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Materials by Design

INSIDE THIS The IMS Associates Program Newsletter ISSUE: VOLUME 17, ISSUE 2 AUGUST 2012

Bio-Inspired Science 2 Three Faculty 3 Elected to CASE Nanomanufacturing: Next ‘Big’ Thing for CT

Huey’s Work on Cover of 4 the Journal of American May Be the Smallest Things Ever Made Ceramics Harris Marcus and Fotios Papadimi- Multiferroic Megnetoelec- 4 trakopoulos, Director and Associate trics - Menka Jain Director of the Institute of , were featured in a recent New Faculty Member: 4 article in the Bulletin of the Con- Jason Hancock necticut Academy of Science and Carter Elected AAAS 5 Engineering. For the full article visit: Fellow http://www.ctcase.org/ bulletin/27_2/27_2.pdf . Owen F. Devereux: 1937- 6 2012 The next “big” thing in science & technology just might be the crea- Memorial Symposium in 7 tion of some of the smallest things Honor of Samuel J. Huang ever made.

Polymer Seminar Series 8 Considered by some a “new tech- nology area” and by others an evo- CMBE Seminar Series 9 lution of the science of nanotech- ing department and director of The news is that people are now IMS Associates Program 10 nology, nanomanufacturing is get- the Institute of Materials Sci- looking to build on the knowl- Short Course: “Smart ting a lot of attention these days. ence at the University of Con- edge that has been amassed in Polymers: Old Dog, New necticut. “Any metals structure the science of to “The use of nanoparticles is not Tricks” produced today likely has revolutionize not only the way new,” said CASE member Harris nanoparticles embedded in it to things are made, but also how Employment Web Page 11 Marcus, professor in the chemical, strengthen it.” this new class of products will materials & biomolecular engineer- affect everyday life. That’s where Toxic and Bio- 11 (Continued on page 2) Contaminated Samples

Mid-Length Projects Pro- 11 Progress Continues on Plans for Tech Park gram As previously announced (http://today.uconn.edu/ ment efforts in both Advanced Manufacturing blog/2011/04/plans-to-build-tech-park-at-uconn- Large Sample Quantities 11 and Materials. If you can indicate the areas of announced/), plans for the construction of a multi- future importance to you we may be able to de- Sample Preparation 11 million dollar tech park on the University of Con- sign in the appropriate capability if it is not al- necticut Storrs campus are underway. An archi- ready planned. Please let us know how this capa- IMS Picnic on the Patio 12 tect has been hired and design of the building is in bility would be useful to you. Fall Semester Classes 12 progress. The plan will include the design of spaces and capabilities to meet the high tech If you have any questions, suggestions or com- IMS Associates Program 12 demands of development efforts in advanced ments regarding the Tech-Park’s value to your Staff materials and advanced manufacturing, the two company please contact Harris Marcus, main thrust areas to be addressed with industry or by phone at (860) in the building. Construction will start shortly 486-4623. We look forward to industry’s active after the preliminary plans are developed with participation in designing the capabilities of the completion expected in FY15. Tech Park’s first building and committing to work utilizing that capability. We request that you indicate how your company would like to use this capability for your develop- P A G E 2 Nanomanufacturing: Next ‘Big’ Thing for CT May Be the Smallest Things Ever Made

(Continued from page 1) cles in proximity to each other, we Another form of nanomanufactur- nanomanufacturing comes in. know that certain ones will attract ing occurs when nanoparticles are and bond in a certain way to give used to create ever-smaller prod- “People are now looking to reduce us a predictable end result.” He ucts that incorporate nanotechnol- the size of the particles embedded cites aerogels, formed by suspend- ogy. “This area holds great promise and also looking to make inte- ing nanoparticles in water and because, for the first time, we can grated nanosystems that can do then removing the water without build specific machines at the mo- jobs that were never before possi- disrupting the lattice structure the lecular level,” Manzione said. ble,” Marcus explained. particles created, as a good exam- ple of a self-assembled material. For CASE member Fotios Papadimi- For CASE member Louis Manzione, trakopoulos, associate director of dean of the College of Engineering, “They are one of the lightest mate- the Institute of Materials Science Technology and Architecture at the rials on earth, they are structurally and professor of chemistry at University of Hartford, one of the strong and don’t conduct heat,” UConn, this is an example of top- key differentiators of nanomanu- Manzione said. “They are formed down application of nanomanufac- facturing is self-assembly. “We are, using self-assembly. By putting turing. “We are taking things we for the first time, applying our given particles in proximity to each currently make and using nano- knowledge of genetics and chemi- other, the particles unite and form manufacturing to make them cal coding to materials science, the aerogel. So, we are already smaller,” he said, citing the com- making it possible for us to get seeing useful products as a result puter chip as an example. nanoparticles to assemble in a of the ‘self-assembly’ principles of given way that we direct,” he said. nanomanufacturing.” “For example, if we put nanoparti- Bio-Inspired Science

