Highlights

The video describes the Montclare lab research efforts to fabricate nano-scaled self-assembling proteins as materials. It focuses on the use of bacteria as the synthetic powerhouse for soft materials synthesis and features the self-assembly behavior of these biologically-inspired materials for potential use in therapeutic delivery and regenerative medicine. Watch video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbzpHRgrRBY

Mar 1, 2010

Carnegie Mellon University

Effect of Particle Additives on the Texture Evolution in Block Copolymer Blends

Michael Bockstaller CMU MRSEC, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

Block copolymer/nanoparticle (BCP/NP) composites have attracted interest because of the unique opportunities for tuning the properties of hybrid materials arising from the control of orientation and location of particle fillers within the copolymer matrix. However, quiescent organized block copolymer microstructures are not macroscopically uniform but rather exhibit ‘polycrystal-type’ texture with grain boundary defects that disrupt the long-range periodicity.

Mar 1, 2010

Carnegie Mellon University

Grain Boundary Energy from Experiment and Simulation

G.S. Rohrer, A.D. Rollett Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA D.L. Olmsted, S.M. Foiles, E.A. Holm Sandia National Laboratory, Albuquerque, NM

A collaboration between the CMU MRSEC and Sandia National Laboratory has permitted the first large scale comparison between experimentally measured grain boundary energies and energies calculated based on atomistic simulations. The techniques for the measurement (at CMU) and the calculations (Sandia) are unique to each institution and largest experimental and theoretical data sets currently available. The favorable comparison validates the methods.

Feb 26, 2010

University of Pennsylvania

Cell Motility Driven by Actin Polymerization: A New Proposed Mechanism

K. C. Lee and A. J. Liu

In designing new motile materials, much can be learned by studying the physical mechanisms underlying cell crawling. One important form of cell crawling is driven by self-assembly of the protein actin. In this process, energy is supplied and various proteins cooperate to assemble

Feb 18, 2010

Princeton University

Ultra-Fast Electrically Driven Single Spin Rotations

Jason Petta - Department of Physics, Princeton University; Hong Lu - Materials Department, University of California at Santa Barbara; Art Gossard - Materials Department, University of California at Santa Barbara

A single electron spin in an external magnetic field forms a two-level system that can be used to create a spin qubit. However, achieving fast single spin rotations, as would be required to control a spin qubit, is a major challenge. It is difficult to drive spin rotations on timescales that are faster than the spin dephasing time and to individually address a single spin on the nanometer scale. We have developed a new method for quantum control of single spins that does not involve conventional electron spin resonance (ESR).

Feb 11, 2010

Ferroelectric Oxide Directly on Silicon

M.P. Warusawithana (Penn State University), C. Cen (Penn State University), C.R. Sleasman (Penn State University), J.C. Woicik (Penn State University), Y.L. Li (Penn State University), L. Fitting Kourkoutis (Penn State University), J.A. Klug (Penn State University), H. Li (Penn State University), P. Ryan (Penn State University), L-P. Wang (Penn State University), M. Bedzyk (Penn State University), D.A. Muller (Cornell University), L.Q. Chen (Penn State University), J. Levy (University of Pittsburgh), and D.G. Schlom (Cornell University)

Silicon/silicon dioxide is arguably the most important technological interface. With the end of Moore’s law scaling for silicon fast approaching, alternatives to silicon dioxide could enable new electronic device architectures. MRSEC researchers

Feb 11, 2010

Spin Transport in Nanowires

M. Tian, J. Wang, D. Rench, J. Cardellino, P. Schiffer, T. Mallouk, M. Chan and N. Samarth - Penn State University

The interplay between spin transport and exchange coupling profoundly affects charge transport between conventional metals and ferromagnets. This results in giant magnetoresistance and the spin valve effect in multilayer thin films, phenomena of great importance for magnetic data storage. MRSEC researchers have developed Co-Cu-Co multilayer nanowires to explore these phenomena in nanowire geometries.

Feb 9, 2010

New York University

Discover Magazine Names NYU Physics Finding One of Top Stories of 2009

The NYU team, led by Jasna Brujic, an assistant professor in NYU’s Department of Physics, developed an innovative way to tabulate the number of spheres-they created a method for determining how spheres pack from inside the jar, making it easier to more accurately count them.

Feb 3, 2010

Cornell University

The Best Sandwiches are Not the Most Perfect Sandwiches