“Phase transition” is a term which is commonly used to describe transformations between solid, liquid, and gaseous states of matter. However, even in solids, phase transitions may occur between different structural phases, resulting in a discontinuous change of certain material properties, such as electrical conductivity and heat capacity, which can be used in technological applications.
At Nebraska MRSEC’s Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physical Sciences (WoPhyS), participants present research accomplishments, attend keynote talks, participate in graduate school preparation workshops, and tour UNL facilities and labs.
Monolayer WTe2 is a quantum spin Hall insulator at temperatures below 100 K. This means that the current is carried by helical conducting edge modes and is spin polarized.
Nanocrystal (NC) luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) represent a promising clean-energy technology capable of concentrating direct and diffuse light to reduce the area of photovoltaic (PV) cells – which are energetically costly to manufacture – required to meet energy demands.
The objective of this effort is to design and develop well defined p-n heterostructures that allow the investigation of their optoelectronic properties due to interfacial interactions.
Promising a myriad of transformative applications in various fields such as communications, security, chemical & biological sensing, and astronomy, terahertz (THz) technology is a very promising technological field. In order to realize efficient THz systems, development of active devices, such as detectors and emitters is required.
At the University of Chicago MRSEC, we have shown that building blocks of the biopolymers, actin and microtubule, form lyotropic liquid crystals with controllable structure and mechanics.
The University of Chicago MRSEC has used super-conducting circuits and piezo-electricity to manipulate single phonons in a surface acoustic wave resonator (SAW).
Metallic glass resonators can possess larger quality factors (i.e., slower rates of energy dissipation) than typical polycrystalline metals, since metallic glasses are spatially homogeneous without dislocations and other topological defects.
The Materials and Manufacturing Summer Teachers’ Institute is a school-to-career initiative that targets STEM skills instruction for grades 7-12 in the New Haven and Bridgeport Public Schools.
Three-day workshop designed to:
