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.

MIT MRSEC researchers have demonstrated that the combined action of temperature and mechanical stress can tune the relative stability of electronic defects in semiconducting oxides.

Defects, essentially locations in a crystal where the perfect arrangement of atoms is disturbed, are inherent in materials, and play a key role in their function.

Solution-processed semiconductor and dielectric materials are attractive for satellite technology due to their light-weight, low-voltage operation, and mechanical robustness, but their response to ionizing radiation environments is not well understood.

Nebraska MRSEC sponsored and organized Science Night Live!, a unique event that created opportunities for Nebraska scientists to engage the general public with science in ways that challenged stereotypes about who scientists are, how science is done, and why basic research is valuable. 

IRG1 of the Columbia MRSEC seeks to understand the behavior of van der Waals heterostructures created by assembly of atomically thin layered materials. One important question in this effort is how the relative orientation between the layers affects multiple properties.

Due to enormous challenges associated with theoretical modeling of multicomponent alloys, there are no reliable theoretical predictions available for their composition-dependent properties and structures. Taylor and Schroers have proposed to use combinatorial materials science to address this challenge. 

Restacked films of exfoliated 2D nanosheets can function as massive nanofluidic channel arrays. Recent research shows that cutting such membranes into asymmetric shapes leads to ionic current rectification.

A Solar Outreach Program for Haiti is comprised of an interdisciplinary team of students, professors, university partners, and non-governmental organizations whose goal is to design and build Integrated Energy Centers in energy scarce regions. This year, the program developed a business plan, located investors, and submitted several grant proposals.

Finely patterned surfaces, known as metasurfaces, can control light with unprecedented ability. Unlike traditional optical elements, metasurfaces derive their optical properties from their subwavelength texture rather than their shape.