Recent studies have indicated that no known superconductor is able to meet the needs of electric power applications above liquid nitrogen temperature and therefore a new high temperature superconductor is required. Along with three other universities, we have initiated a program to search for high temperature superconductors based on electronic (spin and charge) mechanisms of superconductivity, and their related physics.
Materials Synthesis and Processing
Clemens studies the growth, structure, magnetic properties, and mechanical properties of thin films and nanostructured materials. By controlling growth and atomic scale structure, he is able to tune and optimize properties. He is currently investigating materials for metallization, magnetic recording, electronic device, and hydrogen storage applications.
The key areas of investigation in our group are:
(1) light yield nonproportionality behavior in single crystal scintillators,
(2) control of grain boundaries and defects in transparent scintillator ceramics, and
(3) high speed, shape-controlled growth of single crystal scintillators.
We believe that these goals can be best achieved thorough the combination of basic and applied research, and the immediate application of results for engineering improved materials.
In broad terms, we study materials with unconventional magnetic and electronic properties, with the general aim of obtaining a deeper understanding of the many effects that can emerge from electron correlation. We employ several techniques to grow high-quality single crystals of materials of interest. Experiments probe the thermodynamic and transport properties of these materials, often in high magnetic fields. Current interests include superconductivity, topological insulators, aspects of quantum magnetism, and the behavior of electrons in low-dimensional materials.
Heilshorn's interests include biomaterials in regenerative medicine, engineered proteins with novel assembly properties, microfluidics and photolithography of proteins, and synthesis of materials to influence stem cell differentiation. Current projects include creating in vitro circuits of neurons, tissue engineering for spinal cord regeneration, and designing scaffolds for cell transplantation in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and stroke.
Materials physics: Probing correlated electrons at artificial interfaces and in confined systems; Atomic scale synthesis and control of complex oxide heterostructures; Oxide heterostructures for energy applications; Low-dimensional superconductivity; Novel devices based on interface states in oxides.
Professor Kapitulnik studies materials with novel electronic states at low temperatures. The research concentrates on the occurrence and properties of superconductivity, charge-density, or magnetic states in such systems. The group uses a variety of measurements and novel probes such as scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy and high-resolution mageneto-optics.
Professor McGehee's primary interests and areas of expertise are organic electronics, patterning materials at the nanometer length scale and developing materials for renewable energy and sustainability applications. His group's research on solar cells covers hybrid tandem solar cells, polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells, hybrid perovskite solar cells, and studying degradation and stability in solar cells.
McIntyre’s group performs research on nanostructured inorganic materials for applications in electronics, energy technologies and sensors. He is best known for his work on metal oxide/semiconductor interfaces, ultrathin dielectrics, defects in complex metal oxide thin films, and nanostructured Si-Ge single crystals. His research team synthesizes materials, characterizes their structures and compositions with a variety of advanced microscopies and spectroscopies, studies the passivation of their interfaces, and measures functional properties of devices.
Melosh's research is focused on developing methods to detect and control chemical processes on the nanoscale, to create materials that are responsive to their local environment. The research goal incorporates many of the hallmarks of biological adaptability, based on feedback control between cellular receptors and protein expression. Similar artificial networks may be achieved by fabricating arrays of nanoscale (<100 nm) devices that can detect and influence their local surroundings through ionic potential, temperature, mechanical motion, capacitance, or electrochemistry. These devices are particularly suited as 'smart' biomaterials, where multiple surface-cell interactions must be monitored and adjusted simultaneously for optimal cell adhesion and growth. Other interests include precise control over self-assembled materials, and potential methods to monitor the diagnostics of complicated chemical systems, such as the effect of drug treatments within patients.
The Salleo Research Group is interested in novel materials and processing techniques for large-area and flexible electronic/photonic devices as well as ultra-fast laser processing for electronics, photonics and biotechnology. We also study defects and structure/property relations of polymeric semiconductors, nano-structured and amorphous materials in thin films.
Professor Shen conducts fundamental and applied research on quantum matter. His primary interest is the physics of the “many”, where interactions among multiple constituencies give rise to novel properties not intrinsic to the individual components. His interest also includes ways to utilize the functionality of materials. He sends electromagnetic waves to probe matter, including X-ray, ultra-violet, and microwave radiation from synchrotron, free-electron laser, and laboratory sources. Insights are gained through precision analysis of ejected particles, either photons or electrons. He also prepares materials and devices for his studies.
My group studies novel ground states and functionality in thin films and heterostructures. We exploit recent advances in atomically precise heteroepitaxy of complex oxides to develop new materials and to probe novel interface phenomena. Many of these phenomena are then incorporated into prototypical device structures. Our recent focus is on strongly correlated materials, especially new spintronic materials, as well as magnetic junction devices and magnetic logic circuits.
