Highlights
May 17, 2010
Yale University
What has soft matter physics got to do with butterfly colors?
V. Saranathan, C. O. Osuji, S. G. J. Mochrie, H. Noh, H. Cao, E. R. Dufresne, and R. O. Prum (Yale University)
The vivid, angle-dependent structural colors of some butterfly wing-scales are produced by light scattering from complex three-dimensional nanoscale structures. With intricate structural knowledge from synchrotron small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), we hypothesize that the butterfly nanostructures develop by the self-organizing kinetics of cellular membranes, as with soft matter systems such as a soap film spanning a wire contour.
May 17, 2010
Northwestern University
Single Particle Studies of Nanocubes Shows Marked Effect of Composition and Substrate
E. Ringe, K. Sohn, J. Huang, R. P. Van Duyne, L. D. Marks
Optical properties of nanomaterials are at the basis of a host
of new technology and prototypes, including sensors, computing devices, and
enhancing substrates for spectroscopy, yet fundamental understanding on how to
tune such properties is just emerging. Researchers at Northwestern University
have previously developed a method to accurately correlate the structure and
properties of nanoparticles at the single particle
level. This technique has now been used in a high throughput fashion to observe
May 17, 2010
Northwestern University
Structure–Property Relationships in Hierarchically Ordered Self-Assembled Systems
Daniel Carvajal, Ronit Bitton, Jason R. Mantei, Yuri S. Velichko, Samuel I. Stupp and Kenneth R. Shull
When a negatively
charged, high molecular weight polymer (hyaluronic acid) is mixed with a positively charged peptide-based,
self-assembling molecule, a membrane is instantaneously formed at the interface
of the two solutions. These closed membranes (sacs) have a complex hierarchical
structure which presents a unique challenge in quantifying its mechanical
properties. Membrane inflation and osmotic swelling techniques have been used
to quantitatively characterize the membrane properties. These findings will be
May 15, 2010
University of Maryland - College Park
Charge Transfer Across Oriented Molecular Interfaces
G. Dutton, W. Jin, S. Robey, J. E. Reutt-Robey
Molecular
semiconductors are important materials for technology applications, such as
solar cells. Current research focuses on how to organize molecules at interfaces for more efficient energy
conversion. Maryland MRSEC researchers
and NIST collaborators recently showed
how the arrangement of molecules at a molecular junction impacts energy
May 14, 2010
University of Pennsylvania
Spontaneous Buckling of Synthetic Gels with Depth-wise Crosslinking Gradient
Jason A. Burdick, Christopher Chen, Paul A. Janmey, Dennis E. Discher, and Shu Yang
Hydrogels undergo volume changes when immersed in water, the degree of which is determined by the network chemical composition and crosslinking.
May 14, 2010
University of Pennsylvania
Polarization Dependent Interactions at Pd-LiNbO3(0001) Interfaces.
M. Zhao, D.A. Bonnell, and J.M. Vohs
The dipole orientation in ferroelectrics, such as LiNbO3 and BaTiO3, can be controlled via application of an electric field and this can in turn affect surface properties. In this project we have shown for both adsorbed organic molecules and metal atoms that adsorption energies and activation energies for surface reactions are a function of the dipole orientation.
May 14, 2010
University of Pennsylvania
One Protein Scaffold – Multiple Functions
M. M. Sheehan, S. E. Chobot, J. L. R. Anderson, G. R. Wiedman, C. C. Moser, D.A. Bonnell, B. M. Discher, and P. Leslie Dutton
We have designed and fabricated simple artificial protein scaffolds (we call them maquettes) that can transfer catalytic functions familiar in Nature into materials. Our proteins, built just from four alpha helices, proved to be very simple and robust structural element for variety of functions. To date, we have demonstrated that four-helical maquettes can
May 14, 2010
University of Pennsylvania
Patchy Particles by Self-Assembly
Christian, D.A., Tian, A., Ellenbroek, W.G., Levental, I., Rajagopal, K., Janmey, P.A., Liu, A.J., Baumgart, T., & Discher, D.E.
The Roman God Janus has two faces, one to look forward plus one to look back, and now serves as inspiration for many to make ‘Janus particles’ with two (or more) functionalities. Indeed, the successful design and engineering of future technology requires materials with increasingly complex structures.
May 14, 2010
New York University
NYU MRSEC Highlight: Education and Outreach
Nearly 500 K-12 students from NYC schools visited NYU MRSEC laboratories for science demonstrations as part of the MRSEC Scientific Frontiers Program
Developed class modules for 70 9th graders in the Urban Assembly Institute for Math and Science for Young Women, an all-girls school in Brooklyn for the underrepresented and underprivileged
Science demonstrations, in Spanish, for more than 80 students at Don Pedro Albizu Campos elementary school, which primarily serves economically disadvantaged Hispanic student
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