Highlights
Aug 8, 2007
University of Colorado at Boulder
Photo-Control of Interfacial Molecular Organization
Active interface architectures, exhibiting structural sensitivity to the presence of chemical species or light, are of interest for sensor and functional nanostructure applications. LCMRC researchers have demonstrated that it is possible to use liquid crystals to read out the state of a photoactive monolayer with great sensitivity to the incident wavelength. The wavelength dependent photo-induced shape transition of interfacial molecules from linear (trans) to bent (cis) produces distinct orientational changes in a contacting liquid crystal layer that can in turn be read out optically.
Aug 8, 2007
University of Colorado at Boulder
Bistable Orientaton of Liquid Crystals on Nanoimprinted Topography
Modern liquid crystal displays (LCDs) operate by achieving a desired orientation of the LC molecules within the display. LCMRC researchers have demonstrated that topographic surface patterns made by nanoimprinting can produce exotic surface alignment of LCs, including bistable orientations (NE or NW) generated by an array of nanoscale boxes on the surface, as shown in the figure. Bistability is a feature by which the pixels in a display to remember their state even in absence of applied voltage, an enabling capability for the fabrication of extremely low power consumption displays.
Aug 8, 2007
University of Colorado at Boulder
Liquid Crystals of nanoDNA
LCMRC researchers have discovered that solutions in water of pieces of DNA only a few nanometers long (nanoDNA) can form liquid crystal phases if the DNA is complementary, that is if it can form double-helixed pairs. These duplex pairs then stack up end-to-end to form rod-shaped aggregates that make the liquid crystal phases. In a mixture with some DNA that is not complementary the duplex forming DNA phase separates, condensing into liquid crystal droplets.
Aug 1, 2007
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Research Experience for Teachers program is a springboard to ongoing relationships with local schools
After spending two summers participating in the Research Experience for Teachers Program at MIT's MRSEC, Ms. Julie O'Loughlin, a science teacher at Breed Middle School in Lynn, MA, brings her eighth-grade classes to CMSE to share the exciting research being done at the Center. The workshop is one example of the unique synergistic interaction between the research, facilities and education components of the MIT MRSEC.
Jul 31, 2007
University of Oklahoma
Inspiring Future Scientists SeeS: Sooner Elementary Science and Engineering Club & Science Zone
"I never knew I was so good in science. I'm going to be a research scientist when I grow up!"
Jul 31, 2007
University of Washington
Engineered Evolution of Inorganic-Binding Peptides
Emre Oren, Deniz Sahin, Candan Tamerler, Ram Samudrala, and Mehmet Sarikaya
Based on the similarity of the sequences of combinatorially selected peptide that have similar binding characteristics, we developed a bioinformatics approach that provides a general and simple methodology to quantitatively categorize a large number of inorganic binding peptides. Furthermore, the approach also provides a way to knowledge-based design a new set of binding sequences specific to inorganic surfaces with predictable functionalities.
Jul 31, 2007
University of Washington
Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Assembly of Hybrid Inorganic-Protein Nanostructures Using an Engineered DNA Binding Protein
Haixia Dai, Woo-Seok Choe, Corrine K. Thai, Mehmet Sarikaya, Beth A. Traxler, Franàƒ’§ois Baneyx, and Daniel T. Schwartz
Chemical Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, and Microbiology, University of Washington We show that a protein with no intrinsic inorganic synthesis activity can be endowed with the ability to control the formation of inorganic nanostructures under thermodynamically unfavorable (nonequilibrium) conditions, reproducing a key feature of biological hard-tissue growth and assembly. The nonequilibrium synthesis of Cu2O nanoparticles is accomplished using an engineered derivative of the DNA-binding protein TraI in a room temperature precursor electrolyte.
Jul 30, 2007
University of Oklahoma
14th Insulating Materials Conference
The Oklahoma-Arkansas MRSEC hosted the14th SIMC conference which engaged international participation from a diverse group of more than 30 nations. The technical sessions presented over 5 days with parallel sessions encompassed the transfer of many new and developing ideas, and the talks received the highest evaluation as indicated by the results of the conference survey. Download
Jul 30, 2007
University of Oklahoma
Narrow Gap Semiconductor Structures for Electronic Device Applications
The explosion of interest in graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms, has called
attention to the advantages of materials with small effective masses. In our InSb quantum
wells, the electron effective mass is as small as in graphene while the room-temperature
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