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A collaboration between PREM partners, Michael Bockstaller (CMU) and Rufina Alamo (FAMU) had great outcomes for both science and education. A student from Alamos's group at FAMU, Robert Smith, joined Bockstaller's group during the summer to study the effect of selective chlorine substitution on the crystallization of polyethylene. Scientifically, the collaboration resulted in two publications co-authored by Smith, Bockstaller, Alamo, and others (see figures below). Educationally, Smith's exposure to graduate research at CMU led him to apply for graduate school at CMU and elsewhere.

Soft robotics, wearable computing, and mechanically adaptive structures will lead to revolutionary tools for exploration, disaster relief, personal electronics, and assistive medicine. Progress demands innovative solutions to current challenges: electronic skin for tactile sensing, and soft, hyperelastic circuits for stretchable computing. These new materials will enable next-generation machines and electronics to be soft, durable, impact resistant, and capable of adapting their shape, mechanical properties, and functionality to rapid changes in user environmental conditions.

Semiconductor nanocrystal

The continued evolution of portable electronic devices and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) requires multi-functional microscale energy sources that have high power, high energy, long cycle life, and the adaptability to various substrates.

Background: A bar magnet has two poles, denoted as +1 and -1 magnetic charges.  Patterned structuresconsist of many magnets (Fig. 1), where the square array (Fig. 1a) does not, whereas the honeycomb (Fig. 1b) has, net magnetic charges (or magnetic monopoles).  Under a magnetic field these local magnetic monopoles will move (Fig. 1c).  This latter structure is called “spin ice”, because it has a large number of nearly degenerate configurations. This work: We propose a theoretical model of the dynamics in artificial spin ice under an applied

Background: CoFeB-MgO magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) are leading spintronic devices that relies on quantum Mechanical tunneling of electrons from one magnetic metal (CoFeB) to another across an insulating barrier of MgO. The electrical resistance of such MTJs is dictated by the orientation of the two CoFeB metals, parallel or antiparallel.   The performance of MTJ is measured by tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR), which is only 20% initially, but greatly increases to 200% after high temperature annealing (Fig. 1). We reveal the evolution of the local structure during annealing.

Since 2006, members of the University of Chicago MRSEC have visited the Exploratorium and hosted reverse-visits by Exploratorium artists and scientists. The long-term goal is the realization of MRSEC-inspired exhibits on the Exploratorium floor. The picture on the left is of Shawn Lani (formerly, Exploratorium) and Sid Nagel discussing the beautiful and compelling structures made by a vibrated cornstarch/water mixture.

Ordering of spherical particles represents a fundamental topic in materials science and engineering ranging from the sub-nanometer scale packing of atoms in simple crystals to micron sized assemblies of colloids.