From UConn Today, By Christine Buckley. For the complete article visit: http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2012/07/bioinspired-science/? utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+uconn- today+%28UConn+Today%29

Yao Lin, assistant professor of chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (and member of IMS, Ed.), is inspired by nature. But despite the joys of walking by a beautiful stream and savoring a golden sunset, what really drives him is inspiration from the envi- ronment that could lead to new technologies.

“I’m interested in bio-inspired science,” he says. “I want to use the concepts of nature to make smarter materials.”

In particular, says Lin, the movements and communication between – the building blocks of all life – have long stumped scientists. Chemists approximate their structure using smaller strings of polymers. “There’s no way synthetic materials can compete with this kind of sophistication yet,” Yao Lin says Lin. “In it is essential that proteins fold together and self-organize at the right position at the right times. We’re trying to incorporate that cooperativity into our synthetic mole- cules.” This molecular cooperativity is what makes proteins work together to form, say, fibers on the wall of a cell in your body, or the right to digest your food. In nature, says Lin, there’s not a big computer telling all the different pieces where to go and what to do – they can all communicate naturally, which is a big leap ahead of any synthetic material.

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MATERIALS BY DESIGN VOLUME 17, ISSUE 2 P A G E 3

Bio-Inspired Science

(Continued from page 2) In 2011, Lin and his colleagues created a new family of what’s called giant supramolecules, made up of many octopus- like polymers that wrap around each other into a hollow tube, similarly to the natural folding and self-organization of a class of proteins called tubulins. The tube then twists again into a double helix, making the new molecules potentially very strong but lightweight. Early in 2012, Lin received a five-year, half-million dollar CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation to con- tinue this work, looking especially at natural self-healing fibers like silk. “Silk is both strong and stable,” says Lin. “How does it do it?” When asked if this strong, flexible, and lightweight material could be strong enough to stop bullets, potentially paving the way for a superhero suit of the future, Lin laughs. He doesn’t set those kinds of benchmarks, he says.

“If we understand the concept, somebody else can take it and make it into something useful,” he explains.

That’s really the part he loves about science, he says – discovery. “I really like it when students bring in unexpected results,” he says. “When you’re always solving puzzles, it’s like being a kid. You stay young.”

Three Engineering Faculty Elected To CASE By John C. Giardina. From the School of Engineering News and Events. For the complete article visit: http://news.engr.uconn.edu/three- engineering-faculty-elected-to-case.php

Three UConn engineering faculty were inducted into the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE) on May 31, during a gala event held at the University of Connecticut campus in Storrs. They are among 39 new members who were elected in the 2012 class, which also includes eight other faculty members from the University of Connecti- cut.

The newly elected members from the School of Engineering are:

S. Pamir Alpay, professor of Materials Science in the Department of Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering (MS&E Program Direc- tor and member of IMS, Ed.). Dr. Alpay’s research concentrates on func- tional or “smart” materials systems, including ferroelectric, ferromag- netic, and shape memory materials. His current research focuses on the development of frequency agile tunable devices for telecommunications and self-healing electrical contacts for military applications. Dr. Alpay was named a United Technologies Corporation (UTC) Associate Profes- S. Pamir Alpay sor in Engineering Innovation (2008 – 2010), has authored more than 110 scholarly journal papers and received in excess of 2,500 citations. He is currently an Editor of the Journal of Materials Science.

