Partnership for Research and Education in Soft Matter Research & Technology and Quantum Confinement Materials Design (SMaRT QD)

该奖项的全部或部分资金来自《2021年美国救援计划法案》(公法117-2)。非技术概述材料研究和教育伙伴关系(PREM)是两所历史悠久的黑人学院和大学之间的合作伙伴关系，特拉华州立大学(DSU)和克拉夫林大学(CU)突出了与特拉华大学(UD)的战略合作伙伴关系，以及致力于通过新材料研究和教育加强STEM多样性、公平性和包容性的合作伙伴网络。PREM项目汇集了具有聚合物、物理、无机化学和基于计算的技术专业知识的多样化和有才华的科学界，以加深对复杂环境中先进量子受限材料和软物质相互作用的基本了解。我们的集体努力旨在建设历史悠久的黑人学院和大学(HBCU)的基础设施(设施和人力资源)，以解决软物质和量子受限材料领域与数据驱动材料设计相关的重大挑战，否则如果没有中心方法，这些挑战是无法实现的。SMART QD促进了材料基因组计划(MGI)集成的、基于团队的模式，该模式将学术界、国家实验室和行业之间的计算、数据科学和实验联系起来，目标是：(1)提高参与者在材料领域的研究能力、科学生产力和培训；(2)促进少数族裔学生和材料科学其他研究人员的招聘、留住和学位获得；(3)增加在材料基因组相关活动中拥有知识的少数族裔(URM)的数量；以及(4)创建一支世界级的下一代材料科学劳动力队伍。我们与UD材料研究科学与工程中心(MRSEC)的共同努力集中于开发一个可广泛模仿的多机构运作框架，以建设研究能力并扩大其成功，以支持STEM的多样性。技术总结将采用协同跨学科研究方法，促进对软物质和量子限制材料的基本理解。在这个项目中，将创建一个创新的、以学生为中心的跨机构项目，名为“SMART QD Prem”，以管理参与学生的学术活动。PREM团队将专注于软物质和量子限制材料研究的下列关键基础方面：(1)构建模块的“自下而上”组装，以设计具有特定组成、形态和结构属性的层级系统和对此类系统的控制；从而通过结构功能促进对属性的操纵；以及(2)胶体合成量子点、IV族和过渡金属二盐化合物纳米晶体以及非中心对称晶体，包括揭示浮现和拓扑秩序的微妙形式的创新工具。UD的世界级仪器设施将使智能材料的合理设计、合成和表征成为可能，并将促进智能材料的合理设计、合成和表征，其中包括MGI方法，以实现软物质和具有可调特性的量子限制材料的合成。智能QD旨在从机器学习研究中使用MGI方法构建构建块的自下而上组装，以设计具有特定组成、形态和结构属性的分层系统并控制此类系统；从而通过结构-功能促进属性的操作。Smart QD将伙伴关系、指导和外展努力的独特整合将成为URM早期参与的典范-将高中和四年制机构联系起来的机构伙伴关系。在为MGI劳动力做准备的过程中，参与者获得的教育使他们能够在团队中高效地工作，这些团队的专业知识涵盖从合成和表征、理论和建模到设计和制造的广泛材料范围。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。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).Non-Technical SummaryThis Partnership for Research and Education in Materials(PREM) is a collaboration between two Historically Black College &Universities, Delaware State University (DSU) and Claflin University (CU), highlighting a strategic partnership with University of Delaware (UD) and a network of partners committed to strengthening STEM diversity, equity, and inclusivity through novel materials research and education. The PREM project brings together a diverse and talented scientific community with expertise in polymers, physics, inorganic chemistry, and computational-based techniques to develop a fundamental understanding of advanced quantum confined materials and soft matter interactions in complex environments. Our collective efforts aim to build the infrastructure (facilities and human resources) at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to solve grand challenges related to data-driven materials design in the areas of soft matter and quantum confined materials that would otherwise not be achievable without a center approach. SMaRT QD facilitates a Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) integrated, team-based model that links computation, data science, and experimentation crossing research boundaries between academia, national laboratories, and industry with the goals to: (1) enhance participants’ research capacity, scientific productivity, and training in the field of materials; (2) promote recruitment, retention, and degree attainment of minority students and other researchers in materials science; (3) increase the number of underrepresented minorities (URMs) knowledgeable in MGI related activities; and (4) create a world- class, next-generation materials science workforce. Our combined efforts with the UD Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) are focused on developing a multi-institutional operational framework that can be modeled broadly to build research capacity and expand their success to support diversity in STEM.Technical SummaryA synergistic interdisciplinary research approach to the advancement of the basic understanding of soft matter and quantum confinement materials will be conducted. In this project, an innovative, student- centered, inter-institutional program called "SMaRT QD PREM" will be created to manage the scholarly activities of the participating students. The PREM team will focus on the following key fundamental aspects of soft matter and quantum confinement materials research: (1) ‘bottom-up’ assembly of building blocks to design with specific composition, morphology, and structural properties to hierarchical systems and the control of such systems; thereby facilitating the manipulation of properties through structure- function; and (2) colloidally synthesized quantum dots, group IV and transition metal dichalcogenide nanocrystals, and non-centrosymmetric crystals, including innovative tools to reveal the subtle forms of emergent and topological order. The world-class instrument facilities at UD will enable and catalyze the rational design, synthesis, and characterization of smart materials incorporating the MGI approach to inform the synthesis of soft matter and quantum confinement materials with ‘tunable properties.’ SMaRT QD aims to build from machine learning studies using the MGI approach in the ‘bottom-up’ assembly of building blocks to design with specific composition, morphology, and structural properties to hierarchical systems and controlling such systems; thereby facilitating the manipulation of properties through structure-function. SMaRT QD’s unique integration of partnerships, mentoring, and outreach efforts will be the model for URM early-engagement for institutional partnerships that link high schools and four- year institutions. In the preparation of an MGI workforce, participants gain an education enabling them to work productively in teams whose expertise covers the broad materials spectrum from synthesis and characterization, theory and modeling, to design and manufacturing.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.