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Program Highlights

Sensor Skin - A platform for highly stretchable, biocompatible, transparent sensors

In work reported in Science (August 20, 2013) a Harvard MRSEC team led by Suo and Whitesides developed a transparent “ionic skin,” a sensor skin using ionic conductors. It senses signals with high stability and wide dynamic

Electrically collapsible hydrogels with enhanced mechanical toughness

A Harvard MRSEC team led by Clarke, Mooney, Parker, Suo, and Vlassak has developed new hydrogels

Magnetic Domain Structure of Cobalt Nanospirals

Nanoscale three-dimensional (3D) structures are building blocks for the fabrication of miniature switching devices and can be used as functional units in nanorobotics. The functionality of the 3D

Plastic deformation of plaque enhances bond strength

Fracture energy of plaque/glass interface Gc ≈ 100 J/m2 104 × larger than Eadh of mfp5 (the most adhesive protein)!

 

Probing spin and charge on the nanoscale

We are building a scanning probe microscope to study spin and charge on the nanoscale. The magnetic sensing element is a nitrogen-vacancy center (NV) in diamond, which should afford single electron spin sensitivity with 10 nm spatial resolution.

Schematic of diamond-based scanning probe magnetometer

Partnering with Wisconsin Industry

The industrial consortium coordinated by the Wisconsin MRSEC has grown to 20 to 25 members. The Wisconsin MRSEC has now partnered with the University of Wisconsin business school to develop strategies to expand further our impact on Wisconsin and regional industry.

Cameca LEAP Atom Probe at UW Madison

The wide range of instrumentation within the University of Wisconsin MRSEC Shared Instrumentation Facilities (UW-MRSEC SIF) can now be accessed by academic and industry users around the nation via the Materials Research Facilities Network (MFRN.org).   A Significant new addition over the past year is a Cameca LEAP 3000 Si ATOM Probe.

Formation of Large Area Aligned Arrays of Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes

Creating aligned arrays of high purity (>99.9%) semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-SWCNTs) over a large area has been a significant challenge in materials synthesis.

"Caged" Liquid Crystal Droplets

General Overview: Researchers at the Wisconsin MRSEC are working to develop sensors that can detect toxic substances near a single cell by exploiting the unique properties of liquid crystals (LC).  LCs are materials that combine physical properties of both l

Synthesis of Complex Semiconductors from Atoms That Don't Want to Mix

General Overview:  The Wisconsin MRSEC is investigating innovative methods to incorporate a greatly expanded diversity of atom types into semiconductors, thus yielding materials with a new range of electronic properties.

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