Also elected from the School of Engineering were: Radenka Maric, Connecticut Clean Fund Professor of Sustainable Energy in the Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering Depart- ment and Prabhakar Singh, United Technologies Corporation (UTC) Chair Professor of Fuel Cell Technology and Director of the Center for Clean Energy Engineering at UConn. P A G E 4 Huey’s Work on Cover of the Journal of the American Ceramics Society From the School of Engineering News and Events. For Dr. Huey notes that the paper documents the high- the complete article visit: http:// est spatial and temporal resolution of directly ob- news.engr.uconn.edu/faculty-news-2.php served switching steps, the fastest images published to date, the first mapping of nucleation times and The work of Dr. Bryan Huey (Chemical, Materials growth velocities crucial to the switching efficiency, & Biomolecular Engineering and member of IMS, the observation of fatigue caused by multiple ed.) and three members of his research team, switching events, and measurement of the spatial Drs. R.N. Premnath, S. Lee and N.A. Polomoff, and energetic distribution of defects that influence was featured on the cover of the April 2012 issue switching dynamics including grain boundaries, in- of the Journal of the American Ceramic Soci- dentation sites, and microcracks. ety. Their paper, entitled “High Speed SPM Ap- plied for Direct Nanoscale Mapping of the Influ- The scans appearing on the cover (R. Nath, B. D. ence of Defects on Ferroelectric Switching Dy- Huey) show ferroelectric domain evolution during namics,” reviews the team’s development and polarization cycling between [001] and [001 ̅ ] orien- application of high speed atomic force micros- tations, taken from 256 consecutive High Speed copy techniques to investigate the switching SPM images of a PZT thin film (3 µm x 3 µm, 3 sec- onds per frame). process in data storage materials. Multiferroic Magnetoelectrics - Menka Jain Menka Jain, a faculty member in the department of Physics and the Institute of Materials Science, has recently received a grant from the National Science Foundation. This project is focussed on improving the understanding of composite materials critical for making multifunctional devices. Specifically, the materials being studied are multiferroic magnetoelectrics that simultane- ously have both magnetic and ferroelectric properties. The ap- proach focuses on controlling interfacial diffusion and reactions (through careful selection of materials, processing parameters, and other phenomena) in the nanocomposites with intimately connected piezoelectric and magnetostrictive phases in order to reduce the leakage currents and hence improve the magneto- electric coupling in these composites. The funding will allow her to expand upon her ongoing work in functional and multifunc- tional nanomaterials and nanocomposites for various device Menka Jain applications. In addition to the grant, Dr. Jain also organized a symposium titled “Solution Synthesis of Inorganic Films and Nanostructured Materials” in the Materials Research Society Spring meeting. The symposium brought together 18 distinguished solution synthesis experts from around the world from different universities, national labs, and industries. New Faculty Member: Dr. Jason Hancock This fall we welcome a new faculty member to the Physics Department and IMS, Dr. Jason Hancock. Jason re- ceived his PhD in physics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2005 and has held research positions at Stanford University, the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory and the University de Geneva in Switzer- land. Dr. Hancock is broadly interested in the physics of materials with special training and experience in use of pho- tons to create and study charge and spin excitations in interesting materials. These techniques include time and frequency-domain spectroscopy in the laboratory, but also inelastic X-ray scattering at large-scale synchrotron facilities around the world. He has held scientific advisory positions with the Advanced Photon Source at Ar-

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MATERIALS BY DESIGN VOLUME 17, ISSUE 2 P A G E 5 New Faculty Member: Dr. Jason Hancock (Continued from page 4) gonne National Laboratory and has served as referee for Physical Review Letters, Europhysics Letters, Physical Review B, and Advanced Materials. Recent publications include: Na2IrO3 as a Novel Relativistic Mott Insulator with a 350 meV Gap, Cond-mat/1204.4471, R. Comin, G. Levy, B. Ludbrook, Z.-H. Zhu, C.N. Veenstra, J.A. Rosen, Yogesh Singh, P. Gegenwart, D. Stricker, J.N. Hancock, D. van der Marel, I.S. Elfimov, A. Damascelli. (submitted) Prone to Pair, Dirk van der Marel and Jason N. Hancock, Physics, 4, 89 (2011) Surface state Charge Dynamics of a High-Mobility Three Dimensional Topological Insulator, Jason N. Hancock, J. L. M. van Mechelen, Alexey B. Kuzmenko, Dirk van der Marel, C. Brüne, E. G. Novik, G. V. Astakhov, H. Buhmann, Laurens Molenkamp, Physical Review Letters, 107, 136803 (2011) Measurement of Magnetic Excitations in the Two-Dimensional Antiferromagnetic Sr2CuO2Cl2 Insulator Us- ing Resonant X-Ray Scattering: Evidence for Extended Interactions, Marco Guarise, B. Dalla Piazza, Marco Moretti Sala, Giacomo Ghiringhelli, Lucio Braicovich, Helmuth Berger, Jason N. Hancock, Dirk van der Marel, Jason Hancock Thorsten Schmitt, Victor N. Strocov, Luuk J. P. Ament, Joroen van den Brink, P.-H. Lin, P. Xu, Henrik M. Rønnow, Marco Grioni. Physical Review Letters, 105, 157006 (2010) arXiv:1004.2441. Unraveling the Nature of Charge Excitations in La2CuO4 with Momentum-Resolved Cu K-edge Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering, Cheng-chien Chen, Brian Moritz, François Vernay, Jason N. Hancock, Steven Johnston, Guillaume Chabot-Couture, Martin Greven, Ilya Elfimov, George Sawatzky, Tom Devereaux. Physical Review Letters, 105, 177401 (2010) arXiv:1002.4683. Carter Elected AAAS Fellow

