Need microscopic swimmers for transport and mixing in micro- and nanofluidic devices.

The unique microstructure and properties of amorphous materials make them attractive candidates for applications such as precision components in micro-electro-mechanical systems. There is  consequently great interest in fabricating sub-micron and nanoscale components of amorphous materials. This will require a thorough understanding of their properties.  

The Renewable Energy MRSEC at the Colorado School of Mines in collaboration with the outreach division at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory held a two week workshop for math and science teachers from public school catering to under-represented minorities.  The teachers were given hands-on experiences for projects in renewable energy to incorporate into their lesson plans.  

Sn whiskers are a serious reliability problem in Pb-free electronics manufacturing.  Whiskers (as in fig. 1) grow out of pure Sn coatings and have been responsible for numerous system failures, such as the Galaxy IV satellite. To increase our understanding of whisker growth, we have performed systematic measurements to quantify the whisker growth kinetics and the correlation between the formation of a Sn-Cu intermetallic compound (IMC), stress in the Sn and whisker nucleation.

Northwestern University with the Chicago Children’s Museum in prototyping and formative evaluation of the new permanent exhibit, Tinkering Lab, which focuses on the self-guided exploration of materials for K-8 students.

​The MRSEC’s sustainability initiative for research labs expanded in its second year to 29 labs across Penn State University Park and six branch campuses. Over 400 researchers have been involved thus far. Labs completing My Green Lab certification can be paired with one of 17 undergraduate Sustainable Lab Ambassadors who apply their sustainability training to the lab setting through engaged scholarship.

This study, carried out by researchers at UCI MRSEC, demonstrated the first example of activated sintering of a high-entropy alloy. It also revealed a segregation-induced grain boundary prewetting (disordering) transition.

Silicon/silicon dioxide is arguably the most important technological interface. With the end of Moore’s law scaling for silicon fast approaching, alternatives to silicon dioxide could enable new electronic device architectures. MRSEC researchers