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Program Highlights

Nanoscale Interfacial Complexation in Emulsion (NICE)

Microcapsules that encapsulate and protect molecules and materials by forming isolated aqueous compartments inside hollow shells are widely used in a variety of applications in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and agriculture industries.

Liquid Crystal Janus Droplets

Janus colloids are composed of two-faced particles with distinctive surfaces and/or compartments. Lee, Collings, & Yodh have created the first Janus particles with a liquid crystal (LC) compartment. The droplets were prepared by combining microfluidic and phase separation techniques, and the LC compartment morphologies can be easily controlled to realize unique confining geometries (Fig.

All Nanocrystal Electronics

Synthetic methods produce colloidal nanocrystals that are metallic, semiconducting, and insulating. These nanocrystals have been typically used to form only a single component in devices. IRG-4 has exploited the library of colloidal nanocrystals and designed the materials, surfaces, and interfaces to construct all the components of field-effect transistors.

Revealing Hidden Phases in Materials

Strong interactions at the interface between a crystalline film and substrate can impart new structure to thin films. Here, a germanium surface (purple atoms) squeezes a BaTiO3 thin film above, revealing a hidden phase not seen in the bulk. The hidden phase of BaTiO3 shows oxygen octahedra cages (shaded in aqua) alternating in size. By combining theory, synchrotron x-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy, a new materials design approach has uncovered hidden traits of a material that can be expressed through articulated forces at an interface.

Electrocatalytic Surfaces Using Bulk Metallic Glass Nanostructures

Metallic glass nanostructures provide a new platform for electrocatalytic applications. Several surface modification strategies that remove or add metal species (top images) improve the catalytic activity of metallic glass nanostructures. These strategies were demonstrated for three key electrocatalytic reactions important for renewable energy.

Leveraging MRSEC Equipment Purchases

Leveraged upgrades to Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (S/TEM) and Focused Ion Beam System (FIB):

MRSEC Shared Facilities: A Vital Resource

The resources of the Wisconsin MRSEC Shared Facilities impact researchers campus-wide and beyond. Over the past year >79,000 usage hours accounted for:

Wisconsin MRSEC Outreach Impacts 255,000 People This Year!

Since 2011, the Wisconsin MRSEC has created over 40 unique research-inspired education resources. These resources are disseminated through educational kits, outreach activities, instructional videos and other online resources, all based on cutting-edge research going on in the Wisconsin MRSEC.

These resources have impacted:

Templating Nanomaterials from Defects in Liquid Crystals

Defects in liquid crystals can function as nanoscopic molds for assembling molecules

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