From the School of Engineering, News and Events. For the complete article visit: http:// news.engr.uconn.edu/carter-elected-aaas-fellow.php Dr. C. Barry Carter, Department Head of Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering (and member of IMS, ed.), has been named a 2011 Fellow of the American Association for the Ad- vancement of Science (AAAS). AAAS is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world. The organization’s scope includes publication of Science magazine and educational and policy initiatives. Dr. Carter is a Fellow of the Microscopy Society of America (MSA), the Materials Research Society (MRS) and the American Ceramic Society. He is also an elected member of the Con- necticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE). Dr. Carter was honored by AAAS for his distinguished contributions to engineering through his textbooks on ceramic materials and transmission electron microscopy, his editorial leader- ship, which includes his service as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Materials Science, and his C. Barry Carter study of crystal defects. His textbooks, Ceramic Materials: Science & Engineering (co-written with M.G. Norton; 2007) and Transmission Electron Microscopy: A Textbook for Materials Science (co-written with D.B. Williams; 2nd ed., 2009), have been concurrently listed on Springer’s 15 most downloaded books on chemistry and materials science. He has published more than 700 articles on a wide range of crystal defects, with 300 in archival journals. His awards include the Berndt Matthias Scholar Award (Los Alamos National Laboratory), Alexander von Humboldt Senior Award, and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship. In addition, he serves as President of IFSM, the International Federation of Societies for Microscopy, and is a past president of the Microscopy Society of America.

