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Lasing from an electromagnetic hot spot supported by coupled metal nanoparticles (NPs) has been demonstrated for the first time. This new nanolaser architecture is based on three dimensional (3D) Au bowtie NPs supported by an organic gain material. The extreme field compression, and thus ultra-small mode volume, within the bowtie gap produced laser oscillations at the localized surface plasmon resonance gap mode of the 3D bowties. Transient absorption measurements confirmed ultrafast resonant energy transfer between the

Hydrogels are used as scaffolds for tissue engineering, vehicles for drug delivery, actuators for optics and fluidics, and model extracellular matrices for biological studies. The scope of hydrogel applications, however, is often severely limited by their mechanical behaviors. Most hydrogels are brittle, sensitive to notches, and do not exhibit high stretchability. We report the synthesis of hydrogels from polymers forming ionically and covalently crosslinked networks. Although such gels contain 90% water, they can be stretched beyond 20 times

Here we explain the molecular engine of droplet motion that gives rise to their persistent random walk. This result allows us to tune their swimming speed and turning frequency over a range that is much broader than that of solid active particles.

Binding with oppositely charged particles •Heteroaggregate structure directed by AC-electric field •Chain length distribution tuned by particle size/number ratio •Developed a unique combinatorial approach for predicting chain length

In a surprising discovery, Princeton physicists have observed an unexpected quantum behavior in an insulator made from a material called tungsten ditelluride. This phenomenon, known as quantum oscillation, is typically observed in metals rather than insulators, and its discovery offers new insights into our understanding of the quantum world. The findings also hint at the existence of an entirely new type of quantum particle.

Based on the new capabilities of the Nion HERMES 200, the UCI MRSEC team (Pan and Wu) demonstrated, for the first time, exotic atomic vibrations localized at a single stacking fault in cubic SiC, showing by an energy shift of 3.8 meV and an obvious intensity modulation of the acoustic phonon mode.

Faculty at Cornell have combined detector-building experience with electron microscopy expertise to develop the Electron Microscope Pixel Array Detector, or EMPAD. Partnering with a leading scientific instrument manufacturer, this technology is now available as an option on new electron microscopes from Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Active control over exciton (electron-hole pair) transport is a much sought-after goal to create reconfigurable excitonic and optoelectronic transistors. The PAQM team achieved the first example of predictive optical control over exciton transport in semiconductors.

Active materials are systems that are driven by nano scale components that consume energy and produce work. In this work, two new biochemically powered active materials were developed with unique properties that will allow for a systematic exploration of emergent non-equilibrium phenomenology.

The UCSB Materials Research Laboratory’s “Models and Materials” Teacher Institute teamed secondary art and science teachers to develop interdisciplinary curriculum projects combining art and science with student-created models. Five science and four art teachers from Santa Barbara and Ventura County schools participated in this teacher professional development opportunity and presented their lesson plans at the MRL Secondary Curriculum Workshop in March 2013.