| NSF Org: |
DMR Division Of Materials Research |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 14, 2017 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 31, 2022 |
| Award Number: | 1720595 |
| Award Instrument: | Cooperative Agreement |
| Program Manager: |
Serdar Ogut
sogut@nsf.gov (703)292-4429 DMR Division Of Materials Research MPS Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2017 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $15,599,997.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $16,188,629.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2018 = $3,100,000.00 FY 2019 = $2,688,630.00 FY 2020 = $2,600,000.00 FY 2021 = $2,600,000.00 FY 2022 = $2,600,000.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
110 INNER CAMPUS DR AUSTIN TX US 78712-1139 (512)471-6424 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
101 E. 27th Street, Suite 5.300 Austin TX US 78712-1532 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
DMR SHORT TERM SUPPORT, MATERIALS RSCH SCI & ENG CENT |
| Primary Program Source: |
01001718DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001819DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001920DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01002021DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01002122DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01002223DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.049 |
ABSTRACT
Nontechnical Abstract: The traditional paradigm for materials research focuses on behavior in or near equilibrium. Through two Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs), the Center for Dynamics and Control of Materials extends this paradigm to understand and control how materials behave over times ranging from femtoseconds to weeks, and over dimensions extending from macroscopic to atomic scales. IRG 1 addresses the development and understanding of new composite materials that combine inorganic and organic components. Interactions among these constituents and their responses to their external environment enable material properties to be tuned and reconfigured, leading to applications in rechargeable batteries and filtration membranes. IRG 2 explores new approaches for using light to control material properties. The realization of new phases and quantum states of matter via interaction with light is expected to enable new technologies for computing and communications, and to address long-standing fundamental scientific challenges in quantum control of materials. Through the concept of a Materials Community of Practice, these research activities are closely integrated with new initiatives in education, outreach, and the promotion of diversity. 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. Outreach to the public via hands-on demonstrations and collaborations between artists and materials researchers brings materials science and technology to new audiences who might not otherwise be engaged. And partnerships with industry and the entrepreneurial community provide participants with experiences and connections to prepare them for success in a broad range of careers.
Technical abstract: IRG 1, Reconfigurable Porous Nanoparticle Networks, addresses multifunctional, reconfigurable networks of nanoparticles, polymers, and organic molecules that respond to a range of external stimuli. Fundamental principles are elucidated for understanding and controlling the assembly and reconfiguration of nanoparticles connected by molecular linkers, with theoretical and experimental efforts combining to create unique optical, chemical, or biological materials functionality. IRG 2, Materials Driven by Light, addresses light-matter interactions that lead to material properties not accessible in equilibrium. Phases and ordered states accessed via light-induced perturbations to energy landscapes, topological material behavior enabled by optical excitation, and formation of exotic quantum phases are explored to provide new understanding of and control over optically responsive materials. Advances in research from these IRGs are expected to enable responsive, reconfigurable materials based on integration of nanoparticles and macromolecules for applications in electronics, energy storage, water filtration, photonics, and biology; fundamental advances in understanding and applications of material behavior accessible and controllable using temporally structured light; and new technologies for communications and information processing based on these advances.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Established in 2017, the Center for Dynamics and Control of Materials: an NSF MRSEC (CDCM) has sought to extend the traditional paradigm of materials research beyond the study of material behavior in or near equilibrium to encompass the understanding and control of materials over extended temporal and spatial scales. Through two Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) and 12 Seed projects, the Center has conducted interdisciplinary materials research integrating materials synthesis, characterization, and theory across multiple academic disciplines. Over thirty faculty and approximately one hundred graduate students and postdoctoral researchers have been involved in Center research and educational programs, and the Center developed a vibrant new network of connections to educational institutions, industrial organizations, and government-sponsored research laboratories across Texas, nationally, and internationally.
In IRG 1, titled Reconfigurable Nanocrystal Assemblies, the Center developed multifunctional, reconfigurable networks of nanoparticles, polymers, and organic molecules that respond to a range of external stimuli. These efforts have established new fundamental understanding of the assembly of nanostructures into complex network materials, and shed light on a wealth of their functional properties and behavior, ranging from single ion conduction to infrared (IR) optical modulation and viscoelastic tuning. Assembling nanoparticles using bifunctional linkers or macromolecular depletants to controllably introduce attractions has been demonstrated as a modular approach to design and fabricate colloidal nanocrystal networks. These efforts have led to the demonstration of gels with thermoreversible mechanical and optical properties of interest for applications such as chemical or mechanical sensing, adaptive, optical coatings, and soft robotics.
In IRG 2, titled Materials Driven by Light, the Center conducted research on light-matter interactions that lead to material properties not accessible in equilibrium, and characterization of properties that influence such behaviors across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Research in this IRG has led to dramatic advances in the understanding of and control over light-driven excited states and cooperative phenomena in a broad range of solid-state materials. An early breakthrough was the demonstration of a quantum optical concept, Dicke cooperativity, in magnetic materials, leading eventually to new insights into spin transport and nonequilibrium behavior of vibrational and spin waves in solid-state materials and a route for understanding and controlling condensed matter phases using concepts and tools from quantum optics. Through this IRG and a series of Seed projects, the Center also made breakthroughs in the emerging field of atomically thin materials, establishing a foundation for new explorations of the rich new vein of materials science and engineering afforded by atomically thin heterostructures.
Twelve Seed projects, typically involving one to four faculty research groups and lasting one to two years, supported research on topics ranging from polymer synthesis driven by bacterial respiration processes to new materials for additive manufacturing to engineering and control of vibrational excitations in materials. Together, the two IRGs and twelve seed projects led to over 340 journal publications in the scientific literature.
Building upon the concept of the Community of Practice, the Center also created a vibrant, collaborative community and culture at UT Austin encompassing research, education, and outreach. Programs included an undergraduate summer research program that supported over 70 undergraduate researchers, a summer research and education program for elementary school teachers that supported nearly 50 teachers to conduct research and develop teaching materials in the labs of Center faculty, and the establishment of a new partnership with Texas State University (San Marcos, TX) to conduct collaborative research and provide Texas State students with new opportunities to pursue advanced education and eventual careers in materials technologies and related fields.
Last Modified: 01/03/2025
Modified by: Edward T Yu
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