Nanotechnology

Prof. Shireen Adenwalla

PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY

Magnetic domains and their response to high frequency sound waves

We are looking at how magnetic domains respond to high frequency sound.  Although at first sight this may seem pretty wild, sound is just a squeezing and stretching of atoms.  As atoms alternate between moving further apart and closer together, their interactions between themselves and the surrounding change in unexpected and complicated ways.  So looking at how sound waves change magnetic domains (and we already know that they DO!), helps us unravel this complex interplay.

Prof. Kirill Belashchenko

PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY

First-principles studies of spin transport in magnetic nanostructures

This computational project is focused on the transport properties and magnetization dynamics in magnetic nanostructures. The student will be trained to perform first-principles electronic structure and transport calculations and apply them to a research problem of current interest. Knowledge of quantum mechanics and solid-state physics and some experience with the Linux operating system are desirable, but the training plan can be tailored to the background and interests of the specific student.

Dr. Bai Cui

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

Advanced Manufacturing of High-Temperature Alloys

To enable high-temperature operations, new materials will be required with high strengths in a variety of extreme environments in advanced energy applications. A promising class of novel materials known as oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) alloys have the potential to perform in these environments. Spark plasma sintering and laser additive manufacturing processes have emerged as the promising approaches that can produce outstanding ODS alloys with nanoparticle dispersions in microstructures.

Dr. Shudipto Dishari

CHEMICAL & BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING

Exploring ion-conducting polymeric nanomaterials for renewable energy technologies

Ion-conducting polymers play a critical role in the function of sustainable energy technologies, such as fuel cells and batteries. These polymers are used to selectively transport ions across the electrochemical cells. However, the current understanding of these polymers at nanoscale is still not up to mark. Understanding the routes to ion transport limitation within sub-micrometer thick polymer layers on electrodes is the key to design more efficient, next-generation fuel cells and batteries for electric cars and many portable/stationary applications.

This project aims to leverage a set of spectroscopy and microscopy-based techniques to understand the distribution of ion transport environment and chemical composition at electrode-mimicking interfaces which can possibly guide towards the key parameters needing to be addressed to design better energy materials.

Dr. Peter A. Dowben

PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY

Organic heterostructures can be made that have similar functionality to oxide and semiconductor devices

This project will focus on magneto-electric organic or hybrid organic & inorganic heterostructures. The hybrid nanostructures will be characterized by electron spectroscopies and luminescence. If possible, simple device structures will be fabricated and tested. The goals are new classes of devices suitable as reactive luminescence sensors, or devices that could exhibit unusual behavior in an electromagnetic field.

Prof. Xia Hong

PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY

Characterizations of epitaxial complex oxide thin films and heterostructures

In this project, the student will participate in the characterization of epitaxial ferroelectric and magnetic oxide thin films and heterostructures using x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and piezoresponse force microscopy.

Dr. Nicole Iverson

BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Development of Carbon Nanotube Sensor Platform to Quantify Nitric Oxide and Hydrogen Peroxide Levels in Inflammatory Diseases

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species have been shown to be important factors in the progression of many diseases, ranging from autoimmune disease to cancer, but until recently there has been a lack in the ability of researchers to study nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide (key reactive nitrogen and oxygen species) in real time.  By wrapping carbon nanotubes with a specific DNA strand, a real time sensor for nitric oxide or hydrogen peroxide can be made.  A carbon nanotube sensor platform has been developed by the Iverson Lab to allow for the quantification of extracellular nitric oxide concentrations. The development of a nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide platform might sound easy and straightforward, but there are a lot of design aspects that will be needed to successfully create a working platform.

This project will require the REU student to learn about the current sensor building process and then incorporate a second, hydrogen peroxide sensor, into the sensor platform. The student involved in this project will gain a lot of hands-on experience in biomedical engineering research, with a focus on nanotechnology, sensors, and the engineering design process. During the first week, the student will start building and characterizing carbon nanotube sensor platforms under the direction of Dr. Iverson and Iverson Lab members. As the student becomes more comfortable with the project, they will design experiments and interpret data independently, discussing their results and brainstorming about future work with Dr. Iverson and the other lab members.  In parallel, the student will be introduced to primary literature searches, sterile culture technique, and the importance of nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide in cell survival and disease progression.  The REU student will finish the summer with an understanding of experimental design, data analysis, and interpretation of results as well as having been exposed to cutting-edge research.

Dr. Forrest Kievit

BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Engineering Nanomedicine for the Neurosciences

The field of nanomedicine offers the potential to improve the understanding and treatment of many disease processes by allowing researchers and clinicians the ability to deliver treatments to specific areas of the body, image where the treatments are going in real-time, and track responses. Therefore, the development of multifunctional nanoparticles has garnered significant attention especially for improving delivery into the brain for neurological diseases including traumatic brain injury, brain cancer, and dementia for which there is a significant lack of effective treatment options.

