The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Cornell University supports interactive research in four interdisciplinary groups. The theme of the MRSEC is the understanding and control of materials at the nanostructural level. The Center supports an extensive program of research experience for undergraduates and a new program of outreach to pre-college students in upstate New York, including collaborative efforts with a local science museum. The Center will also support seed funding for exploratory research and emerging areas of materials science. The MRSEC supports enhanced collaboration with industry and extensive shared experimental facilities that also support research not directly funded by the MRSEC. As part of the Center's search for new materials, the molecular inorganic- organic composites group will focus on innovative approaches for preparing and characterizing novel nanoscale inorganic-organic molecular composites. The group studying thin films on glass proposes systematic studies of disordered surfaces and thin film deposition on glass. The research addresses a rich array of phenomena that are not currently understood, and has potential application for large area electronics, a growing segment of the communications and display industry. Thin film deposition by energetic ion and atom beams can alter thin film growth substantially, leading to new structures, new compositions, and smooth ultra-thin films with improved properties. This group seeks to understand the microscopic processes underlying these effects. Uniquely structured nanoscale materials that isolate a few defects (or even a single one) will be used by the metallic nanostructure group to elucidate fundamental issues arising from defects and impurities. Magnetic interactions, defects and impurities can produce dramatic effects in quantum systems. The Center currently supports about 35 senior investigators, 8 postdoctoral research associates, 12 t echnicians or other professionals, 36 graduate students, and 25 undergraduates. The MRSEC is directed by Professor John Silcox. %%% The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Cornell University supports interactive research in four interdisciplinary groups. The theme of the MRSEC is the understanding and control of materials at the nanostructural level. The Center supports an extensive program of research experience for undergraduates and a new program of outreach to pre-college students in upstate New York, including collaborative efforts with a local science museum. The Center will also support seed funding for exploratory research and emerging areas of materials science. The MRSEC supports enhanced collaboration with industry and extensive shared experimental facilities that also support research not directly funded by the MRSEC. As part of the Center's search for new materials, the molecular inorganic- organic composites group will focus on innovative approaches for preparing and characterizing novel nanoscale inorganic-organic molecular composites. The group studying thin films on glass proposes systematic studies of disordered surfaces and thin film deposition on glass. The research addresses a rich array of phenomena that are not currently understood, and has potential application for large area electronics, a growing segment of the communications and display industry. Thin film deposition by energetic ion and atom beams can alter thin film growth substantially, leading to new structures, new compositions, and smooth ultra-thin films with improved properties. This group seeks to understand the microscopic processes underlying these effects. Uniquely structured nanoscale materials that isolate a few defects (or even a single one) will be used by the metallic nanostructure group to elucidate fundamental issues arising from defects and impurities. Magnetic interactions, defects and impurities can produce dramatic effects in q uantum systems.

The Material Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Arizona State University supports research on the synthesis of new families of materials, with a focus on the synthesis of materials at high pressures. The research combines experimental and theoretical studies to predict the stability, properties, and appropriate pressure range for the synthesis of novel target phases of nitride glasses, oxide perovskites, carbon nitrides, and chalcogenides. Additional research efforts address the process of vitrification in amorphous materials and the synthesis and characterization of epitaxial nitride films. The MRSEC supports shared experimental facilities for materials research, exploratory research through seed funding, and collaborations with industry and other academic institutions. Educational outreach programs include development of educational modules on materials science for middle school students and a collaborative research program with the College of Eastern Utah. The Center supports 13 senior investigators, 4 postdoctoral research associates, 12 graduate students, 1 technician, and 5 undergraduates. The MRSEC is directed by Prof. Paul McMillan. %%% The Material Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Arizona State University supports research on the synthesis of new families of materials, with a focus on the synthesis of materials at high pressures. The MRSEC supports shared experimental facilities for materials research, exploratory research through seed funding, and collaborations with industry and other academic institutions. Educational outreach programs include development of educational modules on materials science for middle school students and a collaborative research program with the College of Eastern Utah. The Center supports 13 senior investigators, 4 postdoctoral research associates, 12 graduate students, 1 technician, and 5 undergraduates. The MRSEC is directed by Prof. Paul McMillan.

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Colorado, The Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Materoals Reserach Center, focuses on basic liquid crystal and soft materials science that may result in enhanced capabilities for electro-optic, nonlinear optic, chemical and other applications. The Center consists of a single interdisciplinary research group (IRG) working on three major themes: molecularstructure/macroscopic properties, interfaces, and polymers/gels. Each theme integrates molecular modeling and design, synthesis, physical characterization, and applications development. The MRSEC maintains shared facilities in support of its research and for the training of students. The Center carries out a comprehensive education and outreach program that includes outreach to K-12 students and teachers by bringing materials topics to the classroom, summer research experiences for undergraduates, and a graduate program in liquid crystal science and technology. The MRSEC has strong interactions with the industrial sector through research collaborations involving faculty and students.

Participants in the Center currently include 9 senior investigators, 1 postdoctoral associate, 12 graduate students, and 4 support personnel. Professor Noel A. Clark directs the MRSEC.

