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Program Highlights

Strengthening Networks: Connecting MRSEC and PREM Students with Academic and Industry Representatives

The Ohio State University and University of California, Santa Barbara MRSECS  partnered  to  host  the  Conference  Across  MRSECs  and PREMs (CAMPS) in October 2022.

Core-Shell Gyroid in ABC Bottlebrush Block Terpolymers

A  principal  obstacle  to  widespread  applications  of  self-assembled network morphologies (NETs) of linear block polymers is access to only limited pore diameters and unit cell dimensions (typically <50 nm),  originating  from  their  coil  configurations  and  slow  self-assembly  kinetics  at  high  molar  masses.

Ferroelectric Superconductivity in a Transition Metal Dichalcogenide

For the first time, a team comprised of two IRG-1 theorists (Birol  and Fernandes) working with experimentalists from other institutions (including  the  Columbia  MRSEC) showed the  coexistence of ferroelectricity (i.e.,  electrostatically switchable macroscopic dipole moment) and superconductivity in a two-dimensional superconductor.

Partnership in Research and Education in Materials with Navajo Tech: Inspiring STEM Pathways from High School to Graduate Studies

The  Partnership  for  Research  and  Education  in Materials  between  Navajo Technical  University  and the   MRSEC   based   at   Harvard   focuses   on developing culturally-informed, sustainable pathways into materials science-related careers and advanced studies  for  Navajo  students.

Inverse Design of Mechanical Metamaterials with Target Nonlinear Response via a Neural Accelerated Evolution Strategy

A team at the Harvard MRSEC led by Bertoldi and Rycroft  has  developed  a  framework  to  design mechanical  metamaterials  with  target  nonlinear response. Neural networks were used to accurately learn  the  relationship  between  the  geometry  and nonlinear   mechanical   response   of   these metamaterials.

Monitoring the Solution Persistence of Porous Coordination Cages with Diffusion NMR Spectroscopy and Cryogenic Transmission Electron Microscopy

Here, diffusion of NMR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and cryogenic transmission electron spectroscopy were used to characterize porous cages in solution. A combination of the methods can be used to discriminate between assembled cages as opposed to decomposed or isomerized materials while dissolved in polar organic solvents, regardless of the metal cations used in their assembly.

Bi2Se3 Growth on (001) GaAs Substrates for Terahertz Integrated Systems

The research focus involves understanding how to integrate van der Waals materials like Bi2Se3 with industrially-relevant semiconductor materials like GaAs(001) using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) for THz applications, as well as determining the chemical composition and bonding type of the Bi2Se3/GaAs(001) interface using density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Atomic-scale origin of the low grain-boundary resistance in perovskite solid electrolyte Li0.375Sr0.4375Ta0.75Zr0.25O3

The main goal of this research is to reveal the atomic-scale origin of the low grain-boundary (GB) resistance in Li0.375Sr0.4375Ta0.75Zr0.25O3 (LSTZ0.75) perovskite solid electrolyte and to provide insights on overcoming the ubiquitous bottleneck of high GB resistance in other oxide solid electrolytes.

Electrically Fueled Active Materials

The UCI MRSEC team have developed the first electrically-fueled dissipative system that offers rapid kinetics, directionality, and unprecedented spatiotemporal control, closely mimicking systems found in nature.

Disproving Paradigms: The Rules of Morphogenesis (“Rules of Life”)

Since the 1980s, it has been assumed that the architecture of the mammary gland is defined by prealigned fibers of collagen, which were posited to serve as a template for the formation of the mammary epithelial tree. Princeton researchers tested the validity of this paradigm.

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