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This IRG will transform understanding of the link between deformations of 2D heterostructures and molecular assemblies, and the resultant changes in electronic, chemical, and optical properties. It will explore a novel regime where non-uniform deformations are large compared to material dimensions, resulting in emergent properties and functionalities.

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Chicago supports innovative research to produce the design principles for the next generation of materials. The research is focused on investigating materials formed far from equilibrium, exploring new paradigms for material fabrication and response, and exploiting feedback between structure and dynamics. Senior investigators come from seven Departments and five Institutes of University of Chicago and two Divisions at the neighboring Argonne National Laboratory. In addition to training a diverse group of graduate and undergraduate students, the Chicago MRSEC brings science inquiry experiences to underserved students in neighboring communities on Chicago's South Side including programs for students and teachers and after-school Science Clubs. The MRSEC provides summer research opportunities to undergraduate students from all over USA. As part of its outreach to the general public, the MRSEC collaborates with Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and SciTech in Aurora, IL to develop materials science exhibits and to introduce graduate students to museum-exhibit development. The MRSEC is committed to increasing the Center diversity as reflected in the significant participation by women in the Center's investigators and leadership. The MRSEC has international collaborations with universities in Chile and Holland.

Research at this MRSEC is organized in four Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs): (i) The IRG on Jamming and Slow Relaxation in Materials Far From Equilibrium considers the factors causing flowing systems to become rigid and trapped far from equilibrium. Its goal is to pursue new types of materials processing to exploit effects of aging and memory common to jammed and glassy materials. (ii) The IRG on Dynamic Transitions of Material Sheets focuses on the dynamics of interfaces, such as on the surface of a droplet or a membrane. The goal is to use the instabilities at interfaces to shape materials to create structure where explicit shaping is impractical. (iii) The IRG on Rational Design of Nanoparticle and Molecule-Based Functional Materials develops tools to create new classes of materials based on the large assortment of nanometer-sized particles now available. Goals include understanding the fundamentals of nano-particle self-organization to tune array properties. (iv) The IRG on Macroscopic Quantum Coherence seeks to establish control of materials by addressing fundamental issues in quantum materials engineering. The goal is to create macroscopically-coherent states by focusing on systems that can be finely tuned to enable precise control of the complex quantum dynamics for the creation of useful devices.

IRG Leaders: Cherie R. Kagan & James M. Kikkawa

Senior Investigators; Marija Drndić, Nader Engheta, Jennifer Lukes, Christopher B. Murray

IRG-4 will identify, understand, and ultimately exploit the novel collective interactions that arise in highly-ordered, multi-component materials assembled at the nanoscale.  These materials are “interdimensional” in that complex interactions between low-dimensional constituents (nanoparticles) organized into higher-dimensional assemblies give rise to surprising and even transformative characteristics.  All of the matter in these new solids is within a few nanometers of an interface, creating strong interplay between building blocks whose collective responses are then shaped by the long-range order of their interfacial network.  In analogy to conventional atomic solids, ordering in multi-component solids with nanocrystal superlattices (NSLs) can evolve pairwise local interactions into long-range influences that couple photonic, phononic, magnetic, and electronic responses.  The IRG will focus on the modular assembly of two or more types of nanostructures into a wide range of multi-component materials where a high degree of order can transform the properties of the assembly.  Inter-dimensional material architectures include families of highly ordered binary nanocrystal superlattices (BNSLs) and quasicrystals, precise-number nanocrystal clusters formed by templated assembly, and the first co-crystallization of nanorods and nanospheres.  These structural motifs accommodate a wide variety of semiconducting, metallic, phosphorescent, semimetallic, and magnetic nanocrystals, tunable in size (1-100 nm), shape (spheres, rods, cubes, 3- and 6-sided prisms), and surface functionalization.

The Center of Excellence for Materials Research and Innovation (CEMRI)*, hosted by the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM) at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), pursues a program that provides crucial support for faculty, post-docs, and graduate students drawn from different disciplines to tackle complex fundamental materials problems that can only be addressed in a truly collaborative mode, and that are likely to underlie future technologies and economic needs of society. Four Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) are central to the Center. The first group explores the interplay of curvature- & elasticity-induced interactions in liquid crystals, colloids, and on interfaces; new findings will thus generate new abilities to manipulate soft matter using surface structures & membrane geometry. The second group creates materials inspired by virology from novel synthetic macromolecules such as self-assembled Janus dendrimers & designer proteins; the new materials, with virus-like structure & functions, will be useful for sensing, communication, and actuation. The third group investigates disordered packings of atoms, colloids and grains to understand how localized rearrangements of constituents organize under load; the new concepts generated will provide routes for predicting whether materials are about to fail, and for synthesis of tough materials. The fourth group, anchored by a world-class effort in nanocrystal synthesis & assembly, builds novel inter-dimensional materials from these particles, and measures emergent electronic, optical, acoustic and magnetic properties. In each IRG, theory and simulation stimulate experiment and vice versa, and answers to fundamental questions have implications for application and for the creation of heretofore un-synthesized advanced materials with unique properties. The CEMRI also supports Shared Experimental Facilities (SEFs) that enable the achievement of research goals, student/post-doc training, and outreach to our community. SEFs include X-ray scattering, electron and confocal microscopy, rheometry, electronic/thermal transport, magnetic responses, optical spectroscopy, scanning probe microscopy, and more.

