Materials Science and Engineering

Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science Northwestern University SUMMER 2010

Greg Olson Elected to National Academy of Engineering

Greg Olson holds a “Dragonslayer bullet-proof” drive gear used to win the Baja 1000 1600-class event. The top five finishers all used commercial Questek-designed steel gears.

stainless steel alloy for aircraft landing gears that replaces the cadmium-plated steel, which poses an environmental hazard. Olson is a fellow of ASM and TMS-AIME, and he has authored more than 200 publications. He received a BS and MS in 1970 and ScD in 1974 in materials science from MIT and remained there in a series of senior research positions before joining the faculty of Northwestern in 1988. Beyond ma- terials design, his research interests include phase transformations, structure/property relationships, and applications of high resolution microanaly- sis. Recent awards include the ASM Campbell Memorial Lectureship, the TMS-SMD Distinguished Scientist/Engineer Award, and the Cambridge University Kelly Lectureship. reg Olson, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science In addition to Olson, McCormick alumnus Sang Yup Lee was and Engineering, has been elected a member of the Na- elected to NAE as a foreign member. Lee, currently dean of the Gtional Academy of Engineering. He is cited for his contri- College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering at the Korea Advanced bution to research, development, implementation and teaching of Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), received both his MS science-based materials by design. (’87) and PhD (’91) from the Department of Chemical and Biological Olson is considered one of the founders of computational ma- terials design. He developed a systematic science-based approach Olson developed a systematic science-based for designing alloys that takes the desired properties and calculates approach for designing alloys that takes the the optimum composition and processing route. He directs the Materials Technology Laboratory/Steel Re- desired properties and calculates the optimum search Group at McCormick, and in 1997, he founded QuesTek composition and processing route. Innovations LLC, a materials design company that was selected for Fortune magazine’s list of the 25 breakthrough companies of Engineering at Northwestern. Lee was cited for leadership in bacte- 2005. QuesTek’s first creation was a high-performance gear steel rial biotechnology and metabolic engineering, including develop- that was designed at Northwestern and licensed to the company. ment of fermentation processes for biodegradable polymers and That steel has found an unusual market: Baja 1000 racing, where organic acids. QuesTek’s materials have led to better final drive gears for off-road racers, as demonstrated by the top five finishers of the 1600 class for the past several years. The company recently developed a New Faculty Profile: Ramille Shah Growing Cartilage — No Easy Task

hen Ramille Shah came to the McCormick School of En- orthwestern University researchers gineering as an undergraduate in the late 1990s, the civil are the first to design a bioactive W engineering major got a work study position under Hamlin Nnanomaterial that promotes the Jennings, professor of civil and materials science and engineering. growth of new cartilage in vivo and with- Working in his lab on experiments involving cement, Shah had out the use of expensive growth factors. two thoughts that would shape the rest of her life: she loved research, Minimally invasive, the therapy activates and she loved working with materials. the bone marrow stem cells and produces “I loved trying to answer questions that no one knew the natural cartilage. No conventional therapy answers to,” she says. So she switched her major to materials sci- can do this. ence and engineering and took a class with Samuel Stupp, Board The results were published by the of Trustees Professor of Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineer- Proceedings of the National Academy of ing, and Medicine. That set her on a decade-long trajectory — from Sciences (PNAS). McCormick to graduate school at MIT to a postdoctoral fellowship in “Unlike bone, cartilage does not grow Stupp’s lab — that landed her back in the Department of Materials back, and therefore clinical strategies to Science and Engineering in the fall of 2009 as an assistant professor. regenerate this tissue are of great interest,” “It’s been a great transition to go from student to professor,” she said Samuel I. Stupp, the paper’s senior au- Damaged cartilage can lead to joint says. “I know the people here, I know the system — the facilities are thor, Board of Trustees Professor of Chemis- pain and loss of physical function and eventually to osteoarthritis, a state of the art, and the reputation of the MSE department at North- try, Materials Science and Engineering, and disorder with an estimated economic western is one of the best. It was an ideal situation for me to have the Medicine, and director of the Institute for impact approaching $65 billion in BioNanotechnology in Medicine (IBNAM). opportunity to be here.” the United States. Shah is now beginning to establish a lab at the Institute for Bio- Shah is also interested in creating hybrid systems that take Countless