In a recent study, PCCM researchers have shown that the quality of orientational order of the dots in shear-aligned block copolymer films depends only on the density of these dislocations; in the limit that dislocations are absent, the order is as perfect as can be measured with an atomic force microscope (AFM). [...]
Surface plasmons – collective oscillations of free charges – on metal surfaces have resulted in demonstrations of enhanced optical transmission, collimation of light through a subwavelength aperture, negative permeability and refraction at visible wavelengths, and second-harmonic generation. The structures that display these plasmonic phenomena typically consist of ordered arrays of particles or holes with sizes of the order of 100 nm. At the NU-MRSEC, a new nanofabrication technique based on soft interference lithography was used to manufacture multiscale arrays of nanoparticles and nanoholes with unexpected optical properties. [...]
Organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) hold promise for a variety of applications requiring alternative energy generation. Through a collaboration between Northwestern University MRSEC IRG 4 and Wright Patterson Air Force Base, a new strategy for characterizing the electrical and optical performance of operating OPVs has recently been developed. Atomic force photovoltaic microscopy allows the photocurrent response in OPVs and other optoelectronically-active [...]
A partnership between the NU-MRSEC and the Art Institute of Chicago provides fertile ground for curriculum development. Lisa Backus, a high school chemistry teacher and participant in the Center’s 2006 Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program was inspired by her summer research project working on conservation science problems of Ancient Chinese jades and Winslow Homer watercolors. The result is [...]