This image is a photograph of a pattern of copper ions in a hydrogel. Anodizing a penny (copper) in contact with a negatively charged polyelectrolyte hydrogel creates the pattern. These patterned regions have several interesting implications: 1. It creates patterns of ions (so-called ‘ionoprinting’) that are stable in water.  Patterned ions may be useful as tools for studying biology (e.g., Ca ions are critical in biology).

Researchers at Wisconsin MRSEC have created a new technique using an electron microscope to observe how molecules in organic semiconductors align when heated. They found that even slight temperature increases led to better molecular arrangement, with larger, straighter sections forming. This improvement occurs as heat allows molecules to shift into more organized positions. The team's work may lead to better control over molecule movement, paving the way for advances in organic and inorganic materials for various technologies.

Researchers at UMN MRSEC have explored the self-assembly of ABC bottlebrush block terpolymers, which could lead to new material designs. Unlike traditional diblock bottlebrushes, these new structures showed interesting formations like core-shell cylinders and an unusual rectangular pattern. They found that by changing the molecular weight, they could achieve a variety of sizes. This work opens up exciting possibilities for creating materials with unique structures and sizes for uses in photonic crystals and metamaterials.

In collaboration with the Research Triangle MRSEC, a team from NC State University was awarded a grant from the NSF-MRI program for the purchase of an extreme-resolution scanning

Recent research on oxide electrochemical transistors from the UMN MRSEC has significantly improved their performance, particularly in cycling endurance. A collaboration led to record durability in ion-gel transistors using La_0.5Sr_0.5CoO_3-d (LSCO), enhancing previous limits drastically. By applying operando FTIR spectroscopy, researchers gained insights into the factors affecting performance, such as humidity and device design. These advancements open up potential uses for LSCO in areas like thermal camouflage and thermoregulation.

A recent study by Hojin Kim and Samantha Livermore shows that dense suspensions can be trained to respond differently to stress levels, similar to how living organisms train for better performance. By applying shear stress, these materials can develop “memories” that affect their mechanical properties, becoming either stiffer or softer with repeated impacts. This innovative approach suggests potential applications for materials that can adapt and change their viscosity or energy dissipation on demand.

Discovery: We have observed a large inverse spin-Hall effect (ISHE) in ZnO films grown using Pulsed Laser Deposition. This discovery provides an entirely new means of measuring spin currents in semiconductors. Approach: Developed a novel device concept for the injection and detection of spin-polarized carriers.

LaAlO3 and SrTiO3 are two well known non‐magnetic insulators, but when LaAlO3 is deposited on SrTiO3 to form a clean LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface, the interface becomes an ultra‐thin sheet of conductor. Even more surprisingly, the interface exhibits unusual magnetic properties, but the origin of the observed interfacial magnetism is under debate.

The SuperSeed labs of Hammer and Good designed a disordered protein material called ‘SPLIT’ capable of self-assembly into micron size protein condensates when illuminated with brief pulses of 405 nm laser light [1]. The saturation concentration of these photo-regulated coacervates were characterized biochemically in vitro, and imaging confirmed optically-induced condensation from genetically encoded components in living cells.