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IRG 2 explores the principles governing condensed protein mesophases and cell collectives to engineer dynamic biomaterials. By leveraging bioinspired design, the team develops synthetic structures with applications in biotechnology, medicine, and materials science, spanning scales from microns to centimeters.

Principal Investigator
Leslie M. Schoop (Chemistry)

Seed start and end dates: September 1, 2017 - August 31, 2019

This seed will use chemical concepts to predict and synthesize new quantum materials. Research will focus on Dirac and Weyl materials as well as two dimensional magnetic material. With combining chemical concepts such as electron counting and bonding rules with ab initio calculations, this research will identify the best candidates that will then be grown in single crystalline form to investigate the physical properties. For these studies, this seed will work in close collaboration with other groups within the NSF MRSEC.

Publications (also included with IRG-1 publications):

• L. M Schoop, F. Pielnhofer, and B.V Lotsch, “Chemical Principles of Topological Semimetals,” Chem. Mater., 30(10):3155–3176, 2018.
• J. Zhang, Y.-H. Chan, C.-K. Chiu, M.G. Vergniory, L.M. Schoop, A.P Schnyder, “Topological band crossings in hexagonal materials,” Phys. Rev. M, 2:074201, (2018).
• C.P. Weber, L.M. Schoop,, S.P Parkin, R.C. Newby, A. Nateprov, B. Lotsch, B.M. Krishna Mariserla, J.M. Kim, K.M Dani, H.A Bechtel, E. Arushanov, M. Ali, “Directly photoexcited Dirac and Weyl fermions in ZrSiS and NbAs,” Appl. Phys. Lett., 113 (22):221906, (2018).
• M.G. Vergniory, L. Elcoro, F. Orlandi, B. Balke, Y.H. Chan, J. Nus, A.P. Schnyder, and L.M. Schoop, “On the possibility of magnetic Weyl fermions in non-symmorphic compound PtFeSb,”Eur. Phys. J. B, 91:213, (2018).

The traditional home for research on materials at the University of Pennsylvania (PENN) is the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM). The LRSM is an autonomous entity, with its own building and laboratory space, which was created specifically to foster collaborative, interdisciplinary research on the PENN campus. The LRSM receives funding from PENN and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to support a Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at PENN. The principal investigator on the NSF grant is Arjun G. Yodh, Director of the LRSM. The MRSEC provides core support for selected Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) and seed projects to pursue a range of fundamental materials problems, involving collaborations with industry and National Laboratories. In addition, the LRSM is developing new-shared experimental facilities (SEFs) both in-house and at National Laboratories. The LRSM is also helping to sustain SEFs that are vital tools for the local materials research community. The LRSM maintains a broad range of innovative educational outreach activities to the materials community, local colleges, and high schools. The LRSM runs a vigorous summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, with a special emphasis on participation by women and under-represented groups.

The Center of Excellence for Materials Research and Innovation (CEMRI)*, hosted by the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM) at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), pursues a program that provides crucial support for faculty, post-docs, and graduate students drawn from different disciplines to tackle complex fundamental materials problems that can only be addressed in a truly collaborative mode, and that are likely to underlie future technologies and economic needs of society. Four Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) are central to the Center. The first group explores the interplay of curvature- & elasticity-induced interactions in liquid crystals, colloids, and on interfaces; new findings will thus generate new abilities to manipulate soft matter using surface structures & membrane geometry. The second group creates materials inspired by virology from novel synthetic macromolecules such as self-assembled Janus dendrimers & designer proteins; the new materials, with virus-like structure & functions, will be useful for sensing, communication, and actuation. The third group investigates disordered packings of atoms, colloids and grains to understand how localized rearrangements of constituents organize under load; the new concepts generated will provide routes for predicting whether materials are about to fail, and for synthesis of tough materials. The fourth group, anchored by a world-class effort in nanocrystal synthesis & assembly, builds novel inter-dimensional materials from these particles, and measures emergent electronic, optical, acoustic and magnetic properties. In each IRG, theory and simulation stimulate experiment and vice versa, and answers to fundamental questions have implications for application and for the creation of heretofore un-synthesized advanced materials with unique properties. The CEMRI also supports Shared Experimental Facilities (SEFs) that enable the achievement of research goals, student/post-doc training, and outreach to our community. SEFs include X-ray scattering, electron and confocal microscopy, rheometry, electronic/thermal transport, magnetic responses, optical spectroscopy, scanning probe microscopy, and more.

