Highlights

L. E. Hough, H. T. Jung, D. Krüerke, M. S. Heberling, M. Nakata, C. D. Jones, D. Chen, D. R. Link, J. Zasadzinski, G. Heppke, J. P. Rabe, W. Stocker, E. Körblova, D. M. Walba, M. A. Glaser, and N. A. Clark

Banana shaped molecules, like the one shown in the figure, like to pack into layers but when they do, they have a hard time making flat ones. Their layers have a strong tendency to buckle up into saddles, and when the saddles try to fill space interesting things happen. If the layers are crystal-like they can only form the twisted nanofilaments in the top of the image. If the layers are fluid, like in a liquid crystal, then they form the "plumbers nightmare" of nested tubes and connections, the "sponge phase",at the

Jun 21, 2010

California Institute of Technology

Quantifying 3D Traction Forces of Epithelial Cell Clusters

Anand Asthagiri and Guruswami Ravichandran

When cells assemble together in a cluster, they apply force to each other. The way in which cells signal each other with and respond to forces is not well understood. Therefore, we study the traction forces cells apply to the substrate beneath them. The results show exterior cells apply tractions to the substrate that are an order of

Jun 21, 2010

California Institute of Technology

“Stretchy” Near-Infrared Metamaterials

Harry A. Atwater, Koray Aydin*, Imogen M. Pryce* and Dennis M. Callahan *CSEM supported researchers

Metamaterials are engineered structures with novel electromagnetic properties such as artificial magnetism, negative refraction, and cloaking. Thus far, most metamaterial designs have been limited to fixed, narrow frequency range of operation determined by the size of the constitutive resonator elements. Work within the NSF funded Center for the

Jun 21, 2010

Harvard University

Soft Matter Science revealed through Cooking

Acclaimed chef Jose Andres visited the Harvard MRSEC to collaborate with Center researchers and speak to students in the ES139. Innovations in Science and Engineering class; the laboratory and classroom discussions were filmed for a feature on 60 Minutes through a special agreement with the

Jun 21, 2010

Harvard University

Entropy Favors Asymmetry in Colloidal Self-Assembly

Guangnan Meng, Natalie Arkus, Michael P. Brenner, and Vinothan N. Manoharan

Two self-assembled colloidal clusters, as seen under the optical microscope. The cluster on the left, a tri-tetrahedron, and the cluster on the right, an octahedron, have the same energy. But in an experiment where both clusters are allowed to form randomly in solution, the less symmetric tri-tetrahedron occurs more than twenty times as often as the highly symmetric octahedron because of the many more ways to form the tri-tetrahedron.

Jun 14, 2010

Princeton University

Topological Protection Against Backscattering

P. Roushan, J. Seo, C. V. Parker, Y.-S. Hor, D. Hsieh, D Qian, A. Richardella, M. Z. Hasan, R. J. Cava and A. Yazdani (Princeton University)

Topological insulators are a new class of insulators in which a bulk gap for electronic excitations is generated by strong spin-orbit coupling.

Jun 7, 2010

Carnegie Mellon University

CMU MRSEC Hosts over 60 scientists at the 1st Summer School on 3D Microstructure Studies

On June 1st -4th, 2010, CMU hosted 67 scientists from around the world at the 1st Summer School on 3D Microstructure Studies. MRSEC Faculty, graduate students and researchers introduced the techniques that were developed and continue to be developed here at CMU to characterize of the internal structure of polycrystalline materials. The school consisted of a mix of lectures, demonstrations and hands-on interactive activities for the participants. Sections were taught on measuring the

May 27, 2010

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Virus-grown battery materials

Angela Belcher, Gerbrand Ceder (MIT)

Widely used in small electronic devices and in the nascent market for HEVS (Hybrid Electric Vehicles), lithium ion batteries store more energy for theirweight, operate at a higher voltage, and hold a charge much longer thanother rechargeable batteries. As a new approach, Belcher and Ceder of the MIT MRSEC IRG-I have explored a biological way to create new charge storage materials for lithium ion batteries by using a virus as a scaffold totemplate the growth and assembly of nanoscale electrode

May 27, 2010

Massachusetts Institute of Technology