These nanoparticles typically consist of a small core that acts as a scaffold to carry imaging agents for tracking nanoparticle localization in the body through various imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance and fluorescence imaging, therapeutic moieties for treatment, and targeting agents for binding cell surface receptors expressed in target tissue. However, the translation of nanomedicine into clinical use has been hindered by complicated nanoparticle designs that make reproducible synthesis and scale-up difficult. Therefore, a goal of the Kievit lab is to develop simplified synthesis strategies for multifunctional nanoparticles to improve their translatability.

Prof. Alexey Kovalev

PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY

Magnetic textures and spin current flows

The project is concerned with studies of spin currents in magnetic insulators. Student will learn how to perform micromagnetic simulations using Holland Computing Center or other sources of high performance computing, collaborating with other group members. In addition, we also study how magnetic textures such as skyrmions can be controlled in nanosctructures by sound waves.

Dr. Yongfeng Lu

ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING

Two-photon polymerization (TPP)

Two-photon polymerization (TPP) is a high-precision 3D printing technology ideal for fabricating intricate microstructures required in laser inertial fusion. It enables the creation of fuel targets with highly symmetric and complex geometries, essential for achieving uniform implosion during fusion experiments. TPP can fabricate hollow capsules or porous designs that support tritium diffusion, a critical feature for loading fusion fuel. Its ability to produce consistent microcapsules from photosensitive polymers ensures structural stability while allowing for material conversion into carbon or other suitable compounds. However, challenges such as surface roughness and scalability remain. TPP offers new opportunities for advanced fuel designs, supporting fusion research efforts.

Dr. Eric Markvicka

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

Additive manufacturing of functional emulsions

Functional emulsions are an emerging material architecture for creating highly functional elastomer composites that are soft and elastically deformable [1]. However, techniques to control local composition and microstructure of the composite material in emulsions, which ultimately govern material properties and performance of the cured elastomer composite, are lacking. For this project, the REU student will work closely with a graduate student to develop an additive manufacturing technique to control liquid inclusion microstructure in emulsions to achieve unprecedented combinations of thermal, electrical, and mechanical functionalities in elastomer composites.

By developing the material and manufacturing knowledge to program inclusion microstructure, new paradigms in composite architecture for next generation functional materials are enabled leading to new applications in electronics and robotics.

[1] http://smr.unl.edu/papers/Markvicka_et_al-2018-Nature_Materials.pdf

Prof. Sangjin Ryu

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

Fabrication of microfluidic devices mimicking insect wing vein network

The objective of this project is to fabricate microfluidic devices that mimic the vein network of insect wings for purposes of studying the blood flow or circulation through insect wings and for inventing biomimetic devices. A participating student will learn about basic fabrication methods for microfluidics, flow measurement methods such as flow visualization, and analysis methods such image processing.

Prof. Yanan (Laura) Wang

ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING

Design and Fabrication of Photonic Devices Based on Two-Dimensional Materials

As the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for the discovery of graphene, the family of two-dimensional (2D) materials has flourished and demonstrated their technological importance in various research fields. This project will employ the peculiar properties of 2D materials, including graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides, and hexagonal boron nitride, and explore their applications in nanophotonics. The REU student will work closely with a postdoctoral researcher or a graduate student and acquire a set of skills in device design and nanofabrication.

Prof. Xiaoshan Xu

PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY

Novel Complex Oxide

Complex oxides exhibit various properties, such as ferromagnetism, ferroelectricity, superconductivity, magnetoresistance, etc. These properties owe to their complex crystal structure and electronic structures. Despite decades of research on complex oxides, which include at least two metal elements, the majority of these materials haven’t been thoroughly investigated, due to large number of metal elements, various compositions, and a plethora of crystal structures.

In this project, the undergraduate student will learn and carry out synthesis of novel complex oxide using solid state reaction and characterize their structural and magnetic properties using x-ray diffraction and magnetometry. The objective is to establish structural phase diagram of transition metal complex oxides. The current focus is on their ferroelectric and magnetic properties. [see J. Appl. Phys. 125, 244101 (2019); doi: 10.1063/1.5098488]

Dr. Ruiguo Yang

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

3D Tissue Fabrication for Skin Regeneration

The project aims to use 3D bioprinting to fabricate in vitro tissue models. Specifically, the ongoing work is to recreate a 3D layered skin tissue. The research work will take advantage of the different types of state-of-the-art 3D tissue printing platforms to contribute to the broad literature of biotechnology. In addition, the students will learn tissue culture and regeneration, biological characterization, advanced microscopy as well as engineering design.