(Continued on page 6) P A G E 6 Carter Elected AAAS Fellow (ContinuedEngineering from page 5) Outstanding Women OwenBefore joining Devereux UConn in 2007, Dr. Carter was the 3M Harry Heltzer Endowed Chair in the Department of and Materials Science and a professor in the Chemical Physics Program at the Univer- sityGraduate of Minnesota. He earned Student his D. Phil. in Award & Science of Materials at Oxford University in 1975, and in 2005 he received the Sc.D. degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University. From CMBE Website. For the complete article see: http://www.cmbe.engr.uconn.edu/ Two other members of the UConn community were also elected Fellows: Dr. Douglas L. Oliver, a professor of archived_news2011.htmlFrom CMBE Website. For the complete article see: http://www.cmbe.engr.uconn.edu/ Neurosciencearchived_news2011.html at the UConn Health Center, and Dr. Dipak K. Dey, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Xuefei Wan receives "Engineering Outstanding Women Graduate Student Award". Xuefei is an ex- StatisticsXuefei Wanand Associate receives Dean "Engineering of the College Outstanding of Liberal ArtsWomen and Sciences. Graduate Student Award". Xuefei is an ex- ceptional graduate student in the MSE Graduate Program and is graduating in May 2011. Her doc- ceptional graduate student in the MSE Graduate Program and is graduating in May 2011. Her doc- toral research is in the area of solid-state hydrogen storage materials for fuel-cell vehicles, a pro- jecttoral sponsored research is by in the the US area Department of solid-state of Energy, hydrogen in collaborationstorage materials with forthe fuel Pacific-cell Northwest vehicles, a Na-pro- ject sponsored by the US Department of Energy, in collaboration with the Pacific Northwest Na- tional Laboratory. Xuefei’s research has resulted in the publication of 15 papers in high-impact tional Laboratory. Xuefei’s research has resulted in the publication of 15 papers in high-impact Owenjournals such F. as J.Devereux: Power Sources, Appl. Phys.1937 Lett., and- J.2012 Phys. Chem. Xuefei's PhD thesis advisor journals such as J. Power Sources, Appl. Phys. Lett., and J. Phys. Chem. Xuefei's PhD thesis advisor Fromis Leon the Shaw, Potter Professor, Funeral Home CMBE and member of IMS. is Leon Shaw, Professor, CMBE and member of IMS. Dr. Owen Francis Joseph Devereux, of Francis Louis Devereux and Mildred Anna Gleeson. Storrs/Mansfield, retired Metallurgy He received his B.S. (1959), M.S. (1960), and Ph.D. Yangeducator, Zhong passed away awarded peacefully, in (1962) GEMS degrees in Metallurgy from MIT. He was Awarded: Research grantee National Science Foun- From CMBEthis Website.his 75th year, For on the Saturday, complete June article see: http://www.cmbe.engr.uconn.edu/ 30, 2012, while at Hartford Hospital's dation, 1970-76, U.S. Department Energy, 1976-86, archived_news2011.htmlFrom CMBE Website. For the complete article see: http://www.cmbe.engr.uconn.edu/ archived_news2011.htmlICU following a rapidly progressed National Science Foundation Industry/Univ. Corp. illness, also a victim of Alzheimer's, Research Center for Grinding Research and Devel. Yang Zhong, a fourth-year graduate student from Professor Leon Shaw’s group who is cur- Yang Zhong,with aLivi fourth and daughter,-year graduate Amy at his student from1990 Professor-98. Leon Shaw’s group who is cur- rently doing his thesis research focused on the simultaneous improvement of hardness and rently doingside, his along thesis with research Owen M, Jon,focused and on theHis simultaneous Memberships improvementwere: Member American of hardness Institute and fracture toughnessNancy in absentia. of WC -Co material, has been awarded one of ten Graduate Excellence infracture Materials toughness Science of (GEMS) WC-Co Awardsmaterial, by has the been Basicof Mining,awarded Science American one Division of Association ten of Graduate The of American University Excellence Pro-Ce- in Materials Science (GEMS) Awards by the Basicfessors, Science Electrochemical Division Society of The (div. American editor 1987 Ce-- ramic Society.He is survived by his wife of 43 years, ramic Society. 90), National Association Corrosion Engineers. His Livi (Olivia Elaine Marin) Devereux, career included: Research chemist Chevron Re- The GEMSand awards leaves behind “recognize his rural the farm outstanding life achievements of graduate students in Mate- The GEMS awards “recognize the outstanding searchachievements Co., La Habra, of graduateCalifornia, 1962students-64, Corning in Mate- rials Sciencesince and 1973 Engineering” in Mansfield, CT; and a former are open to(New all graduate York) Glass students Works, 1964 who-66, make Chevron an Oil oral Field presentationrials Sciencewife, inand Sally any Engineering” Williamson symposium of Brookline, andor session are open at tothe all annual graduate Material students Science who &make Technology an oral presentation in any symposium or session at theResearch annual Co., Material La Habra, Science 1966-68; & associate Technology profes- (MS&T) Conference.MA; his son, Owen Zhong M. presentedDevereux of his researchsor metallurgy on “Sintering University and Connecticut, Characterization Storrs, 1968 of- Nano(MS&T)-WC Conference.Carson Co Powder City,NV; Zhong – his On daughter, thepresented Formation Amy L.his ofresearch WC Platelets” on “Sintering at the and2011 Characterization MS&T Conference of Nano-WC Co Powder – On the Formation of WC76, Platelets”professor, 1976 at the-99, 2011department MS&T head, Conference 1983-98; held in ColumbusDevereux thisGronus past of Ashford,October. CT and retired, 1999. He authored a technical book: Topics held in Columbusher husband, this Charlie past October.Gronus; his son, Owen F. Devereux in Metallurgical , 1983; and au- Zhong has Jonbeen W. working Devereux with of StaffordProf. Shaw Springs, to study thethored influence more of than processing 50 technical and publications. microstructure His on Zhong has been working with Prof. Shaw to study the influence of processing and microstructure on the mechanicalCT and properties his wife, Gailof WC M. -Devereux;Co in the andlast 2 years.hobbies They were have playing developed the classical a process guitar, for the the love pro- of the mechanical properties of WC-Co in the last 2 years. They have developed a process for the pro- daughter,duction ofNancy WC J.-Co Devereux with outstanding McDonough hardness of Hern- and fracturehorses, toughness. driving horse They drawn have vehicles, also published gardening, 3 don,duction VA and of herWC husband,-Co with Jimoutstanding McDonough. hardness He also and fracture toughness. They have also published 3 papers in Acta Materialia, Ceramics International andcrossword Journal ofpuzzles, Materials woodworking, Science on dancing, the synthesis listening leavespapers behind in Acta a granddaughter Materialia, Ceramics and great International- and Journal of Materials Science on the synthesis and microstructure control of WC-Co. to classic country music, and reading. grandchildrenand microstructure of Stafford control Springs, of WC CT; -hisCo. sister, Ellen Devereux Carceo of New Port Richey, FL; In Lieu of flowers, donations may be made, and are nephew, Bob Carceo of Methuen, MA and his wife tax deductible to Mansfield Animal Shelter. Owen Gail; niece, Lyn Carceo of Lynn, MA; niece, Cathy would wholeheartedly approve. (Friends of Mans- Carceo Caissie of Spring Hill, FL and her husband, field's Animal Shelter) FOMAS, P.O.Box 95, Mans- Joe Caissie; niece, Laura Carceo Callahan of New field Center, CT 06250 [ Animal Control Officer: No- Port Richey, FL and her husband, Patrick Callahan; ranne M. Nielsen [email protected] ]. plus many cousins. Not to be forgotten are the Donations may also be made to the North Veteri- countless close University of Connecticut col- nary Clinic, 118 Ashford Center Rd | Ashford, CT leagues, friends, and students whose lives he 06278 | (860) 487-0479 [ Catherine North northvet- touched over the years. [email protected]].

