Wisconsin MRSEC

威斯康星材料研究科学与工程中心解决了材料科学与工程两个领域的重大挑战：(1)原子和分子如何在液体和玻璃中运动；(2)使用超薄的、原子完美的膜开发新的磁性形式。解决第一个挑战取决于将新型实验与人工智能的发展相结合。这些进步将应用于制造有机电子应用的新型眼镜，如电子显示器和光伏，以及使药物分子的新配方成为患者使用的药丸（或其他形式）。解决第二个挑战涉及到使用薄膜的弯曲和拉伸来扰乱其原子的规则模式，在只有几十纳米的非常短的长度尺度上创造磁极分布的新模式。这些进展将应用于信息处理，包括高速、非易失性数据存储，以及新兴的量子计算领域。该中心还支持材料研究基础设施，包括一个使用紫外线超快脉冲研究材料的新设施，以及与工业界的合作伙伴关系。为了扩大对材料研究的参与，该中心开展了一个名为“前进研究员”的扩展培训项目，以帮助第一代、历史上代表性不足的或其他非传统学生启动研究生生涯。它还寻求通过公共宣传激励人们从事科学和工程方面的事业，包括与服务组织合作，帮助经济上处于不利地位的人，与威斯康星州盲人和视障人士委员会合作，帮助盲人和低视力人群。威斯康星材料研究科学与工程中心致力于解决材料科学与工程两个领域的重大挑战：(1)玻璃和过冷液体在分子水平上的迁移率；(2)应变单晶膜中非平衡磁态的产生和控制。第一个领域的研究将利用相干电子纳米衍射实验来解决局部动力学和物理启发的机器学习，从模拟中发展分子水平的理解。潜在的技术应用包括用于有机电子学的具有高分子各向异性的有机半导体玻璃膜和用于药物制剂的非晶态药物分子的稳定。第二个领域的研究建立在非范德华单晶膜的独特材料平台上，受到应变和应变梯度破坏晶体对称性并诱导新的磁态。潜在的技术应用包括稳定用于非易失性存储器的skyrmions或其他自旋纹理，以及提高自旋到光的量子转导效率，反之亦然。该中心还支持材料研究基础设施，包括一个超快极紫外吸收光谱的新设施，以及一个促进公司和中心研究人员之间合作的工业联盟。为了鼓励更广泛地参与材料研究，该中心开展了一项名为“前进研究员”（Forward Fellows）的扩展研究生指导和专业发展项目，旨在为第一代、历史上代表性不足的或其他非传统学生在研究生院的起步提供帮助。该中心还寻求通过公共宣传激励人们从事科学和工程方面的职业，包括与服务组织合作接触经济弱势群体，与威斯康星州盲人和视障人士委员会合作接触盲人和低视力人群。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 AbstractThe Wisconsin Materials Research Science and Engineering Center addresses grand challenges in two areas of materials science and engineering: (1) how atoms and molecules move in liquids and glasses and (2) developing new forms of magnetism using ultrathin, atomically perfect membranes. Addressing the first challenge depends on combining new kinds of experiments with developments in artificial intelligence. Advances will have applications in creating new glasses for organic electronic applications like electronics displays and photovoltaics and in enabling new formulations of drug molecules into pills (or other forms) patients use. Addressing the second challenge involves using bending and stretching of membranes to disturb their regular pattern of atoms, creating new patterns in the distribution of magnetic poles on very short length scales of just tens of nanometers. Advances will have applications in information processing, including in high-speed, nonvolatile data storage, and in the emerging area of quantum computing. The Center also supports materials research infrastructure, including a new facility using ultrafast pulses of ultraviolet light to study materials, and partnerships with industry. To broaden participation in materials research, the Center runs an extended orientation program called Forward Fellows to jumpstart the graduate careers of first-generation, historically underrepresented, or other non-traditional students. It also seeks to inspire people to pursue careers in science and engineering through public outreach, including reaching economically disadvantaged people in partnership with service organizations and reaching blind and low vision people in partnership with the Wisconsin Council for the Blind and Visually Impaired.Technical AbstractThe Wisconsin Materials Research Science and Engineering Center addresses grand challenges in two areas of materials science and engineering: (1) mobility in glasses and supercooled liquids at the molecular level and (2) creation and control of nonequilibrium magnetic states in strained single crystal membranes. Research in the first area will utilize coherent electron nanodiffraction experiments to resolve local dynamics and physics-inspired machine learning to develop molecular-level understanding from simulations. Potential technological applications include glassy films of organic semiconductors with high molecular anisotropy for organic electronics and stabilization of drug molecules in the amorphous state for pharmaceutical preparations. Research in the second area builds on a unique materials platform of non-van der Waals single crystal membranes, subjected to strains and strain gradients to break crystal symmetries and induce novel magnetic states. Potential technological applications include stabilizing skyrmions or other spin textures for nonvolatile memory and increased efficiency quantum transduction from spins to light and vice versa. The Center also supports materials research infrastructure, including a new facility for ultrafast extreme ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy, and an industrial consortium to foster partnerships between companies and Center researchers. To encourage broader participation in materials research, the Center runs an extended graduate orientation and professional development program called Forward Fellows, designed to give first generation, historically underrepresented, or other non-traditional students a jump start on graduate school. The Center also seeks to inspire people to pursue careers in science and engineering through public outreach, including reaching economically disadvantaged people in partnership with service organizations and reaching blind and low vision people in partnership with the Wisconsin Council for the Blind and Visually Impaired.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.