MRSEC: Center for Multifunctional Materials

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Nontechnical Description:The Northwestern University Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (NU-MRSEC) advances world-class materials research, education, and outreach via active interdisciplinary collaborations within the Center and with external partners in academia, industry, national laboratories, and museums, both domestically and abroad. The intellectual merit of the NU-MRSEC resides primarily within its interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs) and seed-funded projects that promote dynamic evolution of Center research foci. IRG-1, entitled "Reconfigurable Responses in Mixed-Dimensional Heterojunctions", explores nanoelectronic materials systems that simultaneously process and store information to provide functionality comparable to that exhibited by complex biological systems such as neural networks. IRG-2, entitled "Functional Heteroanionic Materials via the Science of Synthesis", brings together experts in materials synthesis, computational design of materials, and advanced characterization, to expand a relatively unexplored class of materials with unconventional combinations of electrical and thermal properties. The NU-MRSEC achieves broad impact through several programs including professional development of graduate students and postdocs, research experiences for undergraduates and teachers, as well as outreach to K-12 students and the general public. These activities are enhanced by partnerships with Argonne National Laboratory, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Children's Museum, Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Chicago Public Schools, and Chicago City Colleges.Technical Description:The Northwestern University Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (NU-MRSEC) integrates materials research, education, and outreach through two interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs) and with external partners in academia, industry, national laboratories, and museums, both domestically and abroad. IRG-1, entitled "Reconfigurable Responses in Mixed-Dimensional Heterojunctions", explores how heterojunctions consisting of nanoelectronic materials of differing dimensionality are influenced by dielectric screening, electronic band/level offsets, and interfacial regions. By utilizing low-dimensional materials synthesis, surface chemical functionalization, spatially and spectrally resolved characterization, and advanced computation, IRG-1 develops quantitative descriptions of the nonlinear responses in mixed-dimensional heterojunctions. Elucidation of the mechanisms governing structural changes, and the corresponding changes in optoelectronic properties, allows controllable reconfiguration in response to a multitude of physical and chemical stimuli, with implications for neuromorphic computing. IRG-2, entitled "Functional Heteroanionic Materials via the Science of Synthesis", develops new heteroanionic materials with tunable electronic, ionic, thermal, and optical properties, which are otherwise inaccessible from simpler homoanionic structures and chemistries. Discovery of heteroanionic materials is facilitated by synthetic and characterization methods that provide a panoramic view of crystallization and diffusion processes, in which emerging phases of interest are revealed and growth mechanisms are delineated. By emphasizing synthesis as the central science, the tools, protocols, and databases formulated in IRG-2 enable synthesis-on-demand of complex materials suggested by computational discovery. The research of the NU-MRSEC informs a diverse range of education and outreach activities that target all levels including postdocs, graduate students, undergraduates, K-12 students and teachers, as well as the general public. Examples include Transdisciplinary Engineering and Theater Workshops that create original science-themed plays, and Jugando con la Ciencia (Playing with Science) that translates outreach curricula and texts into Spanish.