The Penn CEMRI sustains creative educational and outreach programs for local K-12 school students and teachers, for undergraduates from around the nation, for Penn graduate students and post-docs, and for faculty, scientists, and students/post-docs from partnering institutions in the region and across the globe. A primary goal of the LRSM education and human resources development effort is to attract more Americans to STEM fields and take them to the highest educational level possible, with emphasis on underrepresented minorities, women, and the disabled. In addition to standard outreach programs such as Research Experiences for Undergraduates/Teachers (REU/RET), less common programs such as our Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) with the University of Puerto Rico, and distinctive programs such as our 4-week-High-School-PSSI and Southern Africa initiatives, CEMRI outreach will expand to include: the Girard School 7th Grade Science Camp for minority middle-school students, a year?long materials science elective course for high school seniors and associated workshops for teachers, annual materials exhibitions (with connections to NOVA, Philadelphia Science Festival), and Science Cafés for the general public. Local community is also embraced via imaginative telepresence such as Cable TV programs and MAGPI videoconferences to high schools (HS).

The CEMRI pursues a multi-faceted strategy to reach out to industry, national laboratories, and the international community. Currently, ~25 companies (small, medium and large) are directly involved with the CEMRI, and our Shared Experimental Facilities are widely used by local industries (~100 person-days per year). The COMPASS (Complex Assemblies of Soft Matter) Laboratory was started and will continue as a joint venture between the LRSM, Rhodia, and the French CNRS. The CEMRI also continues to play a role developing national synchrotron x-ray and neutron scattering facilities; more than 25% of CEMRI faculty are currently involved with National Labs as users or in collaborative projects; others serve on advisory panels. International links (i.e., joint workshops, reciprocal visits by faculty/post-docs/students) of CEMRI with institutes in Southern Africa, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, France, Romania, and more, have cemented genuine research ties worldwide.

*a U.S. National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC)

The theme of the Northwestern University CEMRI* is Multifunctional Nanoscale Materials Structures. The main emphasis of the Center is to train visionary and globally competitive U.S. materials researchers to significantly impact the U.S. economy and solve global challenges, to innovate in an atmosphere of cooperation and healthy competition among national and international partners in both public and private sectors, and to integrate efforts in research, education, knowledge/technology transfer and networking. The Center manages and maintains shared experimental facilities accessed by both Northwestern and external researchers, fosters interactions with National Labs (especially with nearby Argonne National Lab), other universities, industry (including both NSF MRSEC-initiated start-up companies and large corporations) as well as other institutions (including The Art Institute of Chicago), and develops innovative educational programs including the science-themed performances hosted by the MRSEC-sponsored Educational Transdisciplinary Outreach Program in the Arts (ETOPiA).

The research goals of the center consist of understanding the fundamental principles and behaviors of complex nanomaterials systems, transferring results into the development of new functional devices and systems leading to new technologies and industries, and initiating close cooperation among national and international partners to improve research capabilities and infrastructure. Researchers are organized into Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) investigating: "Controlling Fluxes of Charge and Energy at Hybrid Interfaces", "Fundamentals of Amorphous Oxide Semiconductors" and "Plasmonically-Encoded Materials for Amplified Sensing and Information Manipulation", as well as seed programs. The research strategy is to investigate novel phenomena through the interactions of charges, photons, plasmons and excitons in nanostructured materials, including discrete and collective effects in model materials using theory, simulation, modeling and detailed measurements. An understanding of the underlying science will provide a basis for the design of new and extended classes of functional nanostructures for potential applications in sensing and communication, energy and environmental uses.

The educational goals of the Center are to develop and disseminate instructional materials for pre-college Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) classrooms based on Center research, to offer opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to develop skills in innovation and entrepreneurship, to work with international partners and programs to equip U.S. students with global leadership capabilities and a global research perspective, and to provide national leadership in vertically-integrated STEM learning and teaching from middle-school to graduate school in order to improve quality and reduce the cost of education. The Center has a long history of developing Materials World Modules for implementation into STEM classrooms and providing summer research training for teachers and undergraduates in Research Experience for Teachers (RET) and Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs. Partnerships with the International Materials Institute at Northwestern and with industrial partners are providing new opportunities to develop international programs and opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to participate in innovation and entrepreneurship-based research activities.

