Highlights

David B. Torrance, Baiqan Zhang, Tien Hoang and Phillip N. First

David B. Torrance, Baiqan Zhang, Tien Hoang and Phillip N. First School of Physics, Georgia Tech

Sep 19, 2012

Epitaxial Graphene’s Edge

Ming Ruan, Yike Hu, James Palmer, Tom Guo, John Hankinson, Rui Dong, Claire Berger, Walt de Heer

Ming Ruan, Yike Hu, James Palmer, Tom Guo, John Hankinson, Rui Dong, Claire Berger, Walt de Heer School of Physics, Georgia Tech

Sep 6, 2012

Highly Stretchable and Tough Hydrogels

Sun, J.-Y., X. Zhao, W. R. K. Illeperuma, O. Chaudhuri, K. H. Oh, D. J. Mooney, J. J. Vlassak and Z. Suo

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

Sep 5, 2012

Cornell University

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

A. W. Tsen, et al. Science, in press.

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

Aug 27, 2012

Cornell University

Controlling and Imaging Electron Motions in Atomic-Scale Sandwiches

E. J. Monkman, C. Adamo, et al. Nature Materials (in press)

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

Aug 24, 2012

University of Utah

Spin Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED)

Objective: Develop and characterize OLEDs based on spin-aligned carrier injection of which electro-luminescence (EL) is controlled by magnetic field. Approach: Use ferromagnetic cathode and anode that work as bipolar spin- valve injecting both electrons and holes into a deuterated π-conjugated polymer.

Aug 24, 2012

University of Utah

2012 Research Experience for Undergraduates Summer Program

Utah MRSEC sponsored 10 undergrads to work with faculty and graduate student mentors in their labs for a 9-week research program. Research opportunities for Utah MRSEC REU students are of an interdisciplinary focus on topics such as plasmonic metamaterials, and spin effects in organic LEDs & solar cells. Researchers and selected students are from fields such as materials science, electrical engineering, physics, chemistry and applied math.

Aug 23, 2012

Periciliary Brush Keeps Lungs Healthy

Brian Button, Li-Heng Cai, Camille Ehre, Mehmet Kesimer, David B. Hill, John K. Sheehan, Richard C. Boucher, and Michael Rubinstein

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. We propose a Gel-on-Brush model in which the periciliary layer is occupied by membrane spanning mucins and mucopolysaccharides densely tethered to the airway surface.

Aug 23, 2012

Summer School on “Polymers in Soft and Biological Matter"

Dr. Michael Rubinstein, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Founded by physical chemists like Flory and brought into the mainstream of theoretical physics by visionaries like de Gennes, over the last eighty years polymer physics has grown into a mature, rich, and exciting discipline. Now expanded to include also colloids, liquid crystals, interfaces, etc, polymer and soft matter physics span fundamental statistical mechanics and field theory, most advanced materials, as well as technological and biological frontiers.

Aug 10, 2012

Binary Colloidal Structures Assembled through Ising Interactions

K. Khalil (1); A. Sagastegui (1); Y. Li (2); M. A. Tahir (1); J. E. S. Socolar (3); B. J. Wiley (4) and B. B. Yellen (1, 2) Duke University: (1) Depts. of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, (3) Physics and (4) Chemistry University of Michigan – (2) Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Assembling microscopic particles into macroscopic structures can open new pathways for producing complex materials that cannot be produced by lithographic methods. Although several methods for assembling colloidal particles exist, including controlled drying, ionic interactions, and dipolar interactions, a general pathway for producing a wider variety of structures remains a fundamental challenge. Here a versatile colloidal assembly system is demonstrated in which the design rules can be tuned to yield over 20 different