He was born on August 23, 1937, at home on the For an online memorial guestbook, please visit kitchen table in Lexington, MA. to the late George www.potterfuneralhome.com.

MATERIALS BY DESIGN VOLUME 17, ISSUE 2 P A G E 7

Memorial Symposium in Honor of Samuel J. Huang

A ‘Memorial Symposium in Honor of Samuel J. Huang’ was held at the American Chemical Society (ACS) national meeting in San Diego, CA. This special symposium on ‘Polymer Synthesis & ’ was organized by Bob Weiss (now at U.Akron) and Raji Kasi (UConn). The invited speakers included a dozen of Dr. Huang’s former colleagues, professional friends, and former students. Some of Dr. Huang’s former Italian colleague also participated. It was a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to the founding director of our program and a pioneer in biodegradable polymer research. The program for the day follows.

Sam Huang: Pioneer in Polymer Science Steve Suib (UConn) Two-And-A-Half Decades Of Industry Research. A Reflection on the Influ- ence of Professor Samuel J. Huang Charles Davis (IBM) High Temperature Polybenzimidazole Membranes for Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Purification Devices Brian Benicewicz (U. South Carolina) Light Scattering and Nanocomposites Thomas Seery (UConn) Synthesis and Properties of Functionalized Poly(Lactic Acid) Robert Weiss (U. Akron) , Andrew Ro, Murat Bakan, Samuel J. Huang Samuel J. Huang Semi-Crystalline Syndiotactic Polystyrene Aerogel with Sulfonated Amor- phous Phases A. Boriello, Vincenzo Venditto, Christophe Daniel, Gaetano Guerra, Luigi Ambrosio. (U. Naples, Italy) Modification of , An Underutilized William Daly (LSU) Natural Polymer Gels for Biomedical Uses Claudio Migilaresi, Michael Floren, Christian Lorandi, Michele Preghenella, Antonella Motta. (U. Trento, Italy) Bioinspired Catalytic Template for Ceramic Condensation C. Hire, A. J. Oyer, Douglas Adamson, (UConn) Superabsorbent Polymer Hydrogels for GI Tract Therapies Luigi Nicolais, Luigi Ambrosio, Alessandro Sannino, Christian Demitri, Eyal Ron, Yishai Zohar, Hassan Hesmati (U. Naples, Italy) Biodegradable Polymer and Composite Scaffolds for Tissue Regeneration Luigi Ambrosio, (U. Naples, Italy) Multi-Functional Smart Materials from Hierarchically Ordered Polymeric Systems Rajesweri Kasi (UConn) Miniaturized, Needle Implantable, Wireless for Continuous Monitoring of Multiple Bio-Analytes Fotis Papadimtrakopoulos, S. Vaddiraju, Diane J. Burgess, F. C. Jain (UConn) P A G E 8 Department Seminars: Fall 2012 All fall seminar schedules have not been finalized at the time of this writing. Final seminar schedules will be available near the beginning of the semester and can be found on the department web sites (http:// www.ims.uconn.edu/polymer/seminars.html and http://www.cmbe.engr.uconn.edu/seminars.html). This information will be updated as additional seminars and information are added. Abstracts of seminars are usu- ally available about a week in advance. We can also put you in touch with the faculty member sponsoring the seminar to learn more about the specific seminar of interest. We suggest you call before attending to be sure the seminar has not been canceled due to illness or weather.

Here are the schedules for the Polymer Program spring seminar series and the CMBE.

