Binding with oppositely charged particles •Heteroaggregate structure directed by AC-electric field •Chain length distribution tuned by particle size/number ratio •Developed a unique combinatorial approach for predicting chain length

In a surprising discovery, Princeton physicists have observed an unexpected quantum behavior in an insulator made from a material called tungsten ditelluride. This phenomenon, known as quantum oscillation, is typically observed in metals rather than insulators, and its discovery offers new insights into our understanding of the quantum world. The findings also hint at the existence of an entirely new type of quantum particle.

Based on the new capabilities of the Nion HERMES 200, the UCI MRSEC team (Pan and Wu) demonstrated, for the first time, exotic atomic vibrations localized at a single stacking fault in cubic SiC, showing by an energy shift of 3.8 meV and an obvious intensity modulation of the acoustic phonon mode.

Faculty at Cornell have combined detector-building experience with electron microscopy expertise to develop the Electron Microscope Pixel Array Detector, or EMPAD. Partnering with a leading scientific instrument manufacturer, this technology is now available as an option on new electron microscopes from Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Active control over exciton (electron-hole pair) transport is a much sought-after goal to create reconfigurable excitonic and optoelectronic transistors. The PAQM team achieved the first example of predictive optical control over exciton transport in semiconductors.

Active materials are systems that are driven by nano scale components that consume energy and produce work. In this work, two new biochemically powered active materials were developed with unique properties that will allow for a systematic exploration of emergent non-equilibrium phenomenology.

The UCSB Materials Research Laboratory’s “Models and Materials” Teacher Institute teamed secondary art and science teachers to develop interdisciplinary curriculum projects combining art and science with student-created models. Five science and four art teachers from Santa Barbara and Ventura County schools participated in this teacher professional development opportunity and presented their lesson plans at the MRL Secondary Curriculum Workshop in March 2013.  

Metal Oxide nanocrystals that incorporate dopants (impurities) can display intense absorption bands known as localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) that can transduce light into heat. Using a series of time-resolved measurements with femtosecond resolution together with a theoretical heat transfer model, we have quantified timescales over which tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) nanocrystals heat their environment following light absorption.

At the University of Chicago MRSEC, we demonstrate that controlling the molecular crystal hosting the active qubit is a powerful means for enhancing coherence.

The planar dynamics of a semi-flexible filament anchored at one end and comprised of connected, self-propelled, spheres were predicted using Brownian dynamics simulations and continuum elastic theory theory. For certain parameter ranges the filament undergoes periodic motion. With a clamped anchor, the filament undergoes flagella-like beating (top right), while a pivoting end leads to a steadily rotating coiled conformation (bottom right).