MRSEC: Center for Multifunctional Materials

非技术描述：西北大学材料研究科学与工程中心(NU-MRSEC)通过该中心内部以及与国内外学术界、工业界、国家实验室和博物馆的外部合作伙伴的积极跨学科合作，推动世界一流的材料研究、教育和推广。NU-MRSEC的智力优势主要体现在其跨学科研究小组(IRGS)和种子资助的项目中，这些项目促进了中心研究重点的动态演变。IRG-1题为“混合维度异质结中的可重构响应”，探索同时处理和存储信息的纳米电子材料系统，以提供可与神经网络等复杂生物系统相媲美的功能。IRG-2名为“通过合成科学获得的功能杂阴离子材料”，汇集了材料合成、材料计算设计和先进表征方面的专家，以扩展一类相对未知的材料，具有非传统的电学和热学性能组合。NU-MRSEC通过几个项目实现了广泛的影响，包括研究生和博士后的专业发展，本科生和教师的研究经验，以及与K-12学生和普通公众的接触。通过与阿贡国家实验室、芝加哥艺术研究所、芝加哥儿童博物馆、芝加哥科学和工业博物馆、芝加哥奥黑尔国际机场、芝加哥公立学校和芝加哥城市大学的合作伙伴关系，这些活动得到了加强。技术描述：西北大学材料研究科学和工程中心(NU-MRSEC)通过两个跨学科研究小组(IRGS)以及与国内外学术界、工业界、国家实验室和博物馆的外部合作伙伴，整合了材料研究、教育和推广。IRG-1题为“混合维度异质结中的可重构响应”，探索了由不同维度的纳米电子材料组成的异质结如何受到介电屏蔽、电子能带/能级偏移和界面区域的影响。通过利用低维材料合成、表面化学功能化、空间和光谱分辨表征以及先进的计算，IRG-1发展了混合维度异质结中非线性响应的定量描述。阐明控制结构变化的机制，以及相应的光电特性变化，可以对多种物理和化学刺激做出可控的重新配置，这对神经形态计算具有重要意义。IRG-2名为“通过合成科学获得的功能异阴离子材料”，它开发了具有可调的电子、离子、热和光学性质的新的异阴离子材料，这些性质是从简单的同阴离子结构和化学中无法获得的。异阴离子材料的发现是由合成和表征方法促进的，这些方法提供了结晶和扩散过程的全景图，其中揭示了感兴趣的新出现的相并描绘了生长机制。通过强调合成作为中心科学，IRG-2中制定的工具、方案和数据库使计算发现所建议的按需合成复杂材料成为可能。NU-MRSEC的研究为各种各样的教育和外联活动提供了信息，这些活动针对各级，包括博士后、研究生、本科生、K-12学生和教师以及普通公众。例子包括创作原创科学主题戏剧的跨学科工程和戏剧研讨会，以及将外联课程和课本翻译成西班牙语的Jugando con la Ciencia(与科学一起玩耍)。

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.