Tuesday, October 28, 2003Volume 3, Issue 13
Director's Message
Postdoctoral and Senior Fellow
The deadline for submission of an application in the 2004 ICAM Postdoctoral and Senior Fellow competition (icam.lanl.gov) is November 1st. Contact Melik Demirel ( Validate to view address ) if you submit an application so we can track it. FYI, Penn State is now a member of ICAM (Institute for Complex Adaptive Matter).
Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse
The Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse (www.digitalgreenhouse.com) is broadening its interest, and could provide funding opportunities for materials and processes, which have potential applications for "systems on a chip". In addition to the website, you can contact Tom Jackson ( Validate to view address ) for further information.
WUN
Nanoparticles To 3-D Photonic Crystals:
Self-Assembly Of Sensors, Waveguides, And Nanoparticles At Multiple Length Scales
Professor Paul Braun
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Wednesday, October 29, 2003
12:00pm
101 Tech Center
Nanoparticles to micron sized colloidal particles offer unique possibilities for engineering application and scientific study as they can be self-assembled into designed 1-D, 2-D and 3-D structures. For example, self-assembled 3-D photonic crystals offer the potential for the manipulation of light in unique and highly amplified ways. We will present3-D photonic crystal based sensors, where strong changes in diffraction result from small changes in structure driven by trace chemical compounds and biomolecules. The functionality of photonic crystals will also be greatly enhanced if complex features including wave guides and cavities are defined within the interior of the photonic crystal. Here we demonstrate multi photon writing of such features followed by refractive index enhancement through infilling of selenium. The colloidal crystal matrix supports the polymerized features, thus no shrinkage or cracking was observed. This methodology enabled the fabrication of complex 3-D patterns within the colloidal crystal with an edge resolution of 100 nm. The high dielectric contrast necessary for wave guiding was generated through the melt imbibing of selenium followed by removal of the colloidal crystal with HF. Critical for realization of photonic crystal devices will be the creation of 3-D photonic crystals with low defect densities and defined orientation with respect to the substrate. We will present our recent progress in using nanoparticles to organize colloidal crystals with very low defect densities. Finally, we will cover our recent efforts in nanoparticle assembly and synthesis, with the goal of creating low dimensional structures from defined aggregates of nanoparticles.
Faculty Spotlight
Craig Grimes
Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering & Materials Science and Engineering
cgrimes@engr.psu.edu
http://www.ee.psu.edu
http://www.ee.psu.edu/grimes/
Craig Grimes is a practical fellow who wants to make something with the results of his research, "If you're lucky - and at the right place at the right time - your work can have real-world applications," he says. His interests span sensors and atomic theory - not exactly the usual mix for an electrical engineer. Some might argue that atomic theory isn't very practical (although they might change their minds after reading the book below), but sensor research is often about solving a practical problem and has the added benefit of being a better candidate for funding.
MRI Staff Awards
The Materials Research Institute is now seeking nominations for the MRI Staff Awards. This is an excellent opportunity to recognize individuals who have provided the Penn State materials community with exemplary service. You are encouraged to discuss potential candidates for this award with your students and other researchers who interact with the MRI staff, and seek their input in the form of informal nomination letters/emails. Eligible candidates include MRI Technical and Clerical Staff in the Materials Characterization Lab, Nanofabrication Facility, and the MRI and MRL Bldgs. Please note that a minimum of three support letters are needed in addition to the attached nomination form. The deadline to return your nomination form is November 13th. Please take the time to nominate a colleague for one of these special awards. If you have questions regarding the criteria please feel free to contact Donna Lucas (dzm4@psu.edu).
The nomination form can be found at:
http://www.mri.psu.edu/ematerials/v03i13/awards.pdf
Materials Seminars
Wednesday, October 29, 2003Time: 11:15 AMWednesday, October 29, 2003
Location: S5 Osmond Laboratory
Title: Characterization of Self-Assembled Monolayer; Electrical Conduction, Thermal Stability, Photo Stability and Nanotribology
Speaker: Taiko Ishida, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Institute for Mechanical Systems Engineering
Time: 3:35 PMThursday, October 30, 2003
Location: 114 EES Building
Title: Technology and cultural evolution
Speaker: Dean R. Snow, PSU/Anthropology
Time: 1:15 AMFriday, October 31, 2003
Location: 26 Hosler Building
Title: Dying and Cracking of Highly Filled Coatings
Speaker: Lee White, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University
Time: 2:30 PMTuesday, November 04, 2003
Location: S5 Osmond Laboratory
Title: Nano-scale magnetism: from ultra-thin films to nano-particles
Speaker: Florin Zavaliche, NRC Ottawa
Time: 11:30 AMThursday, November 06, 2003
Location: 108 Wartik Laboratory
Title: Personal Experience in the Application of Chemical Engineering to Non Traditional Fields, and Recent Research Topics in GE Plastics
Speaker: Dr. William Banholzer, GE Plastics
Time: 1:15 AMFriday, November 07, 2003
Location: 26 Hosler Building
Title: Adventures in Polymer Blends: Connections between Theory and Experiment
Speaker: Jane Lipson, Professor of Chemistry at Dartmouth College
Time: 3:35 PM
Location: 114 EES Building
Title: Self-organization in nonlinear optics
Speaker: Partha Banerjee, University of Dayton
For a complete list of upcoming materials-related seminars go to:
http://www.mri.psu.edu/seminars.asp
Funding Opportunities
Posted October 27
DARPA: New Materials, Materials Concepts, Materials Processing and Devices
Deadline : January 16, 2004
Posted October 24
NIH: Novel Technologies for Noninvasive Detection, Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer
January 21, 2004 deadline