people — amateur athletes, Nantechnology in Medicine at Northwestern (IBNAM) while soliciting self-assembling peptide-based materials — materials made up of professional athletes and people whose teaching advice from other young faculty — “I’m trying to make a fun natural amino acids — and combining them with polymers to create joints have just worn out — learn this all too and effective learning experience for undergrad and grad students,” hybrid materials that have specific mechanical and bioactive proper- well when they bring their bad knees, shoul- she says. ties. While working in Stupp’s lab, Shah helped discover a system in ders and elbows to an orthopaedic surgeon. The Northwestern gel is injected as factor was not required to get the best Shah’s work in materials science began as an undergraduate, which a highly ordered membrane formed at the interface of these Damaged cartilage can lead to joint a liquid to the area of the damaged joint, results. Instead, because of the molecular when she worked in Stupp’s lab in tissue engineering. “That was my two solutions. pain and loss of physical function and where it then self-assembles and forms a design of the gel material, growth factor first taste of biomaterials research,” she says. “The potential to create “By combining these two different systems, you can change eventually to osteoarthritis, a disorder with solid. This extracellular matrix, which mimics already present in the body is enough to materials and therapies that can improve the quality of life of patients the chemistry and processing variables to alter the resulting hybrid an estimated economic impact approaching what cells usually see, binds by molecular regenerate cartilage. properties,” she says. “My goal is to strengthen the properties of the $65 billion in the United States. With an ag- design one of the most important growth The matrix only needed to be present “I was very fortunate to have such wonderful membrane to create more robust materials for its potential use in ing and increasingly active population, this factors for the repair and regeneration of for a month to produce cartilage growth. The matrix, based on self-assembling mentors that are now my colleagues,” Shah says. more load bearing applications.” figure is expected to grow. cartilage. By keeping the growth factor con- Shah is also interested in mechanically stimulating tissue engi- “Cartilage does not regenerate in centrated and localized, the cartilage cells molecules known as peptide amphiphiles, “It’s a cool transition and a real reward for me.” neering scaffolds to promote cell and tissue growth. Low-intensity adults. Once you are fully grown you have have the opportunity to regenerate. biodegrades into nutrients and is replaced ultrasound has been used as a clinical therapy to accelerate healing all the cartilage you’ll ever have,” said first In collaboration with Nirav A. Shah, by natural cartilage. (i.e. fractures, tendonitis, and damaged ligaments), and Shah is trying author Ramille N. Shah, assistant profes- M.D., a sports medicine orthopaedic sur- “The greatest clinical utility of this really sparked an interest in me.” After graduating from McCormick in to determine if this treatment can also be used to stimulate the regen- sor of materials science and engineering geon who treats athletes of all levels and matrix would be as an adjunct to current 2000, Shah went on to graduate school at MIT, where her research erative response of cells in biomaterial scaffolds. at McCormick and assistant professor of ages and is a former orthopaedic resident minimally invasive surgical techniques,” in Myron Spector’s laboratory involved cartilage tissue engineering With a joint appointment in the Department of Orthopaedic Sur- orthopaedic surgery at the Feinberg School at Northwestern, the researchers implanted said Nirav Shah, whose practice is based in and delivering genes through collagen scaffolds to stimulate cells into gery in the Feinberg School of Medicine, Shah has the opportunity to of Medicine. Shah is also a resident faculty their nanofiber gel in an animal model with Palos Heights, Ill. “Our study illustrates the regenerating cartilage. work with surgeons, clinicians, and medical students — a collabora- member at IBNAM. cartilage defects. nanofiber gel’s excellent potential for accel- After earning her PhD in 2006, the Chicago native wanted to re- tion she says is a must in her field. Type II collagen is the major protein in The animals were treated with microfrac- erating rehabilitation and return to function, turn to her hometown. Stupp’s group was working with peptide sys- “In order to create biomaterials and therapies that will work in articular cartilage, the smooth, white con- ture, where tiny holes are made in the bone improving clinical outcomes, and hopefully tems that can self-assemble into nanostructures, and Shah wanted the clinic, it’s important to have conversations with the surgeons who nective tissue that covers the ends of bones beneath the damaged cartilage to create a delaying, if not stopping, the progression of to get a taste of how nanotechnology could contribute to regenera- will implement the technology in surgery,” she says. Her number one where they come together to form joints. new blood supply to stimulate the growth of cartilage lesions into painful degeneration tive medicine, so she