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IRG2 represents an ambitious effort to understand, design, and synthesize materials containing distributed molecular elements that convert chemical energy into mechanical work.  Drawing on the myriad ways that biological systems have evolved to construct materials with specific responses to applied stimuli, this IRG aspires to achieve control of active materials and ultimately to create novel molecular assemblies for robust tunable shape change.  Success of this IRG would result in the identification of minimal combinations of elements capable of programmable amorphous shape changes, autonomous movement and collective behavior, and such a material could be tailored to environments and situations beyond the reach of biological systems.

This IRG focuses on both scientific challenges and technological opportunities that arise from controlling how much or how fast a soft interface forms or deforms, with systems ranging from nanoscale colloids to macroscopic field-activated suspensions.  By examining how stress variations at an interface can alter properties in the bulk and, conversely, how tailoring bulk paprameters can guide the interface dynamics, the research endeavors to establish the link between interface dynamics and the properties of the material as a whole.  Establishing such a link will open up opportunities for designing specific material responses and will provide a pathway towards innovative applications. 

The goal of this IRG is to use droplet-based microfluidics to fabricate new materials ranging from designer emulsions, to particle-based materials precisely constructed within droplets, to droplets with precisely tuned internal properties and shapes, to new methodologies for creating tailored fiber-based materials.

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Purdue University focuses on heterostructure materials for electronic and photonic applications. The purpose of the Center is to develop enabling technologies in these areas of research with the long-term goal of facilitating the commercialization of new products using these technologies. The MRSEC is organized through two interdisciplinary research groups. The semiconductor misfit heterostructures group addresses problems associated with the development of semiconductor device technology using non-lattice-matched materials. The long term goal is to produce economically viable enabling technologies for fabricating photonic and electronic devices using unexplored semiconductor materials grown on non- lattice-matched substrates with optical and electrical properties matched to specific applications. The extrinsic control of heterostructure properties group focuses on important materials problems associated with light emitting and detecting devices fabricated from high-band gap semiconductors with composite semiconductor materials used for electronic, photonic and optoelectronic applications (especially nonlinear applications). The MRSEC supports programs for educational outreach and human resource development based on existing Purdue University efforts. Special focus is on the enhancement of programs for minority and women students. The MRSEC supports shared experimental facilities for the preparation, fabrication and characterization of heterostructure materials and devices. The center currently supports 10 senior investigators, 2 postdoctoral research associates, 1 technical staff member, 8 graduate students, and 10 undergraduates. The MRSEC is directed by Professor Jerry Woodall

The University of Washington Molecular Engineering Materials Center (MEM-C) is forging new materials-research frontiers through team-based development of novel electronic and photonic materials relevant to future high-tech applications. Encompassing innovations in synthesis, characterization, theory, and application, the MRSEC integrates campus student, faculty, facility, and research, both programmatically and physically. A competitive seed program funds high-risk high-reward projects in emerging areas, expanding the MRSEC's impact.

While developing the materials underpinnings of future advanced technologies, MEM-C provides advanced interdisciplinary education, training, diversity and outreach experience, and mentorship to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students from all corners of campus and the Puget Sound region that provide them valuable research experiences and prepare them for future STEM careers.

MEM-C's integrated community activities emphasize aggressive STEM diversification and community involvement through two signature programs: promotion of (re)entry of veterans into STEM career tracks, and early recruitment/mentorship of students to STEM from underrepresented/underserved regional high schools.

Additional activities include REU/RET programs, regional K-20 outreach, regional partnerships (e.g., Pacific Science Center) for public engagement, and interdisciplinary curriculum development.

The University of Nebraska MRSEC “Polarization and Spin Phenomena in Nanoferroic Structures” (P-SPINS) carries out collaborative research on new magnetic materials and structures at the nanometer scale, with the aim of developing fundamental understanding of their properties and related phenomena. Recent pioneering discoveries by the UNL MRSEC researchers have broadened the Center’s scope and positioned its investigators to build the sustainable potential for exploring new frontiers in materials and nanoscience well into the future. A particular emphasis is made on studies of new ferroic materials and structures aimed at developing the fundamental understanding of their properties and related phenomena important for information processing and storage, energy harvesting, and advanced electronics. P-SPINS relies on interdisciplinary collaborations, extensive use of shared facilities, partnerships with national laboratories and international institutions and interactions with industrial companies to leverage the expected scientific innovations for potential technological advances.

