Teachers from Wisconsin and Puerto Rico came together in Puerto Rico in July 2017 for the capstone week of their Research Experiences for Teachers Program.

MXenes are two-dimensional (2D) ceramics made of transition metal carbides and nitrides. Unlike other 2D ceramics, MXenes have inherently good conductivity and thus are promising for various applications. Probing the local physical properties of MXenes monolayers is important for the understanding of their functional performance. Nebraska MRSEC researchers in collaboration with their colleagues at Drexel University have developed an improved method for synthesis of monolayer membranes of Nb4C3Tx MXene.

Many advanced drugs acting in cells are made of DNA fragments.  Since DNA is biologically active and destroyed if not recognized, a major challenge for this kind of medicine is getting the DNA into selected target cells.  SMRC researchers have found that soap-like molecules that form nanometer-size spherical particles in water and that have a DNA-like component as part of their molecular structure can act as effective carriers of therapeutic DNA for cancer treatment.

At Nebraska MRSEC’s Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physical Sciences (WoPhyS), participants present research accomplishments, attend keynote talks, participate in graduate school preparation workshops, and tour UNL facilities and labs.

“Phase transition” is a term which is commonly used to describe transformations between solid, liquid, and gaseous states of matter. However, even in solids, phase transitions may occur between different structural phases, resulting in a discontinuous change of certain material properties, such as electrical conductivity and heat capacity, which can be used in technological applications. Many phase transitions in solids involve ultrafast motion in the atomic positions towards a new equilibrium configuration.

In response to the needs of teachers, the UCSB MRSEC has placed a new focus on the development of maker activities for K-12 students. These encourage the integration of maker activities into the school curriculum as well as within out-of-school environments (Maker Faires), supporting the adoption of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

This IRG focuses on the mechanical behavior of disordered materials, particularly beyond the onset of yield. The Figure shows recent advances in using Machine Learning (ML) methods to characterize the local structural environment of disordered materials with respect to susceptibility for particulate rearrangements using a quantity called softness. (A-D) shows an analysis of a polycrystalline material (created via Molecular Dynamic simulations) using ML and the concept of softness [1]. The Figure shows that softness (bright spots in D) is able to capture rearrangements measured as shown by colored particles in (C). This approach correctly identifies crystalline and grain boundary regions as having low values and high variability of softness, respectively. We also extended the concept of softness to anisotropic particles [2] (E). Similar predictive performance to isotropic particles is observed and a recursive feature elimination (RFE) method is introduced to better understand how softness arises from particular structural aspects that can be systematically tuned e.g. by particle aspect ratio.  Indeed, longer particles lead to different global flow patterns for a pillar under compression (F).

The Illinois MRSEC developed and implemented an 8-week program called “Musical Magnetism” that engages middle school students in materials science using the popular platform of music. The program combines engaging lessons and demos, researching a topic, turning that research into lyrics, and recording a song. 35 8th graders at Franklin STEAM Academy participated.

The new NU-MRSEC REU+ Program enables select REU participants from small colleges to follow their summer experience with an academic quarter at Northwestern University as domestic exchange students, thereby allowing them to experience the rigor of an R1 university in a nurturing environment. REU+ students take classes and also continue their research for an additional ten weeks.

A recent study introduces new ways to analyze ultrafast-light-driven magnetic structures that show simultaneous demagnetization and emit THz radiation. Historically, little work has been done to calculate THz emissions from these systems. The researchers developed two new methods that combine advanced theories to predict a new phenomenon of charge current pumping due to ultrafast demagnetization. This research enhances our understanding of the interactions within these materials, opening up potential for future applications in spintronics and terahertz technologies.