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Highlights

Highlights

Optical microscopy images of example strips of bilayer films with thin parylene-C film deposited on the topographically patterned side of the PDMS. Scale bars: 300 mm. (a) Top-view of two dry bilayer strips with ridges at different angles. (Inset) Cross-sectional view of strip showing topographic pattern. (b, c) Swollen bilayer strips made from bilayer strips in (a) after immersion in hexadecane. The strip on the left in (a) transforms into a “tube roll” (b) after swelling. The strip on the right in (a) transforms into a “helical tube” (c) after swelling. Red shading is to guide the eye about representative ridges on the strip.
Optical microscopy images of example strips of bilayer films with thin parylene-C film deposited on the topographically patterned side of the PDMS. Scale bars: 300 mm. (a) Top-view of two dry bilayer strips with ridges at different angles. (Inset) Cross-sectional view of strip showing topographic pattern. (b, c) Swollen bilayer strips made from bilayer strips in (a) after immersion in hexadecane. The strip on the left in (a) transforms into a “tube roll” (b) after swelling. The strip on the right in (a) transforms into a “helical tube” (c) after swelling. Red shading is to guide the eye about representative ridges on the strip.
May 24, 2017
University of Pennsylvania

Three-dimensional Objects from Swollen, Topographically-Patterned Bilayer Films

R. D. Kamien (Physics), S. Yang (Materials Science & Engineering) and A. G. Yodh (Physics) Topography-guided buckling of swollen polymer bilayer films into three-dimensional helices. Based on physical constraints, simple surface topography can guide buckling of flat bilayer films to form objects such as half-pipes, helical tubules, and ribbons.
Building complex three-dimensional (3D) materials from pre-programmed two-dimensional films presents exciting challenges and opportunities. To achieve this goal, researchers inspired by the paper folding techniques of origami and kirigami have successfully utilized the mechanical instabilities of thin films, such as buckling.
*S. Ulstrup et al. “Spatially Resolved Electronic Properties of Single-Layer WS2 on Transition Metal Oxides.” ACS Nano, 10, 11 (2016). J. Katoch et al. “Giant spin-splitting and gap renormalization driven by trions in single-layer WS2/h-BN heterostructures.” arXiv:1705.04866.
*S. Ulstrup et al. “Spatially Resolved Electronic Properties of Single-Layer WS2 on Transition Metal Oxides.” ACS Nano, 10, 11 (2016). J. Katoch et al. “Giant spin-splitting and gap renormalization driven by trions in single-layer WS2/h-BN heterostructures.” arXiv:1705.04866.
May 16, 2017
Ohio State University

Control of Spin-Orbit Splitting in 2D Semiconductors

R. Kawakami, J. Goldberger, W. Windl The Ohio State University
Probing and manipulating electronic band structures of 2D materials.
Elemental mapping image of Ni-Pt nanoparticles obtained by a scanning transmission electron microscope
Elemental mapping image of Ni-Pt nanoparticles obtained by a scanning transmission electron microscope
May 16, 2017
Ohio State University

Translating Spin Seebeck Effect Physics into Practice

S. R. Boona, K. Vandaele, I. N. Boona, D. W. McComb, and J. P. Heremans, "Observation of spin Seebeck contribution to the transverse thermopower in Ni-Pt and MnBi-Au bulk nanocomposites," Nature Communications  7, 13714 (2016). *supported by the Center for Emergent Materials, an NSF MRSEC (DMR1420451) and by MURI (W911NF-14-1-0016)
Study reveals thin film physics also manifests in random nanocomposite geometry. 
(Foreground) Mirror image materials created by stacking single-atom-thick films. (Background) Artist’s rendering of (top) right-handed and (bottom) left-handed films at the atomic scale.
(Foreground) Mirror image materials created by stacking single-atom-thick films. (Background) Artist’s rendering of (top) right-handed and (bottom) left-handed films at the atomic scale.
Mar 21, 2017
Cornell University

Through the Atomic Scale Looking Glass

In Through the Looking Glass, Alice steps through a mirror into a world in which everything is its mirror image. Realizing that writing in books is reversed, Alice wonders what has happened on the atomic scale. 
Programming molecular self-assembly of intrinsically disordered proteins
Programming molecular self-assembly of intrinsically disordered proteins
Mar 20, 2017
Duke University

Programming molecular self-assembly of intrinsically disordered proteins

Gabriel López, University of New Mexico Ashutosh Chilkoti, Duke University Michael Rubinstein, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Nick Carroll, Duke University Joseph Simon, Duke University
New model systems of liquid protein assemblies offer insights into naturally-occurring counterparts.
The materials genome gets hot!
The materials genome gets hot!
Mar 20, 2017
Colorado School of Mines

The materials genome gets hot!

V. Stevanovic, R. O’Hayre, A. Zakutayev REMRSEC, NSF DMR-0820518
The goal of this seed project is to bring first-principles theory closer to experimental reality.
The motion of charge carriers in ruthenates is imaged using a technique known as Angle Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES).
The motion of charge carriers in ruthenates is imaged using a technique known as Angle Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES).
Mar 19, 2017
Cornell University

Simple stretch “flips” the sign of charge carriers

Electricity is the flow of charged particles through a material, such as a wire — a process that resembles a river of water molecules flowing through a canyon. But are the charged particles positive or negative?
Down the rabbit hole: Sinking electrons in a Weyl sea
Down the rabbit hole: Sinking electrons in a Weyl sea
Oct 27, 2016
Princeton University

Down the rabbit hole: Sinking electrons in a Weyl sea

H. Inoue, Princeton University A. Gyenis, Princeton University Z. Wang, Princeton University J. Li, Princeton University S. Oh, Princeton University S. Jiang, Princeton University N. Ni, Princeton University B. A. Bernevig, Princeton University A. Yazdani, Princeton University Inoue, et al., Science 351, 1184 (2016)
Weyl semimetals are newly discovered topological electronic materials in which surface electrons (Fermi arcs) are topologically connected with those of the bulk. Princeton researchers have found experimental evidence that electrons can transverse the bulk through the special momentum states, called Weyl points, moving between opposing surfaces.
Single photon bound states in microwave photonic crystals
Single photon bound states in microwave photonic crystals
Oct 27, 2016
Princeton University

Single photon bound states in microwave photonic crystals

Andrew Houck, Princeton University Reference: Yanbing Liu and Andrew Houck, “Quantum Electrodynamics Near a Photonic Bandgap,” arXiv:1603.02998, submitted (2016).
Photonic crystals provide an extremely powerful toolset for manipulation of optical dispersion and density of states. Princeton researchers' recent work opens exciting prospects for engineering long-range spin models in the circuit QED architecture, and new opportunities for dissipative quantum state engineering.
Glass transition of irreversibly adsorbed nanolayers
Glass transition of irreversibly adsorbed nanolayers
Oct 27, 2016
Princeton University

Glass transition of irreversibly adsorbed nanolayers

Rodney Priestley, Princeton University Richard Register, Princeton University Reference: Mary J. Burroughs, Simone Napolitano, Daniele Cangialosi, and Rodney D. Preistley, "Direct Measurement of Glass Transition Temperature in Exposed and Buried Adsorbed Polymer Nanolayers" (submitted 2016).  
Princeton University researchers are investigating how the Tg of an adsorbed layer is influenced by the free surface and employing a fluorescence technique to directly measure the Tg of the adsorbed layer buried in a film.

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