joined his group as a postdoctoral fellow. collaborator is her husband, Nirav A. Shah, MD, who graduated from “Our material of nanoscopic fibers stim- new cartilage. The researchers tested various and arthritis.” “I was very fortunate to have such wonderful mentors that are McCormick with a biomedical engineering degree and is now a prac- ulates stem cells present in bone marrow to combinations: microfracture alone; microfrac- Further evaluation of the nanomaterial now my colleagues,” Shah says. “It’s a cool transition and a real ticing orthopedic surgeon in Palos Heights. produce cartilage containing type II collagen ture and the nanofiber gel with growth factor is under way in a larger preclinical study; reward for me.” “Through his clinical work and my research experience we and repair the damaged joint,” Shah said. added; and microfracture and the nanofiber pending that study’s results, clinical trials Now with her own lab, Shah is creating new biomaterials for continually learn from each other and discuss where new biomaterial “A procedure called microfracture is the gel without growth factor added. would be the next step. tissue engineering that target orthopedic tissues like bone, cartilage, technologies can have an impact on current clinical procedures,” she most common technique currently used by They found their technique produced meniscus and ligaments. She’s interested in examining plant-based says. “We talk about it over dinner. Not many people can have the doctors, but it tends to produce a cartilage much better results than the microfracture biomaterials for tissue engineering implants because plants, particu- type of dialogue we can have on a daily basis. It’s an exciting dynamic having predominantly type I collagen which procedure alone and, more importantly, larly soy, are a sustainable and renewable resource with very interest- that can hopefully lead to new innovations in orthopaedic surgery and is more like scar tissue.” found that addition of the expensive growth ing thermoplastic qualities. tissue engineering.” Materials Science Student Monica Olvera de la Cruz Honored by Awarded Churchill Scholarship Department of Defense, Named NSSEFF Fellow

he Winston Churchill Foundation has awarded Northwestern onica Olvera de la Cruz has been The grants awarded to the new fellows University senior Kelsey Stoerzinger a Churchill Scholarship selected by the U.S. Depart- support unclassified, basic research that may T to pursue graduate studies at the University of Cambridge. Mment of Defense as a fellow in its transform the Department of Defense’s capa- Stoerzinger, the seventh Churchill Scholar from Northwestern, National Security Science and Engineering bilities in the long term. was selected from among 81 nominees for the 14 scholarships Faculty Fellowship (NSSEFF) program. Olvera de la Cruz is the second North- available. Eligible universities, consisting of the top schools in the She is the Lawyer Taylor Professor, western faculty member to be named an nation, are allowed to nominate only two qualified applicants. Nomi- professor of materials science and engineer- NSSEFF fellow. Chad Mirkin, George B. nees must display high academic achievement and the capacity to ing and director of the University’s Materials Rathmann Professor of Chemistry in the contribute to the advancement of knowledge in their field. Research Science and Engineering Center. Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, was “I am beyond ecstatic,” said Stoerzinger, a senior in materials Olvera de la Cruz is one of only 11 named an inaugural fellow in 2008. science and engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering distinguished university faculty scientists and In her work, Olvera de la Cruz has and Applied Science and a native of Inver Grove Heights, Minn. manner and studied how they behave when irradiated with light. engineers from across the nation forming the developed theoretical models to determine “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on so many fronts. I am She has studied using nanopyramids irradiated with near-infrared program’s 2010 class. The selection process the thermodynamics, statistics and dynam- looking forward to being part of an international community of scien- light as localized therapeutic agents to help kill breast cancer cells. was rigorous; only 1.4 percent of nominees ics of macromolecules in complex environ- tists at an 800-year-old institution with so much history in physics.” “Kelsey is spectacular,” Odom said. “She has been one of the received the honor. ments, including multicomponent solutions The Churchill Scholarship provides one year of support for a most effective undergraduate students I’ve had in my lab. She is She will receive up to $4.25 million of heterogeneous synthetic and biological postgraduate degree in engineering, mathematics or the sciences at very conscientious and pays attention to details, which is extremely of support for up to five consecutive years molecules. Cambridge, including all tuition and fees, airfare and a living allow- important. Kelsey makes the natural leaps or connections neces- for her research project, “Paradigms for ance. Stoerzinger will be based in the physics department, working sary to make progress in research.” Emergence of Shape and Function in toward a research-based Master of Philosophy degree. After Cambridge, Stoerzinger plans to return to the United Biomolecular Electrolytes for the Design For the last two years, since her sophomore year, Stoerzinger States to pursue a doctoral degree in materials science. of Biomimetic Materials.” has conducted nanoscience research in the lab of Teri W. Odom, Last summer she interned at Dow Corning Corp. doing re- Dow Chemical Company Research Professor of chemistry and search and development work on photovoltaic encapsulants, and materials science and engineering. In her work with nanopyramids, she also has interned at General Motors. Stoerzinger plays oboe in Stoerzinger has investigated ways to assemble them in a controlled Northwestern’s Philharmonia Orchestra and is section leader. Morris Fine Honored with Lecture and Award