The Penn CEMRI sustains creative educational and outreach programs for local K-12 school students and teachers, for undergraduates from around the nation, for Penn graduate students and post-docs, and for faculty, scientists, and students/post-docs from partnering institutions in the region and across the globe. A primary goal of the LRSM education and human resources development effort is to attract more Americans to STEM fields and take them to the highest educational level possible, with emphasis on underrepresented minorities, women, and the disabled. In addition to standard outreach programs such as Research Experiences for Undergraduates/Teachers (REU/RET), less common programs such as our Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) with the University of Puerto Rico, and distinctive programs such as our 4-week-High-School-PSSI and Southern Africa initiatives, CEMRI outreach will expand to include: the Girard School 7th Grade Science Camp for minority middle-school students, a year?long materials science elective course for high school seniors and associated workshops for teachers, annual materials exhibitions (with connections to NOVA, Philadelphia Science Festival), and Science Cafés for the general public. Local community is also embraced via imaginative telepresence such as Cable TV programs and MAGPI videoconferences to high schools (HS).

The CEMRI pursues a multi-faceted strategy to reach out to industry, national laboratories, and the international community. Currently, ~25 companies (small, medium and large) are directly involved with the CEMRI, and our Shared Experimental Facilities are widely used by local industries (~100 person-days per year). The COMPASS (Complex Assemblies of Soft Matter) Laboratory was started and will continue as a joint venture between the LRSM, Rhodia, and the French CNRS. The CEMRI also continues to play a role developing national synchrotron x-ray and neutron scattering facilities; more than 25% of CEMRI faculty are currently involved with National Labs as users or in collaborative projects; others serve on advisory panels. International links (i.e., joint workshops, reciprocal visits by faculty/post-docs/students) of CEMRI with institutes in Southern Africa, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, France, Romania, and more, have cemented genuine research ties worldwide.

*a NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC)

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of California Santa Barbara supports research in the area of complex materials in four interdisciplinary groups. One group investigating complex fluids is focused on the creation and control of biomolecular materials. The emphasis is on biomolecular materials whose microstructure can be controlled for possible applications to the development of heat-proof proteins, artificial tissue, novel drug delivery systems, and biogels. A second group investigating solution synthesis of inorganics at molecular and atomic interfaces seeks to understand basic mechanisms of these processes and to explore the synthesis of new materials with applications to electro-optics, catalysis, and biotechnology. Heterogeneous polymeric structures are investigated by a third group. These structures include heterogeneous block copolymers for potential biomedical applications and network blends for polymer light-emitting electrochemical cells. Strongly non-equilibri um phenomena in complex materials are investigated by a fourth group that has a strong theoretical component focused on issues of practical importance in the materials area with a common theme of nonlinearity. Planned studies include fundamental mechanisms of friction, dynamics of fracture, including both conventional fracture and seismic events, the structural evolution of thin films, and phase transitions in reacting polymers. The MRSEC supports the development, operation and maintenance of shared experimental facilities for materials research. It provides seed funding for exploratory research and emerging areas, and fosters research participation by undergraduates. The MRSEC has strong industrial links and an educational outreach program. The educational program includes the Science Partnership for School Innovation and an internship program involving instructors and students from a local city college. The Center currently supports 30 senior investigators, 10 postdoctoral research associates, 5 technicians or other professionals, 35 graduate students, and 25 undergraduates. The MRSEC is directed by Professor Anthony K. Cheetham. %%% The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (PARSEC) at the University of California Santa Barbara supports research in the area of complex materials in four interdisciplinary groups. One group investigating complex fluids is focused on the creation and control of biomolecular materials whose microstructure can be controlled for possible applications to the development of heat-proof proteins, artificial tissue, and novel drug delivery systems. A second group investigating synthesis of inorganics at molecular and atomic interfaces seeks to understand basic mechanisms of these processes and to explore the synthesis of new materials with applications to electro-optics, catalysis, and biotechnology. Heterogeneous polymeric structures are investigated by a third groupwith potential biomedical applications and polymer light-emitting electrochemical cells. Strongly non-equilibrium phenomena in complex materials are investigated by a fourth group that has a strong theoretical component focused on issues of practical importance in the materials area. Planned studies include fundamental mechanisms of friction, dynamics of fracture, including both conventional fracture and seismic events, the structural evolution of thin films, and phase transitions in reacting polymers. The MRSEC supports the development, operation and maintenance of shared experimental facilities for materials research. It provides seed funding for exploratory research and emerging areas, and fosters research participation by undergraduates. The MRSEC has strong industrial links and an educational outreach program. The educational program includes the Science Partnership for School Innovation and an internship program involving instructors and students from a local city college