*a NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC)

Established in 1994, the Princeton Center for Complex Materials (PCCM) at Princeton University is dedicated to pushing the frontiers of complexity in materials science - bringing together over 30 faculty from six departments in the natural sciences and engineering. Currently funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (DMR-1420541), the PCCM supports three Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) and several seed projects. The current IRGs are focused on research in the newly discovered topological phases of electrons and materials, surface and dynamics in confined polymers, and the development of ultra-coherent quantum materials. In addition to forefront materials research, the center sponsors an active educational outreach program involving elementary, middle and high schools, as well as a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) and teacher programs. Industrial collaboration is another important aspect of PCCM's research initiatives. 

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 NSF 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.

This IRG focuses on understanding the mechanical properties of the cell, a central object of study in biology, and its structural components. Tools and techniques necessary to study problems in biology at the scale of a single cell are being developed using the materials expertise of NSF MRSEC participants. This IRG has established the use of soft lithography and patterning in the study of the behavior of individual cells.

The substantial and sustained investment in the sciences at NYU, the founding of NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering, and the inaugural NSF MRSEC award in Y2008 have created a dynamic environment for interdisciplinary materials research that is on a steep upward trajectory. The second generation of the Center unites investigators from Chemistry, Physics, Chemical and Civil Engineering, the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, and the NYU College of Dentistry in a program encompassing two Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs), a technology-focused Seed component that capitalizes on New York’s thriving entrepreneurial culture, and a comprehensive education program that captures learners at all levels. The goals of the NYU MRSEC are straightforward – perform world-class research that cannot be performed by individual investigators alone, instill an interdisciplinary culture in graduate students and postdocs for thriving careers, and cultivate excitement in STEM among young scientists and engineers.  

The research mission of the NYU MRSEC revolves around two IRGs and Seed projects:

IRG 1: Random Organization of Disordered Materials combines researchers from Chemistry, Civil and Chemical Engineering, Mathematics and Physics to investigate new principles for organizing and controlling the microstructure of multiscale materials. The IRG builds on the remarkable discovery of the Random Organization Principle, pioneered by NYU MRSEC investigators, by which systems driven out of equilibrium evolve towards absorbing states in which dynamic rearrangement ceases. IRG 1 explores the structures and correlations that arise in granular, multicomponent and active materials under external and internal driving, particularly those of the absorbing states, seeking to optimize material properties such as yield strength and photonic band structure, and to develop active materials such as optically reconfigurable colloids and active extensile viscoelastic liquids.

IRG 2: Molecular Crystal Growth Mechanisms assembles a team from Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics to investigate the fundamental science of molecular crystal growth, an area of vital interest for pharmaceuticals, organic electronics, and other technologies. While crystal growth of metals, semiconductors, and binary oxides is highly developed, understanding of basic elements of molecular crystal growth is lacking. The IRG advances the understanding of essential aspects of crystal growth science and engineering, investigating nucleation, dislocation generation and structure, multi-step assembly at the unit cell level, and origins of non-classical morphologies in molecular crystals. IRG 2 combines theoretical modeling, computer simulation, and experiment to develop predictive models of crystal structure and free energy and to investigate the dynamic aspects of crystal growth.

Seeds: During Year 1, the Center made four Seed awards aimed at investments in junior faculty and at emerging proto-IRGs, including (i) Multi-Scale Biomaterials, (ii) One-Dimensional Nickel and Cobalt Wires: Synthesis and Characterization, (iii) Hyperbranched nanoparticles from Reverse Micelles, (iv) Spectroscopic measurement of site- and depth-resolved electronic structure inside battery electrodes during charge cycling.

IRG 1 designs adaptive materials whose morphology and functionality are actively controlled by chemical or optical fueling. Inspired by biological systems, these materials enable technologies like energy-efficient optical coatings, soft robotics, and advanced manufacturing through innovations in nanocrystal and biopolymer networks.