University of Delaware MRSEC - Center for Hybrid, Active, and Responsive Materials (CHARM)

非技术摘要：特拉华大学-材料研究科学与工程中心(UD MRSEC)是一个充满科学机会的网络，跨越了UD和几个具有战略意义的外部学术和国家实验室合作伙伴关系，包括宾夕法尼亚大学和国家标准与技术研究所(NIST)。该中心也被称为UD混合、活性和响应性材料中心(UD Charm)，该中心正在推动对新材料的基础性理解，这些新材料由理论和计算预测与尖端实验相结合，以实现非传统、超小型构建块的集成。一个跨学科研究小组(IRG)的目标是创造具有纳米机器功能的新的生物灵感有机材料。第二个IRG旨在创造混合无机量子材料，使新的光电子电路/设备和电磁辐射的精确控制成为可能。随着这两种IRGS的基本方法，材料科学的变革性进展有望实现，使生物医学、安全、传感、自适应材料和软机器人领域的关键创新成为可能。UD与许多主要合作机构和行业利益攸关方的物理距离很近，有助于频繁的面对面研究、教育和外展互动。此外，UD Charm正在通过与两所历史上黑人学院和大学(HBCU、特拉华州立大学和克拉夫林大学)的合作，为资源不足的年轻人提供一个令人兴奋的材料科学平台和教育规划，目标是通过与两所历史上的黑人学院和大学(HBCU、特拉华州立大学和克拉夫林大学)建立合作伙伴关系，专注于为黑人和拉丁裔年轻人提供本科课程，以及一项旨在指导更年轻的学生在基础科学和工程学方面的教育计划。技术摘要：UD Charm正在利用计算设计、创新的合成和制造工艺以及纳米级表征的综合力量，在多个长度/时间尺度上释放复杂合成材料的实质性前景-利用对界面、交互作用和纳米尺度的战略控制和人工合成的专一性。这个MRSEC正在推动各项活动，以成为跨学科整合和基础设施发展的枢纽，以推动交叉材料创新。其中一个IRG率先使用计算导向的途径进行非天然氨基酸的组装和功能化，以实现多肽活性物质的紧急性质，如协调和精确的更大范围的定向分子运动。该团队正在利用多肽分子形状和化学序列的可编程性，通过非天然氨基酸的掺入和溶液/胶片处理，开发具有有针对性的结构和产生简单机器运动的能力的新的生物灵感材料-所有这些都是由计算洞察力指导的。第二个IRG正在创造控制太赫兹(THz)功能的混合量子材料，以实现对THz辐射和THz集成电路/设备的前所未有的控制。该团队正在操纵成分之间的界面和相互作用，以创造杂交材料，这种材料可以在每个成分的THz激发之间无缝转换，实现调制器或门的理想非线性相互作用，并能够控制杂化量子态的形成和调制。UD魅力是通过在一个有凝聚力的指导循环中进行教学/培训来创建材料管道。主要的规划影响包括：(1)通过创建特拉华州科学计划，未得到充分服务的K-12学生，(2)通过与TeenSHARP-DE大学预科计划接触，黑人和拉丁裔高中生，(3)HBCU本科生(UGS)和教职员工通过“研究生院之路”计划，以及(4)UGS通过与工业/国际合作伙伴的REU计划。该项目由材料研究部(DMR)的材料研究科学和工程中心(MRSEC)计划共同资助，该计划是为刺激竞争性研究(EPSCoR)而设立的计划，这一奖项反映了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 Abstract: The University of Delaware – Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (UD MRSEC) is a network rich in scientific opportunity, spanning UD and several strategic external academic and national laboratory partnerships, including U. of Pennsylvania and the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST). Also known as the UD Center for Hybrid, Active, and Responsive Materials (UD CHARM), the Center is advancing foundational understanding of new materials driven by theoretical and computational predictions paired with cutting-edge experiments to enable the integration of unconventional, ultra-small, building blocks. One interdisciplinary research group (IRG) is targeting the creation of new bioinspired organic materials with the capacity to function as nanoscale machines. A second IRG aims to create hybrid inorganic quantum materials that enable new optoelectronic circuits/devices and precise control of electromagnetic radiation. With this fundamental approach in both IRGs, transformative advances in materials science are expected, enabling critical innovations in biomedicine, security, sensing, adaptable materials, and soft robotics. The close physical proximity of UD to many of the major partner institutions and industrial stakeholders, facilitates frequent in-person research, education, and outreach interactions. Furthermore, UD CHARM is providing an exciting materials science platform for diversity and education programming to under-resourced youth – targeting students from groups underrepresented in science via partnerships with two historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs, Delaware State U. and Claflin U.), a pre-college effort focused on providing undergraduate pathways for Black and Latinx youth, and an education initiative geared toward mentoring younger students in basic science and engineering.Technical Abstract: UD CHARM is harnessing the integrated power of computational design, innovative synthetic and manufacturing processes, and nanoscale characterization to unlock the substantial promise of complex synthetic materials at multiple length/time-scales - leveraging strategic control of interfaces, interactions, and synthetic specificity. This MRSEC is nucleating activities to become a hub of interdisciplinary integration and infrastructure development to drive cross-cutting materials innovation. One IRG is pioneering the use of computationally-directed pathways for non-natural amino acid assembly and functionalization to achieve emergent properties in peptide active materials, such as concerted and precise larger-scale, directed molecular motion. The team is exploiting the programmability of peptide molecular shape and chemical sequence, enabled by non-natural amino acid incorporation and solution/film processing, to develop new bioinspired materials with targeted architectures and the capacity to generate simple machine movement – all guided by computational insights. A second IRG is creating hybrid quantum materials that control terahertz (THz) functionality, to enable unprecedented control over THz radiation and THz integrated circuits/devices. The team is manipulating interfaces and interactions between constituents to create hybrid materials that seamlessly convert between THz excitations of each constituent, enable nonlinear interactions ideal for modulators or gates, and enable controlled formation and modulation of hybridized quantum states. UD CHARM is creating a materials pipeline by teaching/training in a cohesive mentoring loop. Major programming impacts include: (1) under-served K-12 students via creation of a Delaware Science Program, (2) Black and Latinx high school students by interfacing with the TeenSHARP-DE college prep program, (3) HBCU undergraduates (UGs) and faculty through a ‘Pathways to Graduate School’ program, and (4) UGs via an REU program with industrial/international partners.This project is jointly funded by the Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC) Program in the Division of Materials Research (DMR), the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (OMA) in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS).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.