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Highlights

May 15, 2009
Center for Emergent Materials (2014)

Nanoscale Depth-Resolved Point Defects at SrTiO3 Growth Surfaces

J. Zhang, D. Doutt, T. Merz, J. Chakhalian, M. Kareev, J. Liu, and L.J. Brillson

Chemically-etched SrTiO3 is widely used as a clean, atomically-smooth template for epitaxical growth of most complex oxides. Since native point defects in these materials are electrically-active and mobile, there is a need to lower their density. Download
May 15, 2009
Center for Emergent Materials (2014)

Site-Specific Stamping of Graphene

D. Li, W. Windl, N.P. Padture

Graphene (2-D carbon) is being considered for spintronics due to its low spin-orbit coupling. While graphene-based devices are being made one-at-a-time successfully, there is a need for a high-throughput fabrication method.
May 15, 2009
Northwestern Materials Research Science and Engineering Center

X-ray Characterization of Self-Assembled Nanoscale Dielectrics

Jonathan D. Emery, Young-Geun Ha, Antonio Facchetti, Tobin J. Marks, Michael J. Bedzyk Northwestern University Materials Science and Engineering, NSF DMR-0520513; Dennis Keane, Qing Ma Argonne National Laboratory

Self-Assembled Nanoscale Dielectric (SAND) thin films are emerging as leading contenders in applications for organic and hybrid thin film transistors, allowing for low operating voltages and ideal device characteristics in next-generation flexible electronics.Â’  Dielectric properties are highly dependent on the behavior of the counter-anions within the film, specifically their position and motion under applied electric fields.Â’  Through utilization of advanced x-ray techniques, including long-period X-ray Standing Wave and X-ray Reflectivity, it is possible to locate and moni
May 15, 2009
Northwestern Materials Research Science and Engineering Center

Correlating the Structure, Optical Spectra, and Electrodynamics of Single Silver Nanocubes

Jeffrey M. McMahon, Yingmin Wang, Leif J. Sherry, Richard P. Van Duyne, Laurence D. Marks, Stephen K. Gray, and George C. Schatz Northwestern University Materials Research Science & Engineering Center, DMR-0520513

The plasmonic properties of noble metal nanoparticles have potential uses in a wide variety of technologies based on their optical response.Â’  Recent collaborative efforts of the NU-MRSEC demonstrate that correlated localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) measurements can be used to obtain the optical response and detailed structural information for a single nanoparticle.Â’  By carefully incorporating the HRTEM structural details into finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) electrodynamics calculations,
May 14, 2009
Princeton Center for Complex Materials (2014)

Chemical Doping of Organic Molecular Films for Photovoltaic Applications

Calvin Chan, Wei Zhao, and Antoine Kahn (Princeton) Stephen Barlow and Seth Marder (Georgia Tech)

To advance the application of organic molecular films in solar cells, PCCM researchers have improved their conductivity and carrier injection by n-doping the acceptor layer in a donor-acceptor cell. The acceptor was a fullerene layer, C60, while the dopant was the low-ionization-energy molecule decamethylcobaltocene (CoCp2*).
May 14, 2009
Princeton Center for Complex Materials (2014)

3D Topological Dirac Insulator with a Quantum Spin Hall Phase

David Hsieh, Dong Qian, Lewis Wray, YuQi Xia, Yew San Hor, Bob Cava, and Zahid Hasan

An insulator is usually described as a material with completely filled electronic bands that do not contribute to any interesting transport behavior. However, recent theories have shown that in a particular class of band insulators called "topological insulators", the quantum motion of these electronically inert bulk electrons are entangled in non-trivial ways, giving rise to highly unusual conducting states at the surface of the material.
May 14, 2009
Princeton Center for Complex Materials (2014)

MRSEC Education Directors Network Meeting Hosted by PCCM

The MRSEC Education Directors conducted a workshop at Princeton (September 14-17, 2008), chaired by PCCM's Dr. Dan Steinberg. The group collectively produced one logic model for each of the 6 E/O concentration areas.The MRSEC Education Directors conducted a workshop at Princeton (September 14-17, 2008), chaired by PCCM's Dr.
May 12, 2009
Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at UCSB

Materials Research Facilities Network

The Materials Research Facilities Network (MRFN) has recently been established and is currently in operation at ca. 50% of MRSEC sites. The goal of the MRFN is to maximize the usage of MRSEC facilities and is directed towards the efficient and strategic development of materials characterization within the United States.