2012 Highlights

September 6, 2012

Highly Stretchable and Tough Hydrogels

Research
Duke University

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.

September 5, 2012

Precise Stitching, Not Patch Size, Determines the Quality of Atomic Quilts

Research
Cornell University

Intergrain stitching determines electrical conductance across graphene grain boundaries

The outstanding electronic and mechanical properties of single-atom-thick layers of carbon, so-called “graphene” films, make them ideal for next-generation solar cells and transistors. However, attempts to grow these films over large areas invariably lead to quilt-like structures of interconnected atomically-perfect patches (crystals), which are shown in different colors in the electron micrographs at right. Scientists have been working

August 27, 2012

Controlling and Imaging Electron Motions in Atomic-Scale Sandwiches

Research
Cornell University

A new instrument allows the first imaging of the movement of electrons in artificial materials

Modern electronics relies critically on the ability to control electrons near the interfaces between materials such as silicon. By creating interfaces between more complex materials, it may become possible to realize more exotic magnetic and

August 24, 2012

Spin Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED)

University of Utah

Objective: Develop and characterize OLEDs based on spin-aligned carrier injection of which electro-luminescence (EL) is controlled by magnetic field.

August 24, 2012

2012 Research Experience for Undergraduates Summer Program

University of Utah

Utah MRSEC sponsored 10 undergrads to work with faculty and graduate student mentors in their labs for a 9-week research program.

August 23, 2012

Periciliary Brush Keeps Lungs Healthy

Research
Duke University

Mucus clearance is the primary defense mechanism that protects airways from inhaled infectious and toxic agents. In the current Gel-on-Liquid mucus clearance model mucus gel is propelled on top of a “watery” periciliary layer surrounding the cilia. However, this model fails to explain the formation of distinct mucus layer in health or why mucus clearance fails in disease.

August 23, 2012

Summer School on “Polymers in Soft and Biological Matter"

Education
Duke University
Triangle MRSEC Investigator organized 2012 Boulder Summer School for Condensed Matter Physics on “Polymers in Soft and Biological Matter”
August 10, 2012

Binary Colloidal Structures Assembled through Ising Interactions

Research
Duke University
ΔMRSEC researchers have developed a highly tunable strategy to coax micron-size particles to assemble into a wide variety of two-dimensional structures.  A mixture of magnetic and non-magnetic spherical beads is immersed in a ferrofluid and confined between two plates. The structures are selected by controlling the relative concentrations of the two bead types and the magnetic susceptibility of the ferrofluid.  Control of the formation of such structures provides a new path to the fabrication of complex materials.
July 28, 2012

Ohio State researchers discover Giant spin Seebeck effect

Research
Ohio State University
CEM Researchers Discover “Giant Spin-Seebeck Effect”; Featured on Cover of Nature Exciting results which report an amplified “spin-Seebeck effect”, conducted by Christopher Jaworski, Roberto Myers, Zeke Johnston-Halperin and Jos Heremans, and were published in the July 12th issue of Nature. The researchers are studying a magnetic effect which converts heat to electricity, called the “spin-Seebeck effect”, in which a flow of heat creates a current of electron spins in a magnetic material. This generates a voltage in an adjacent metal. The discovered “giant spin-Seebeck effect” was detected using a non-magnetic semiconductor and resulted in a 1-million-fold increase in power. The ultimate result of this research could be electronics that recycle heat into electricity, or a solid-state engine which converts heat to electricity.
July 6, 2012

Optical Topological Transition in Metamaterials

Research
University of Michigan
Manipulating the topology of iso-frequency surface provides a new approach for control of light-matter interaction. This is demonstrated using anisotropic metamaterials consisting of metal-dielectric layers.