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

该奖项是根据2021年美国救援计划法案（公法117-2）的全部或部分资助。非技术摘要这个材料研究和教育合作伙伴关系（PREM）是两个历史上的黑人&大学，特拉华州州立大学（DSU）和克拉夫林大学（CU）之间的合作，强调与特拉华州大学（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项目汇集了一个多元化和有才华的科学界，他们在聚合物，物理学，无机化学和基于计算的技术方面具有专业知识，以发展对复杂环境中先进量子限制材料和软物质相互作用的基本理解。我们的共同努力旨在建立基础设施（设施和人力资源）在历史上黑人学院和大学（HBCU），以解决与软物质和量子限制材料领域的数据驱动材料设计相关的重大挑战，否则没有中心方法是无法实现的。SMaRT QD促进了材料基因组计划（MGI）的集成，基于团队的模型，该模型将计算，数据科学和实验跨越学术界，国家实验室和工业界之间的研究界限，其目标是：（1）提高参与者的研究能力，科学生产力和材料领域的培训;（2）促进少数民族学生和其他材料科学研究人员的招聘、保留和学位获得;（3）增加在MGI相关活动中知识渊博的代表性不足的少数民族的数量;以及（4）创造世界级的下一代材料科学人才队伍。我们与UD材料研究科学与工程中心（MRSEC）的共同努力专注于开发一个多机构的运作框架，该框架可以广泛建模，以建立研究能力并扩大其成功，以支持STEM的多样性。技术摘要将进行协同跨学科研究方法，以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，跨机构的计划，称为“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以下关键基础方面：（1）“自下而上”组装积木，以设计具有特定成分，形态和结构特性的分层系统和控制这些系统;从而促进通过结构-功能操纵性能;以及（2）胶体合成的量子点、IV族和过渡金属二硫属化物纳米晶体和非中心对称晶体，包括揭示涌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实现并促进智能材料的合理设计，合成和表征，结合MGI方法，以告知软物质和量子限制材料的合成具有“可调特性”。SMaRT QD旨在从机器学习研究中使用MGI方法在“自下而上”组装构建块，以设计具有特定组成，形态和结构特性的分层系统并控制此类系统;从而促进通过结构-功能操纵特性。SMaRT QD独特的合作伙伴关系，指导和推广工作的整合将是URM早期参与机构合作伙伴关系的模式，将高中和四年制院校联系起来。在MGI员工队伍的准备过程中，参与者获得了教育，使他们能够在团队中富有成效地工作，这些团队的专业知识涵盖了从合成和表征，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知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估而被认为值得支持。

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.