Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM)

Aaron Jackson (graduate student) and Iverson Bell (undergrad) standing in front of nanowire CVD system

Howard University, the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) have joined together in this Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (PREM). The shared goal is to systematically identify and support students from under-represented minority communities. The PREM team combines sophisticated approaches for advanced research with demonstrated success in recruiting, supporting and training African-Americans in materials science and engineering. Our vision is to expand opportunities for African Americans and all Americans, by establishing a pipeline for training great materials scientists and engineers through world-class materials research and innovative materials education. The PREM team has three research areas that join together, in new and exciting ways, established research projects in the JHU Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) and at Howard. They are

• transport properties in Bi nanowires. Howard and Johns Hopkins PREM/MRSEC team members are investigating whether Bi nanowires can be used as spin preserving interconnects, spin filters and spin switches
• transport properties in GaN and InN nanowires. Howard, Johns Hopkins and an extended network of collaborators are investigating electron and spin transport properties of nitride nanowires and their electro-optical properties. Current research at Howard concentrates on optimizing the growth and doping of the nanowires for various application. Among the approaches being explored are development of single source OMCVD precursors for nitride nanowire and thin film growth and developing improved OMCVD precursors for the doping of the nanowires, especially with high spin materials.
• fabrication of dipolar nitride nanowires for nonlinear optical applications. In this project we are seeking to develop dipolar nanowires that will function as non-linear optical elements. This work is based on the doping/growth experiments at Howard described in the previous point.

The PREM is supporting materials education through design of new courses at PGCC and Howard and by creation of web based guided inquiry modules, the broad dissemination of which will inform students about the impact materials have on their lives and attract them to materials related studies. The PREM is sponsoring the use the Howard NanoExpress, a large trailer equipped as a nanotechnology lab by the NSF/National Nanofabrication Network, as a nanoscience laboratory for courses at PGCC and Howard, as well as for recruiting undergraduate students from local high schools. The PREM also sponsors summer REU opportunities for Howard students at Johns Hopkins and PGCC students at Howard.

A successful Howard/Hopkins/PGCC PREM will build a pipeline for materials research careers among African Americans.

Publications

1. J. S. Matthews, O. O. Onakoya, T. S. Ouattara and R. J. Butcher, “Synthesis and characterization of zinc AP-MOCVD precursors and their utility in the growth of ZnO”, Dalton Transactions, 31, 3806-3811, (2006). http://tinyurl.com/28pzzh
2. A. Nikolaeva, D. Gitsu, L. Konopko, M. J. Graf, T. E. Huber, “Quantum interference of surface states in bismuth nanowires probed by the Aharonov-Bohm oscillatory behavior of the magnetoresistance”, Arxiv Cond-Mat/0702368, (2007). http://tinyurl.com/2aub9q
3. B. W. Jacobs, V. M. Ayres, M. P. Petkov, et al. “Electronic and structural characteristics of zinc-blende wurtzite biphasic homostructure GaN nanowires”, Nano Lett., 7(5), 1435-1438, (2007).