PREM Center for Energy and Biomaterials

德克萨斯大学埃尔帕索分校（UTEP）是位于美国西南地区的一所主要研究型大学，由近83%的西班牙裔美国学生组成。UTEP和加州大学圣巴巴拉分校（UCSB）之间拟议的材料研究和教育合作伙伴关系（PREM）项目将对学生和当地社区产生重大影响。UTEP PREM中心将促进和加强少数族裔学生在材料科学和工程领域的参与和高级学位的获得。PREM项目将对URM小组的博士学位产生更广泛的影响，并将促进材料科学的两个重要学科-能源和生物材料的重大进展。UTEP PREM中心将提供优秀的教育，培训和研究机会，通过提供一些新的机会，动手实验室经验，研究指导，专业发展，研究研讨会，UTEP/UCSB联合研讨会和学生交流。除了加速科学卓越，PREM中心还将促进对初级和中期职业教师的指导。扩展为PREM中心并形成强大的UTEP- ucsb联系，UTEP PREM将不仅在区域内产生影响，而且将加强先进材料的学习和研究教育，并为材料科学和工程领域的劳动力发展做出贡献。技术综述：提出了一种协同的、多学科的研究方法，以促进对界面结构、物理和化学的基本认识，并研究缺陷和掺杂剂，以提高材料在能源和生物材料中的性能。PREM中心由两个主要的跨学科研究小组（irg）和主题组成，以培养一个多样化，创新和多方面的研究中心，解决材料科学领域的一系列突出挑战。PREM中心将重点关注两个主要领域：a) irg1 -能源，b) irg2 -生物材料。UTEP的Ramana教授和UCSB的Seshadri教授将领导这一机构合作伙伴关系，其中9名UTEP和8名UCSB的科学家和工程师（化学，材料，物理，电气和机械工程）组成合作irg。IRG1-Energy的具体研究课题包括：i)多层透明电极，ii)铀基化合物和（iii）多功能氧化物。在IRG1中，总体目标包括研究高质量多功能氧化物，氧化物/金属/氧化物多层膜和锕系氧化物半导体的科学和工程。在IRG2-Biomaterials的背景下，重点将放在：i) 3D组织仿生支架的开发，以及ii)用于高效生物质转化的光热纳米材料。IRG2的目标包括理解纳米和生物材料的合成、表面/界面化学和光热效应之间的相互作用。将这些IRGs安置在PREM中心的保护伞下，统一了UTEP的尖端材料科学研究项目，并培养了真正的跨学科互动。PREM中心的形成也简化了UCSB的投入和合作贡献，从而连接了两个生产材料科学研究中心。此外，UCSB世界一流的仪器设备将促进和促进功能性无机材料和生物材料基础科学的探索，并为思想交流、指导和多学科培训提供独特的机会。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Non-technical Summary:The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a major research university located in the Southwest region of United States and is composed of nearly 83% Hispanic-American student population. The proposed Partnership in Research and Educations for Materials (PREM) project between UTEP and University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) will have a significant impact on students and local communities. The UTEP PREM center will promote and enhance the participation and advanced degree attainment of underrepresented minority (URM) students in materials science and engineering. The PREM projects will have broader impact on the production of doctorates that come from URM groups and will enhance major advancements in two important disciplines of materials science - energy and biomaterials. The UTEP PREM center will provide excellent education, training and research opportunities to students from historically URM groups by providing a number of new opportunities for hands-on laboratory experience, research mentoring, professional development, research seminars, joint UTEP/UCSB workshops, and student exchanges. In addition to accelerating scientific excellence, the PREM Center will also foster mentoring of junior and mid-career faculty. Expanding into a PREM Center and forming strong UTEP-UCSB connections, the UTEP PREM will not only impact within the region but will strengthen education in the study and research of advanced materials and contribute to the workforce development in materials science and engineering. Technical Summary:A synergistic, multidisciplinary research approach is proposed to advance the basic understanding of the interfacial structure, physics, and chemistry and to study defects and dopants in order to improve the materials' performance in energy and biomaterials. The PREM center is comprised of two primary Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) and topics in order to foster a diverse, innovative, and multifaceted research center that addresses a range of outstanding challenges in materials science. The PREM center will focus on two main areas: a) IRG1-Energy, and b) IRG2-Biomaterials. Prof. Ramana from UTEP and Prof. Seshadri from UCSB will lead this institutional partnership in which nine UTEP and eight UCSB scientists and engineers (chemistry, materials, physics, and electrical and mechanical engineering) form collaborative IRGs. The specific research topics in IRG1-Energy include: i) Multilayered, Transparent Electrodes, ii) Uranium-Based Compounds, and (iii) Multifunctional Oxides. Within IRG1, the overarching objectives include investigating the science and engineering of high quality multifunctional oxides, oxide/metal/oxide multilayered films, and actinide oxide semiconductors. In the context of IRG2-Biomaterials, the focus will be on: i) Development of Biomimetic Scaffolds for 3D Tissue, and ii) Photothermal Nanomaterials for High-Efficiency Biomass Conversion. The objectives of IRG2 include understanding the interplay between synthesis, surface/interface chemistry, and photothermal effects of nano- and biomaterials. Housing these IRGs under a PREM center umbrella unifies the cutting-edge material science research programs at UTEP and nurtures true interdisciplinary interactions. The formation of a PREM center also streamlines input and collaborative contributions from UCSB, thus adjoining two productive materials science research centers. Also, the world-class instrument facilities at UCSB will enable and catalyze the exploration of the basic science of functional inorganic and biomaterials and provide unique opportunities for cross-fertilization of ideas, mentoring, and multidisciplinary training.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.