he inaugural Morris E. Fine Lecture in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering took place Oct. 16 and T featured Subra Suresh, the Vannevar Bush Professor of Engi- Mark Hersam Receives Outstanding Young Investigator Award neering and dean of the School of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. orthwestern University’s carbon nanotubes and graphene, and for organic functionalization Suresh gave a lecture titled, “Materials Science at the Intersec- Mark Hersam has been and nanopatterning of semiconductor surfaces.” tions of Nanotechnology, Life Sciences and Human Health.” Nselected to receive the Hersam and his research group apply the fundamental para- Suresh holds faculty appointments in materials science and Outstanding Young Investigator digm of materials science and engineering to hybrid materials at the engineering, mechanical engineering, biological engineering, and Award from the Materials Re- nanometer level. The research has far-reaching impact in fields such health sciences and technology at MIT, and served as head of the search Society (MRS). The award as information technology, biotechnology and alternative energy. Department of Materials Science and Engineering from January was presented in April during the 2000 to January 2006. He began his tenure as dean of the School of 2010 MRS Spring Meeting in San The award recognizes outstanding, Engineering in July 2007. Francisco. interdisciplinary scientific work in materials The lecture is named in honor of Morris E. Fine, Walter P. Hersam is professor of materi- research by a young scientist or engineer. Murphy and Technological Institute Professor Emeritus of Materials als science and engineering in the Science and Engineering in Service. McCormick School of Engineering The award recipient must also show In August 2009, Fine received the Outstanding Achievement and Applied Science and professor exceptional promise as a developing leader Award from the University of Minnesota. Since then he has published more than 300 papers and con- of chemistry in the Weinberg Col- The award recognizes graduates who have attained unusual tinues to publish today. He has received numerous awards; most lege of Arts and Sciences. in the materials area. distinction in their chosen fields or in public service, and who have recently he was chosen as recipient of the TMS 2009 Application The award recognizes out- demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership on a com- to Practice Award for research that led to a new steel with better standing, interdisciplinary scientific Hersam’s award marks the third time a Northwestern profes- munity, state, national, or international level. corrosion resistance, toughness, and welding properties. This steel work in materials research by a sor has won the MRS Outstanding Young Investigator Award. Fine received his PhD in physical metallurgy from the University was selected for a new bridge in northern Illinois. He is a member of young scientist or engineer. The award recipient must also show Teri Odom, associate professor of chemistry and Dow Chemical of Minnesota in 1943. After working on the Manhattan Project in Chi- the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of exceptional promise as a developing leader in the materials area. Company Research Professor, was honored with the award last year, cago and Los Alamos, Fine worked for Bell Labs until 1954, when Arts and Sciences. He is a fellow of the Metals, Minerals and Materi- Hersam’s citation states that he is being honored for “pioneering and Chad Mirkin, George B. Rathmann Professor of Chemistry, was he came to Northwestern to help start the first materials science als Society (TMS), ASM International, the American Ceramic Society research on the physics, chemistry, and engineering of nanoelectronic honored in 1999. department in the world. and the American Physical Society. He is an honorary member of materials and devices, including solution phase techniques for sorting AIME and the Japan Institute of Metals. Agreement Established Between NU and NIMS, Japan A Lost Picasso? Uncovering Old Secrets to Identify Modern Sculptures In December, Northwestern University This agreement will reinforce Farjami, former Voorhees post-doc, now signed a comprehensive collaborative existing collaborations between on the staff at NIMS, and Koichi Tsuchiya, agreement with the National Institute of a Northwestern materials science and ow do you tell when, where and how Materials Science (NIMS), headquartered Northwestern and NIMS... engineering alumnus (JR Weertman) now a