Center for Dynamics and Control of Materials

非技术描述：材料动力学和控制中心：NSF MRSEC将来自科学和工程领域的研究人员聚集在一起，创造具有新的原子级结构和功能的材料，并开发主动控制和实时重新配置材料的方法。这些材料将在可持续能源、量子信息处理、生物灵感系统以及用于电信、计算和传感的半导体等领域开发新的和改进的技术。该中心由两个跨学科研究小组(IRGS)组成。IRG 1专注于基于纳米颗粒和生物聚合物网络的软材料的设计和创造，其结构和功能可以通过引入化学燃料或其他形式的能源进行主动控制。这些新的、高度适应性的材料将有潜力用于从温度控制的光学涂层到人造蜂窝材料的应用。IRG 2解决了原子薄和分子材料的结构和对称性工程带来的新特性和新功能。这种材料将为开发电子、光子学和量子设备和系统的新能力提供令人信服的机会。这些研究活动与教育、外联以及促进多样性和包容性方面的倡议紧密结合在一起。该中心让小学教师从事材料研究，以提高教师的效率和学生在形成年龄对科学的参与度，从而增加对科学、工程和相关领域感兴趣的学生的数量和多样性。材料播客、社区大学和为拉美裔服务的机构伙伴关系以及指导计划吸引了不同的人群，并促进了材料相关教育和职业的广泛参与和成功。技术说明：IRG 1，燃料驱动多能材料，专注于通过引入化学燃料或光能来主动控制其形态和功能的材料。受干细胞可以分化为具有不同结构和功能的干细胞的启发，IRG 1将设计和合成其多态、高度非平衡结构的材料，这些材料的多态、高度非平衡结构通过沿着设计的、非平衡路径进行的动力学控制的燃料过程来获得。IRG 2是原子薄异质结构中的工程化功能，它利用固态晶体材料异质结构，通过堆叠原子薄层或分子材料层并精确控制旋转对齐来实现基于材料中的拓扑、相关性和光-物质耦合的新特性和功能。材料光学表征的共享设施将为MRSEC研究人员和更广泛的材料社区服务。该中心的研究进展有望使新的适应材料具有自然界中找不到的光学、流变和收缩特性，用于能效、先进制造和生物技术，以及在固态材料、电子和光子学方面的变革性发现，这些发现将影响明天的工业，包括量子信息科学、电信和未来的半导体。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Nontechnical Description: The Center for Dynamics and Control of Materials: an NSF MRSEC brings together researchers from across science and engineering to create materials with new atomic-scale structures and functionalities, and to develop approaches for actively controlling and reconfiguring materials in real time. These materials will enable the development of new and improved technologies in areas such as sustainable energy, quantum information processing, bioinspired systems, and semiconductors for telecommunications, computing, and sensing. The Center consists of two Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs). IRG 1 focuses on the design and creation of soft materials, based on nanoparticle and biopolymer networks, whose structure and functionality can be actively controlled by the introduction of chemical fuels or other forms of energy. These new, highly adaptive materials will have the potential to be used in applications ranging from optical coatings for temperature control to artificial cellular materials. IRG 2 addresses new properties and functions enabled by the engineering of structure and symmetry in atomically thin and molecular materials. Such materials will offer compelling opportunities to develop new capabilities for electronics, photonics, and quantum devices and systems. These research activities are closely integrated with initiatives in education, outreach, and the promotion of diversity and inclusion. The Center engages elementary school teachers in materials research to improve teacher efficacy and student engagement with science at a formative age, and thereby increase the number and diversity of students interested in science, engineering, and related fields. A materials podcast, community college and Hispanic-serving institution partnerships, and mentoring programs engage diverse populations and foster broad participation and success in materials-related education and careers.Technical Description: IRG 1, Fuel-Driven Pluripotent Materials, focuses on materials whose morphology and functionality can be actively controlled via the introduction of chemical fuels or optical energy. Inspired by stem cells that can differentiate to take on distinct structures and functions, IRG 1 will design and synthesize materials whose polymorphic, highly non-equilibrium structures are accessed by kinetically controlled fueling processes proceeding along designed, out-of-equilibrium pathways. IRG 2, Engineered Functionality in Atomically Thin Heterostructures, exploits solid-state, crystalline material heterostructures created by stacking layers of atomically thin or molecular materials with precisely controlled rotational alignments to realize new properties and functionalities based on topology, correlations, and light-matter coupling in materials. Shared facilities for optical characterization of materials will serve MRSEC researchers and the broader materials community. The Center’s research advances are expected to enable new adaptive materials with optical, rheological, and contractile properties not found in nature for energy efficiency, advanced manufacturing, and biotechnology, and transformative discoveries in solid-state materials, electronics, and photonics that will impact Industries of Tomorrow including quantum information science, telecommunications, and future semiconductors.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.