Electrolyte gating may sound complex, but at its heart it’s a simple idea: use ions to do what transistors have done for decades but in a more powerful, energy-efficient way. For Chris Leighton, professor at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Director of UMN’s MRSEC, this technique has opened the door to controlling materials in ways that once seemed impossible.
Last summer, 12 high school students were challenged to identify a mystery polymer. As part of the Unversity of Delaware's MRSEC summer internship—now in its second year—they visited the chemical giant Chemours where they gained access to high-tech lab equipment rarely open to the public and were provided with relevant clues and tests to help solve the puzzle. It’s as hands on as it gets and gave this young group valuable exposure to the world of STEM.
In the world of materials science, researchers are constantly seeking new ways to create more efficient, durable, and adaptable materials. One promising avenue is the study of bottlebrush block polymers, a unique class of macromolecules that self-assemble into intricate nanostructures. MRSEC researchers at the University of Minnesota have been at the forefront of this research, uncovering new possibilities for these polymers and their applications.
A class of synthetic soft materials called liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) can change shape in response to heat, similar to how muscles contract and relax in response to signals from the nervous system. 3D printing these materials opens new avenues to applications, ranging from soft robots and prosthetics to compression textiles. Controlling the material's properties requires squeezing elastomer-forming ink through the nozzle of a 3D printer, which induces changes to the ink's internal structure and aligns rigid building blocks known as mesogens at the molecular scale. However, achieving specific, targeted alignment, and resulting properties, in these shape-morphing materials has required extensive trial and error to fully optimize printing conditions. Until now.
Finding lubricants that work at exceptionally high temperatures challenges researchers and industries alike. Recently, a Virginia Tech team may have uncovered a promising candidate by happenstance: transition metal spinel oxides formed on nickel-chromium-based superalloys.
Article by Erica K. Brockmeier Photos by Evan Krape and Courtesy of John Jungck
From adapting to climate change to finding new therapies for difficult-to-treat diseases, addressing the challenges facing society requires a workforce that’s adequately trained in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
In celebration of National Nanotechnology Day and National Chemistry Week, three scientific organizations are holding a joint image contest.
A three-institution partnership of Tennessee State University (TSU), the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Fisk University has just won a $4.2 million, six-year grant under the Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials Research (PREM) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The reason microplastics are all around and even in us is because petroleum-based plastics last for hundreds of years. In our lifetimes they simply don’t go away. But degradable plastics, made from plants, do. Research at UCSD has now proven that those earth-friendly plastics disappear in a matter of a few months. Researchers ground up plant-based plastics into very small bits and tested them in several natural environments.
Helium may be the second-most abundant element in the universe, but on Earth it’s a finite, nonrenewable resource. Helium is so light that it’s not trapped by the lower levels of Earth’s atmosphere. And it’s extremely challenging to capture, since it’s relatively unreactive. Liquid helium is a critical ingredient in systems for cooling equipment used to study quantum systems and image atoms, as well as in the high-performance magnets used in MRI scanners and particle accelerators. But if it is not carefully contained, helium flies to the farthest reaches of the atmosphere or even out into space when it boils.
The University of Pennsylvania's MRSEC Director, Eric Stach was recently named the Scientific Director of the Singh Center for Nanotechnology. Stach’s distinguished career in materials science and engineering, specifically in transmission electron microscopy, combined with his extensive experience managing interdisciplinary research teams, positions him uniquely to lead the Singh Center towards new heights of achievement.
Northwestern Engineering’s Mark Hersam, whose research has led to more effective and sustainable nanomaterials used in electronics, energy storage, and medicine, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