POLYMER SEMINAR SERIES

September 7 Functional Hybrid Nanomaterials from Polymers Prof. Ulrich Wiesner, Cornell University

September 21 Characterizing the Viscoelasticity and Friction of Contact Lenses Immersed in Fluid Dr. Charles Lusignan, Bausch & Lomb

September 28 Nanofluidics-Wetting and Spreading Phenomena Prof. Darsh Wasan, Illinois Institute of Technology

October 5 Simulations of Stretching a Strong, Flexible Polyelectrolyte Dr. Mark Stevens, Sandia National Laboratories

October 12 Theranostic and Radiotherapeutic Cancer Nanomedicines Prof. Xiuling Lu, University of Connecticut

October 19 Using Interfacial Manipulations to Generate Functional Materials from Nanostructured Polymers Prof. Thomas Epps, University of Delaware

October 26 Ion Transport through Polymer Matrices: New Insights into the Design of Polymer Films as Ion Transporting Membranes for Renewable Energy Applications Prof. Sergio Grandos-Focil, Clark University

November 9 Tailoring Polymer Structures for Adhesives and Sealants Dr. John Woods, Henkel Corporation

November 30 Kinetics of Chiral Growth of Nanotubes Dr. Benji Maruyama, Wright-Patterson Air Force Research Laboratory

All Polymer Program seminars are held on Fridays at 1:30 PM in IMS Room 20, unless noted otherwise. Coffee will be served at 1:00 PM outside the seminar room. For more information, please contact YH Chudy at [email protected]. 860-486-3582 or visit www.ims.uconn.edu/polymer.

MATERIALS BY DESIGN VOLUME 17, ISSUE 2 P A G E 9

CMBE SEMINAR SERIES

August 31 Laboratory Safety and Hazardous Waste Management Stefan Wawzyneick, University of Connecticut

September 7 Turbine Engines to Hip Implants: Designing Multifunctional Ceramic Coatings Molly M. Gentleman, Assistant Professor of , Texas A&M University

September 14 Particles at Interfaces: Anisotropic Particles; Anisotropic Media Kathleen Stebe, Richer & Elizabeth Goodwin Professor; Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE), University of Pennsylvania

September 21 Title- TBD Miodrag Oljaca, Cabot Corporation

September 28 Biomimetic Surface Designs for Cell and Bacterial Manipulation Maria Santore, Professor, University of Massachusetts

October 5 Carbon Nanotubes in Cancer Therapy Susan Torti, UConn Health Center

October 12 Microstructure and Rheology Relationships for Concentrated Colloidal Dispersions: Shear Thickening Fluids and Their Applications Norman Wagner, Alvin B. and Julia O. Stiles Professor; Department Chairperson, University of Delaware

October 19 Live 3D Modeling with Colloids Frans Spaepen, John C. and Helen F. Franklin Professor of Applied Physics; Director of the Rowland Institute, Harvard University

October 25 Title –TBD Ned Thomas, William and Stephanie Sick Dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering, Rice University Konover Auditorium, Dodd Center, 4pm

October 26 Title –TBD Ned Thomas, William and Stephanie Sick Dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering, Rice University

November 2 Title – TBD Stan Whittingham, Professor, Chemistry and Materials Science & Engineering; Director, Institute for Materials Re- search, Binghamton University

November 9 Interfacial Rheology of Biological Interfaces Gerry Fuller, Professor; The Fletcher Jones Chair in the School of Engineering, Stanford University

November 16 Reflections on Microscopy & Analysis: From Viewing the Small World to Leading on a Larger Stage Dave Williams, Dean of the College of Engineering; Presidential Professor of Engineering, Ohio State University

December 7 Harder, Cheaper, Greener: The Design and Deployment of Stabilized Nanocrystalline Alloy Coatings Chris Schuh, Professor; Department Head, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

