chip-breakthrough-technology/ http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/02/chip-breakthrough-technology/#comments Fri, 02 May 2008 16:34:06 +0000 admin http://mrsec.org/highlights/2008/05/02/chip-breakthrough-technology/ umass1.jpgA 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.]]> umass1.jpgA 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.”

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