| NSF Org: |
CMMI Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | May 21, 2021 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 21, 2021 |
| Award Number: | 2129468 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Andrew Wells
awells@nsf.gov (703)292-7225 CMMI Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation ENG Directorate for Engineering |
| Start Date: | June 1, 2021 |
| End Date: | May 31, 2022 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $9,071.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $9,071.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
341 PINE TREE RD ITHACA NY US 14850-2820 (607)255-5014 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
Ithaca NY US 14853-8001 |
| 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): |
AM-Advanced Manufacturing, XC-Crosscutting Activities Pro |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| 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): | 47.041 |
ABSTRACT
This grant will support a highly interdisciplinary on-line workshop identifying important fundamental questions related to soft matter far from equilibrium and how to employ X-ray tools to answer these questions. Much of the richness of the world around us ? and in fact life itself ? arises from conditions and processes far from equilibrium. And yet in contrast to systems at or near-equilibrium, our understanding of the basic principles of far-from-equilibrium systems is in its infancy. Non-equilibrium processes are particularly relevant in soft-matter systems, with huge impacts on areas ranging from health to energy to manufacturing. X-ray scattering studies, particularly using synchrotron radiation, are uniquely able to probe the three-dimensional, atomic-scale structure of soft matter over a wide range of time- and spatial scales, providing critical information needed to elucidate the fundamental processes and later to control them.
Non-equilibrium processes are particularly relevant in soft-matter systems. Since their structures are based on weak interaction forces, including dipolar, hydrogen bonding, pi-pi, or screened electrostatic interactions, even small external perturbations can substantially alter the behavior of soft matter. In macromolecular systems, for example, structural relaxation times can be very long. As a result, they often retain a memory of the preparation or processing conditions, a key to the large diversity of macromolecular structures and many technological innovations. Furthermore, in analogy to biology, the study of soft dissipative systems with an ability to produce energy and convert it from one form to another has led to the emergent field of active matter. In recent years, efforts have intensified to study non-equilibrium processes in soft matter systematically in order to explore the entirely novel phenomena associated with transient structure, order, and dynamics, and to improve our fundamental understanding of them. Synchrotron-based x-ray radiation has emerged as a particularly useful tool to contribute to this understanding. This workshop will:
1. Identify important science questions related to ?Soft Matter Far From Equilibrium? during advanced manufacturing processes such as roll-to-roll printing of highly structured materials;
2. Determine how these questions can be addressed using synchrotron-based X-ray capabilities;
3. Identify critical needs for and characteristics of synchrotron-based x-ray resources to support this research; and
4. Identify the broader impacts of providing such resources to the soft matter community.
The outcomes of the workshop will be captured in a workshop report to be submitted for publication.
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.
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.
The objective of this project was to host a workshop to bring together world-leading experts in soft matter, materials synthesis, and non-equilibrium phenomena, to discuss and articulate both the scientific opportunities in these areas, as well as the specific role of and need for synchrotron-based resources to advance these fields
The online workshop, entitled ?Soft Matter Far From Equilibrium?, was held on July 10-11, 2021, and organized in a series of four sessions,
1) Polymer Self-Assembly
2) Active Materials and Processes
3) Highly Non-Equilibrium Dynamics in Advanced Manufacturing, and
4) Crystallization Pathways from Solution, each of which was followed by lively discussions.
Each session consisted of 4-5 invited talks, along with generous time for questions and answers, and additional time set aside specifically for discussion. Held over two days, the workshop attracted an impressive 230 attendees, and included an additional ?Idea Slam? event with 20 independent idea slam contributions. The ?Idea Slam? provided an opportunity for short, 3-5 minute presentations, in which participants give lightning summaries of their research areas and brainstormed about forward-looking dream experiments needed to move the field forward.
This workshop served to bring together top researchers from around the world studying a broad diversity of topics, united by their common relationship to phenomena related to the behavior of soft materials, and by their common need for novel theoretical and experimental approaches to advance both basic knowledge and improved control over materials properties. The resulting cross-disciplinary conversations resulted in articulation of several major themes, which will inform efforts to articulate challenges and opportunities for these research communities going forward, including efforts to build the necessary theoretical and experimental tools and infrastructure to address critical questions and societal needs.
Last Modified: 09/29/2022
Modified by: Joel D Brock
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