Edward H. Conrad and Claire Berger School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Topological surface states are a new class of novel electronic states that are potentially useful for quantum computing or spintronicapplications. Unlike conventional two-dimensional electron states, these surface states are expected to be immune to localization and to overcome barriers caused by material imperfection. Previous experiments have demonstrated that topological surface states do not backscatter between equal and opposite momentum states, due to their chiralspin texture.

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

MRSEC researchers from Princeton University have discovered a surprising on-chip process for growing ultrathin superconductors on ultrathin layers of transitionmetal dichalcogenides (TMD).

MRSEC researchers have discovered a missing spatial operation in nature called rotation-reversal symmetry that reverses the sense of all static rotations in a crystal.  Certain minerals, organic crystals or metamaterials are composed of subunits that can exist in two states: clockwise or counter-clockwise rotated.  The symmetry of a crystal lattice helps determine the material’s properties, and certain properties can only exist in lattices with special symmetries.  In perovskite complex oxides, for example,  oxygen cages counter-rotate (see image); these crystals have twice as many

  NanoFabulous, a mini-exhibition developed by the University of Maryland, College Park Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) is on display at Port Discovery Children’s Museum in Baltimore, MD. The exhibit is designed to help children and their families understand how scientists and engineers discover and invent new materials from nanoscale building-blocks.

Center researchers are collaborating with spin-off Displaytech (now part of Micron Technologies) to develop ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) materials for application in picoprojectors.  The high-quality time sequential color and high brightness enabled by FLC switching speed, and high fill factor and ultra-small pixels achievable with FLCs makes FLC-on-silicon the choice display technology for picoprojectors.

In an effort, spearheaded by Triangle MRSEC, we received support through the NSF-MRI program for the purchase of Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) instrumentation. The state-of-the-art instruments will serve the greater Research Triangle community for research and education, and will be housed in Duke's Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (SMIF).

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