Following the successful demonstration (Nature 2007, 445, 414???417) of a working defect-tolerant 160,000 bit molecular memory composed of a Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) derived monolayer of amphiphilic, bistable rotaxane molecules and fabrication in a crossbar architecture with nanowires (15 nm wide polysilicon underneath and 15 nm wide Ti/Al on top sandwiching approximately 200 molecules) at a density (10¹¹ bits cm^-2) not predicted, according to the 2005 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (2005 ITRS), to be reached until 2020 at the earliest, the aim of this research project is to design and synthesize, by template-directed protocols that depend upon the operation of molecular recognition and self-assembly processes, bistable rotaxanes, which are amphiphilic or functionalized for carrying out Huisgen/Sharpless-style ???click chemistry??? with matching electrode surfaces, and undego a change in their dipole moments in response to an electrochemical stimulus that causes relative mechanical motions to occur within the bistable rotaxane molecules. Monolayers of these molecules will then be assessed in a device setting which involves a two-terminal molecular switch tunnel junction (MSTJ) to establish whether or not they can be switched electrically between high and low capacitance states, and hence, in principle at least, can serve as active reconfigurable channels in logic circuits. The research objectives will be reached by controlling the nature and location of the charged components in these nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) where control of the dielectric properties of monolayers of these bistable molecules will be achieved through dipole induction and/or charge-storage processes. The compounds that are designed to address reconfigurable molecular logic will also feature a unique collection of recognition units which could be employed to expand the available chemical space for a much wider range of applications addressable by artificial molecular machinery.

Complex metal oxides are a diverse and highly versatile class of materials that can exhibit scientifically and technologically important behaviors ranging from magnetism to piezoelectricity.  New technologies and new fields of applications can be realized by expanding the scope of available ionic compositions and increasing the geometric complexity of nanostructures formed from crystalline oxide materials. IRG 2 focuses on probing the synthesis of oxides, increasing the range of available oxide compositions, and forming unique nanostructures – directions that are each enabled by use of novel transformations from the amorphous to crystalline form. This process of solid phase epitaxy, or SPE, allows the crystallization of materials that cannot be made through conventional processing techniques and provides the freedom to develop new materials and explore new properties.

This IRG aims to advance understanding and control of metallic antiferromagnetic materials using ultrafast optics and currents, as well as fast temperature excursions. The primary goal is to answer open questions concerning the coupling of magnetic order, optical fields, electronic excitations, and lattice vibrations that underlie fundamental limits on the control of magnetization dynamics.

IRG 2 develops recyclable, reconfigurable polymers with self-healing and adaptive properties to revolutionize materials manufacturing. By integrating simulation, advanced synthesis, and FAIR data sharing, this research enables sustainable materials for extreme conditions, agile manufacturing, and energy-efficient applications, reducing environmental impact and advancing industries from aerospace to energy.

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Nebraska supports an interdisciplinary research program on Quantum and Spin Phenomena in Nanomagnetic Structures (QSPINS). The MRSEC's research is centered on studies of new magnetic materials and structures at the nanometer scale, with the aim of developing fundamental understanding of their properties and related phenomena important for advanced technological applications. QSPINS is organized into two interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs). IRG1 'Nanoscale Magnetism: Structures, Materials and Phenomena' focuses on fundamental physics, chemistry, and materials issues in nanoscale magnets, addressing important quantum, electronic structure, nanofabrication, high-sensitivity measurements, and magnetization-dynamics problems. Nanostructuring has reached a length scale where quantum approaches are needed, and this IRG brings a unique combination of theory, modeling, and new fabrication and measurement methods to the study of novel materials and phenomena. The expected outcomes are new insights into phenomena and structures important for the development of novel cluster-assembled materials, higher energy-density permanent magnets, and information-technology materials. IRG2 'Magnetoelectric Interfaces and Spin Transport' employs the electron spin in a synergistic combination with novel nanoscale magnetic and ferroelectric structures to manipulate spin-dependent properties to yield new scientific concepts and achieve enhanced functionalities. Designed magnetoelectric and piezomagnetic heterostructures are to be investigated where the interplay between electricity, elasticity, and magnetism across interfaces manifests interesting unexplored phenomena, such as electrically-controlled exchange bias and magneto-crystalline anisotropy, and ferroelectrically-tailored spin transport.

QSPINS's education and outreach programs encourage gifted young people to pursue scientific careers, broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in science through targeted programs, and improve materials literacy among the general public. As an integral part of the Center, QSPINS offers interdisciplinary training for the next generation of materials scientists and engineers by providing regional four-year institutions experience and tools to improve their materials science programs and curricula, offering opportunities for middle- and high-school teachers and their students to learn about materials science, and by addressing pre-college segments of the educational pipeline via targeted outreach activities. QSPINS maintains shared experimental and computational facilities and supports exploratory Seed Projects to provide continual revitalization of the projects and investigators and promote new interdisciplinary collaborations. QSPINS fosters interactions with industrial companies to leverage the expected scientific innovations for potential technological advances.

PAQM encompasses two IRGs that build higher dimensional materials from lower dimensional structures to create the next generation of quantum, optoelectronic, and energy transport materials.

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Nebraska supports an interdisciplinary research program on Quantum and Spin Phenomena in Nanomagnetic Structures. The MRSEC includes faculty participants representing the departments of physics, mechanical engineering, chemistry, and the school of biological sciences The Center's research is organized into two interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs). IRG1, Nanomagnetism: Fundamental Interactions and Applications, is concerned with the study of exchange and magnetostatic interactions between particles or grains in nanostructures. IRG 2, Spin Polarization and Transmission at Nanocontacts and Interfaces, investigates spin polarization and transport through nanoscale magnetic contacts and at ferromagnetic/ferroelectric structures. The Center's research is aided by extensive collaborations with other universities, government and industrial laboratories that bring in over fifteen additional participants. The Center also maintains shared experimental facilities in support of its research efforts. Education outreach efforts include research experiences for teachers and for faculty-student teams from predominantly undergraduate institutions.