Highlights
May 22, 2015
University of Pennsylvania
Synthesis, self-assembly and response of glycodendrimers
Virgil Percec, Paul A. Heiney and Mike Klein (IRG2)
Dendrimers are branched molecules of precise chemistry, and Janus-dendrimers are dendrimers that have two distinct faces, with unique chemistry corresponding to each face. Here, we made a library of carbohydrate containing glycodendrimers (GD) that self assemble into vesicles – a structure that mimics biological materials such as viruses. We show the vesicles have the ability to agglutinate lectin proteins at vesicle walls, owing to the chemistry and concentration of the carbohydrate. Synthesis of these materials is the first step in the assembly of a synthetic virus.
May 22, 2015
University of Pennsylvania
Surface Alignment and Handedness of Chromonic Liquid Crystals
Peter Collings, Tom Lubensky and Arjun Yodh (IRG-1) & Alan T. Johnson (Seed)
Chromonic liquid crystals (CLCs) are different from typical LCs used in displays, in part because they “live” in water and thus hold untapped potential for coupling LC phenomenology with biological media. Furthermore, CLCs twist very easily compared to bend and splay deformation, and the consequences of this giant elastic anisotropy are not well understood. Recently, Collings, Lubensky, Yodh & Johnson developed a new alignment layer for CLCs based on parylene (Fig. 1); it enabled homeotropic surface anchoring (i.e., perpendicular anchoring) [1].
May 15, 2015
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Graphene-Enhanced Ferroelectric Tunnel Junctions
Haidong Lu, Alexey Lipatov, Evgeny Tsymbal, Alexander Sinitskii, Alexei Gruverman (Nebraska MRSEC) and Sangwoo Ryu, Chang-Beom Eom (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Ferroelectric tunnel junctions exploit an ultrathin ferroelectric layer, 100,000 times thinner than a sheet of paper, so that electrons can "tunnel" through it. This layer resides between two metal electrodes that can reverse the direction of its polarization by applying electric voltage to it. A junction polarity determines its resistance to tunneling current, with one direction allowing current to flow and the other strongly reducing it, known as “on” and “off” states.
May 15, 2015
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Nebraska MSREC WoPhyS14 Conference
Axel Enders (Nebraska MRSEC)
The University of Nebraska- Lincoln (UNL), under Nebraska MRSEC’s leadership, held its sixth Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physical Sciences, WoPhyS, on November 6-8, 2014.
Apr 23, 2015
Biologically Synthesized Proteins that Spontaneously Self-Assemble into Nano-scale structures
Researchers from Duke University have
developed biologically
synthesized
proteins that can form nano-scale
structures of various sizes, shapes, and behaviors.
These proteins, called elastin-like
polypeptide block copolymers, spontaneously self-assemble into
different structures based on their interactions with other proteins and water. By
changing their sequence, the researchers can control the shape and behavior of
the structures that they form.
Apr 23, 2015
Student Fellows Wow at Family Science Fair
RT-MRSEC
Graduate Student Fellows and staff joined area scientists to participate in
Sherwood Githens
Middle School’s Family Science Fair Night on January 29, 2015.
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