As an integral part of the Center, P-SPINS offers interdisciplinary training for the next generation of materials scientists and engineers by providing regional four-year institutions experience and tools to improve their materials science programs and curricula, offering opportunities for middle- and high-school teachers and their students to learn about materials science, and by addressing pre-college segments of the educational pipeline via targeted outreach activities.

The Seed 1 group seeks to fully develop the synthesis of linear, random poly(ethylene-co-X) materials possessing, for instance, ester, acid, or anhydride functionality directly from industrial monomers using a robust family of transition metal catalysts discovered by us. The self-assembly of the resulting amphiphilic macromolecules can be driven by crystallization of hydrophobic polyolefin domains, in both bulk and solution, leading to nanostructured morphologies distinct from those driven by interblock repulsion, and the scalable routes we will develop to substantial quantities of these amphiphilic materials will facilitate detailed exploration of this self-assembly behavior.  

Principal Investigators
Brad Carrow (Chemistry)
Richard Register (Chemical and Biological Engineering)

* This seed is inactive.

Fikile R. Brushett, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering

The development of energy efficient carbon dioxide (CO₂) electroreduction processes would simultaneously curb anthropogenic CO₂ emissions and provide sustainable pathways for fuel generation. While significant efforts have focused on heterogeneous CO₂ electroreduction to products such as carbon monoxide, formic acid, and methanol; no process has been able to demonstrate both high energetic efficiencies (≥ 60-70%) and high current densities (≥ 150 mA/cm²).  A key challenge is translating our investment in performance nanomaterials to meso- and microarchitectures within electrochemical cells under realistic operating conditions. Here we propose to develop microporous metal foam electrodes with nanostructured electrocatalysts directly deposited onto the foam surface for high-performance CO₂ conversion.  Metal foams hold two key advantages: 1) their porous nature facilitates extended tunable electrochemical interfaces without sacrificing transport of reactants and ions; and 2) they can act as a conductive substrate for the direct deposition of highly-active surface alloys eliminating the need for conductive additives and binders (which may degrade or promote side reactions). We will focus on CO-selective catalysts (e.g ., Ag, Au) as this represents the simplest CO₂ conversion reaction and has been demonstrated at moderate efficiencies (albeit at low currents).  Direct deposition enables ground-up construction of nanostructures using bath conditions (e.g. composition), delivery mechanism (e.g., diffusive, convective), and applied potential (for electrodeposition) as tools to control structure, phase, and surface characteristics. We will systematically investigate the structure-activity-stability relationships of the deposited catalysts and electrodes using electroanalytical and physical characterization techniques. Of particular interest will be catalysts deposited under transport limiting conditions (desirable for high-throughput manufacturing) and catalyst-substrate interactions (determines durability). The success of this project would enable efficient CO production at the large-scale which, when coupled with hydrogen generation from renewables enables the carbon-neutral synthesis gas production needed to generate liquid fuels for heavy duty transportation applications.

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the Brown University supports interactive research in one interdisciplinary group focusing on advanced materials for structural and electronic applications. The research group emphasizes the development of a new generation of capabilities for measuring and modeling mechanical response at the microscopic level. Advanced measurement and modeling techniques will be used. The goal will be to develop methodologies to realize predictive capabilities and to understand the performance and limitation of particular microstructures at micron and atomic length scales. The MRSEC supports the development, operation and maintenance of shared experimental facilities for materials research. It provides seed funding for exploratory research and fosters research participation by undergraduates. The Center develops educational modules consisting of interactive demonstrations and laboratory projects to be used by mathematics and science teachers. The MRSEC also supports enhanced collaboration with industry, shared experimental facilities that also support research not directly funded by the MRSEC, and seed funding for exploratory research. The Center currently supports about 12 senior investigators, 2 postdoctoral research associates, 3 technician or other professional, 12 graduate students, and 4 undergraduates. The MRSEC is directed by Professor Rodney Clifton. %%% The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the Brown University supports interactive research in one interdisciplinary group focusing on advanced materials for structural and electronic applications. The research group emphasizes the development of a new generation of capabilities for measuring and modeling mechanical response at the microscopic level. Advanced measurement and modeling techniques will be used. The goal will be to develop methodologies to realize predictive capabilities and to understand the performance and limitation of particular microstructures at micron and atomic length scales. The MRSEC supports the development, operation and maintenance of shared experimental facilities for materials research. It provides seed funding for exploratory research and fosters research participation by undergraduates. The Center develops educational modules consisting of interactive demonstrations and laboratory projects to be used by mathematics and science teachers. The MRSEC also supports enhanced collaboration with industry, shared experimental facilities that also support research not directly funded by the MRSEC, and seed funding for exploratory research.