All CMBE seminars are held on Fridays at 11AM in IMS Room 20, unless noted otherwise. Coffee will be served before the seminar outside the seminar room. For more information, please contact Cathy McCrackan ([email protected]) or visit http://www.cmbe.engr.uconn.edu/ seminars.html. P A G E 10

http://www.ims.uconn.edu/associate/a_shortcourse_SmartPolymers.html

MATERIALS BY DESIGN VOLUME 17, ISSUE 2 P A G E 11 Employment Web Page The Institute of Materials Science has a web page to help match students with potential employers. The IMS Employment Center can be accessed from the IMS home page http://www.ims.uconn.edu/ and clicking on Outreach. The initial job page has brief information concerning each position and a link for more details. Please forward any open position announce- ments you wish to post to Rhonda Ward ([email protected]). We have several positions on the website now, with your help we can continue to build this database of information, which benefits both students and employers. Toxic and Bio-Contaminated Samples On a small number of occasions, member companies have sent us toxic samples for examination. IMS is not set up to handle such materials. We operate in a very open environment with multiple users and shared laboratory facilities. We cannot accept toxic materials, materials that present biological hazards or similar materials such as drugs that require very specialized handling. If we do receive such a sample we must return them (and may need your assistance to do so, as shipping these materials can be time consuming and expensive). We cannot dispose of these types of material at UConn when they are created by external sources. Mid-Length Projects (MLP) Program The Institute of Materials Science (IMS) announces the continuation of a program that addresses seed research/development projects of an intermediate length. This program is designed to encourage university/industry collaboration on projects that are too extensive for the existing Associates Program yet smaller than full-blown university research projects. Typical student/post-doc supporting research projects at IMS (and most of UConn and other institutions) last for some number of years. Industry often has exploratory projects of intermediate length between these extremes, projects that may require several months to a year of full time effort. Through the Mid-Length Projects (MLP) Program IMS will assist industry in matching the available resources of IMS to those required for the project of interest. For more information or to discuss specific projects please contact Ed Kurz (860) 486-4186, [email protected] or Harris Marcus (860) 486 -4623, [email protected]. Large Sample Quantities It is rare that the Associates Program needs more than 100gr of material for our investigations – actually we rarely need more than a few grams. When we receive unnecessarily large sample quantities we must return or dispose of the unneeded material. This can incur significant expense that we must pass along to the requestor. If you are unsure of the quantity of sample required for various projects please feel free to discuss that with us before sending samples. Sample Preparation In many projects that the Associates Program deals with, such as adhesion and coatings, surface analysis techniques are extremely important. The techniques used for such analysis, particularly GC/MS, Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) are extremely sensitive to small amounts of material on the surface. It is important to make efforts not to contaminate these surfaces during sample preparation, collection and shipment. Shipment in common plastic bags should be avoided! Common plastic bags typically contain significant amounts of additives used to prevent the plastics from adhering to themselves and other materials. These additives will migrate to the sample during shipment and at best make interpretation difficult and sometimes impossible. It is much better to ship such samples in common kitchen aluminum foil (not industrial aluminum foil which is often coated with an oil or other release agent). Samples can also be shipped in glass containers with aluminum foil over the opening under the cap. Alternatively, special polyester bags that do not contain such additives can be purchased. One source of such bags is the Kapak Corporation (now Ampac). Typical price is about $200 per thousand depending on the exact size. Be sure to specify non-contaminating/non-plasticized material. IMS Picnic on the Patio 2012 Thanks primarily to the efforts of Kim Post, July 19 saw the 11th annual IMS Picnic on the Patio. Spirits were high and all had a good time. We close this issue of the newsletter with a few images from the event. Thanks to Jack Gromek for the images.

IMS Associates Program

Edward Kurz, Ph.D., Director Ph. 860-486-4186 Fax 860-486-4745 [email protected]

Fiona Leek, Ph.D. Associate Director Ph. 860-486-1040 Fax 860-486-4745 [email protected]

Administrative Assistant Rhonda Ward Ph. 860-486-5874 Fax 860-486-4745 [email protected]

University of Connecticut

Institute of Materials Science

97 North Eagleville Road, Unit 3136 Storrs, CT 06269-3136

Visit us on the web at: www.ims.uconn.edu/associate/ associates

Fall Semester Starts Fall semester classes start August 27, 2012. Some courses that may be of interest include the following.

CHEM 5380 Polymer Synthesis G. A. Sotzing CHEG 5351 Polymer Physics R. Parnas CHEM 5382 Polymer Characterization I Y. Lin CHEM 5381 Polymer Physical Chemistry A. Dobrynin CHEM 5394 Polymer Self-Assembly D. Adamson/R. Kasi CHEG 5395-1 Structural Characterization for Soft M-P Nieh Materials - Scattering CHEG 5367 Polymer Rheology A. Ma MCB 5015 X-Ray Structure Analysis P. Burkhard MSE 5301 Thermodynamics of Materials F. Petite MSE 5320 Materials Selection in Mechanical Design G. Ojard, MSE 5322 Materials Characterization B. Huey MSE 5334 Struct. & Defects in Materials G. Rossetti