Terminator 2 is widely remembered for its metal shape-shifting villain. Impervious to bullets, explosives, and fire, the T-1000 robot was capable of changing shape at will. Researchers at the North Carolina State University have taken a step towards making science fiction a reality by developing a technique for controlling the surface tension of liquid metals using very low voltages. This technology paves the way for shape-reconfigurable metal components in

We are building a scanning probe microscope to study spin and charge on the nanoscale. The magnetic sensing element is a nitrogen-vacancy center (NV) in diamond, which should afford single electron spin sensitivity with 10 nm spatial resolution. Schematic of diamond-based scanning probe magnetometer Confocal fluorescence images showing relative locations of NV and Gd-functionalized tip

Non-Spherical, patchy particles can be synthesized using liquid crystalline templates

A Molecular Simulation App to Change the Way Students Learn About Atoms

NSF support has enabled the team to introduce a novel method for formation of a broad range of polymer nanofibers and nanomaterials. The patented technique, illustrated in the Figure (left), is based on shearing of polymer solution inside viscous medium. It is extremely simple, efficient and readily scalable and can be applied to the fabrication of nanofibers from most types of commercial and special use polymers.  The team has scaled up the process to a continuous production of polymer nanofibers at rates of kgs/hour

RT-MRSEC Graduate Student Fellows and staff joined area scientists to participate in Sherwood Githens Middle School’s Family Science Fair Night on January 29, 2015.

Researchers from Duke University have developed biologically synthesized proteins that can form nano-scale structures of various sizes, shapes, and behaviors. These proteins, called elastin-like polypeptide block copolymers, spontaneously self-assemble into different structures based on their interactions with other proteins and water. By changing their sequence, the researchers can control the shape and behavior of the structures that they form.

A central goal of IRG-4 is to use collective interactions between dissimilar nanocrystals to enhance the performance of their assemblies. Here we demonstrate plasmonic enhancement of optical upconversion luminescence within nanorod-nanophosphor heterodimers (Fig 1a-c). Using experiment and theory we are able to develop design rules for optimizing heterodimer geometry. The templated assembly process (Fig 1d-e) can be used for many other nanocrystal building blocks and for larger assemblies.

In 2015 we will celebrate the arrival of our 600th REU student in our NSF-supported REU program. This program started in 1989 with a small grant that supported 5 minority students. Over the following 26 years, we have averaged 23 students/yr by supplementing our MRSEC–supported students with an additional DMR REU Site grant that supported 10 students per year and some individual faculty contributions. Overall, 61% of our students were from under-represented groups (39% minority and 43% women) in STEM departments.