New materials are typically created using the most basic building blocks of matter - atoms of the different elements in the periodic table. The Center for Precision Assembly of Superstratic and Superatomic Solids -- led by Columbia University in partnership with City College of New York, Harvard University, Barnard College, and the University of the Virgin Islands -- seeks to create novel materials from two new types of building blocks: atomically thin sheets stacked into layered structures; and precisely defined clusters of atoms linked together into bulk solids. The Center research will provide better understanding of low-dimensional materials and their interactions. This understanding will aid in the design and discovery of new materials with better applications in electronic/magnetic devices, optoelectronic systems, and thermoelectrics. The Center provides interdisciplinary graduate research training and opportunities for undergraduate research; includes research partners in industry, national laboratories, and internationally; and will build new shared instrumentation facilities available to the research community. The Center includes a comprehensive program to improve and support science education through partnerships with three local K-12 schools, and a new pilot program at the Columbia School of Journalism.

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Northwestern University supports interactive research in five interdisciplinary groups. The unifying theme of the research is the design and characterization of structured materials with unique properties for potential technological applications. One group investigates electroactive and magnetoactive molecular materials by designing molecular materials for specific electroresponsive or magnetoresponsive properties. A second group studies narrow bandgap strained-layer semiconductor materials and focuses on the synthesis, stability, and properties of these materials. Strain and/or ordering is used to tailor the band structure, and hence the optical properties. This work has high potential impact on the area of room temperature infrared lasers and improved infrared detectors. Other applications include optical communications and optical computers which take advantage of the highly non-linear optical constants of these materials. A third group investigates optically functional polymers and molecular assemblies, bringing to bear a combination of synthesis, materials characterization, and theoretical approaches on problems of fundamental and applied significance in the area of polymers with optical nonlinearities. A fourth group studies ultrahard coatings with the goal of stabilizing and/or nucleating normally unstable phases, specifically certain nitrides, epitaxially on carefully chosen substrates. A fifth group working on functional electroceramic thin films will synthesize and characterize thin ceramic films for advanced dielectric and nonlinear optical applications and will extend the deposition and characterization techniques to novel transparent conducting oxides. The MRSEC supports the development, operation and maintenance of shared experimental facilities for materials research. It provides seed funding for exploratory research and fosters research participation by unde rgraduates. The Center supports an educational outreach program aimed at pre-college science education through development of the Materials World Modules, and a program featuring research experiences for science teachers. The Center also administers an industrial outreach program. The Center currently supports 35 senior investigators, 5 postdoctoral research associates, 7 technicians or other professionals, 34 graduate students, and 16 undergraduates. The MRSEC is directed by Professor R.P.H. Chang. %%% The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Northwestern University supports interactive research in five interdisciplinary groups. The unifying theme of the research is the design and characterization of structured materials with unique properties for potential technological applications. One group investigates electroactive and magnetoactive molecular materials. A second group studies narrow bandgap strained-layer semiconductor materials. This work has high potential impact on the area of room temperature infrared lasers and improved infrared detectors. Other applications include optical communications and optical computers which take advantage of the highly non-linear optical constants of these materials. A third group investigates optically functional polymers and molecular assemblies, while a fourth group studies ultrahard, specifically certain nitrides. A fifth group working on functional electroceramic thin films will synthesize and characterize thin ceramic films for advanced dielectric and nonlinear optical applications. The MRSEC supports the development, operation and maintenance of shared experimental facilities for materials research. It provides seed funding for exploratory research and fosters research participation by undergraduates. The Center supports an educational outreach program aimed at pre-college science education through development of the Materials World Modules, and a program featuring research experie nces for science teachers. The Center also administers an industrial outreach program.

In IRG2, we are establishing the field of photo-ionics, in which electronically-mediated light-ion interactions control defect populations and macroscopic fluxes of defects and ions.

The mission of the Illinois MRSEC is to (i) perform fundamental, innovative research, broadly centered on understanding the dynamic properties of materials, and (ii) support interdisciplinary education and training of students in materials design, understanding, and application.

The science of the Center seeks to form the basis for new technologies in electronics, information storage, photonics, and biomaterials that will greatly benefit society. The Illinois MRSEC leverages synergies such as: shared facilities (based in the Illinois Materials Research Lab) and resources (e.g., computation supported by NCSA/Blue Waters); the development of cutting-edge materials synthesis and characterization tools; an intellectual focus on new dynamical regimes of materials; enhanced integration of education and outreach with world-class research; a focus on improving scientific communication; and increased diversity leading to more creative and productive research.

The development of all-epitaxial metal/semiconductor nanocomposite systems by MBE (molecular beam epitaxy)-growth represents a novel and unique approach to the fabrication of precisely defined nanoscopic architectures that cannot be produced using conventional techniques. Such an approach will open up an entirely new class of materials with enormous implications for electronic devices that have the potential for new and improved performance/properties when compared to previous semiconductor technologies, thus providing materials science challenges well into the next decade.