Picasso or a Matisse sculpture in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. This and should facilitate new at the NIMS Innovative Materials Engineer- Hwas cast? Could bronze sculptures have their very own DNA? agreement will reinforce existing collabora- collaborations and exchanges. ing Laboratory. Professors Hans and Julia tions between Northwestern and NIMS Weertman visited NIMS in February. Researchers from Northwestern Univer- in the fields of 3-D structural analysis and sity, together with collaborators from the Art semiconductor nanowires and should facili- and engineering at Northwestern, was on- Institute of Chicago, have completed the first tate new collaborations and exchanges. The hand at the signing ceremony following the comprehensive survey of the alloy composi- agreement was signed by NIMS President, MRS-Japan 20th Anniversary Symposium. tion of a large number of cast bronze sculp- Professor Sukekatsu Ushioda and North- Also present were Larry Aageson, a mem- tures by major European artists from the first western Provost Daniel Linzer. Robert P. H. ber of the materials science and engineering half of the 20th century. Chang, director of the Materials Research professor Peter Voorhees’ research group The researchers classified the unique Institute and professor of materials science who spent three months at NIMS, Susan composition profiles of 62 modern sculptures by linking data from the alloy composition of these sculptures with parameters from art history, including artist, foundry, casting methods and casting date. From left to right: Takao Kitamura (IAO, NIMS), These profiles — where a sculpture’s NIMS Vice-President Tetsuji Noda (Vice-President, NIMS), metal composition is akin to DNA’s genetic Professor Sukekatsu Ushiodu (President, NIMS), Susan Fajarmi (NIMS; former NU post-doc), Larry Aageson information — could be used as another (visiting NU researcher at NIMS), Professor R.P.H. Chang method to identify, date and even authenti- (NU), Masaki Kitagawa (Senior Advisor, NIMS), cate sculptures. Koichi Tsuchiya (NIMS; NU alumnus) The study was published in the journal Analytical & Bioanalytical Chemistry. The foundries of the early 20th cen- tury were quite secretive about the bronze composition they used, to prevent other foundries from producing a superior product. Professor David Dunand and Marcus Young This suggests that alloy composition may be sufficient to identify which foundry cast a particular sculpture. Engineering, used a form of optical emission “By expanding the ICP-OES database Bronzes are copper alloys containing spectroscopy called ICP-OES to determine of objects studied, these material correlations Solar Energy Institute established at McCormick various amounts of tin, zinc and other met- the metal composition of 62 bronze sculp- may become useful for identifying, dating or als whose presence alter the alloy’s melting tures cast in Paris during the first half of the possibly even authenticating other bronzes he International Materials Insti- temperature and fluidity, the strength and expertise with best international practices, 20th century. that do not bear foundry marks,” the authors tute for Solar Energy Conversion, hardness of the sculpture, its resistance to building collaborative partnerships abroad, The sculptures studied, from the collec- concluded. funded by a $4 million grant from corrosion, and its color and patination (the T and preparing the next generation of U.S. tions of the Art Institute of Chicago and the In addition to Young (now at Ruhr- the National Science Foundation, is being chemical process by which a patina forms). researchers to enter the global workforce Philadelphia Museum of Art, included works University Bochum in Germany) and Dunand, established at Northwestern. The institute, Not all sculptures carry a foundry mark as leaders.” by Matisse, Picasso, Renoir and Rodin, James N. and Margie M. Krebs Professor of led by Bob Chang, professor of materials or have documentary evidence to identify Key to the institute is a partner- among other masters. Materials Science, other authors of the paper science and engineering and director of the where and when they were cast. In some ship with Tsinghua University in China in The researchers showed that the sculp- are Joseph Lambert, professor of chemistry Materials Research Institute, will develop cases, the same sculpture was cast at organic/inorganic photovoltaic cells. The tures consist of copper, with zinc and tin as at Northwestern, and Francesca Casadio, a network of global materials researchers various dates, with gaps spanning years or institute also features collaborations with major alloying elements, varying over a broad A.W. Mellon Conservation Scientist, and and train young U.S. researchers for posi- even decades. An in-depth knowledge of researchers from Louisiana State University range of compositions. They were able to Susie Schnepp, associate conservator of tions of leadership in the field. bronze composition is therefore important and Argonne National Laboratory. In ad- group the sculptures into three distinct types: objects, both of the Art Institute. “Solar cell research has a large to the art historian and connoisseur study- dition to research, participating organiza- high-zinc brass, low-zinc brass and copper- The research is part of the McCormick potential impact on sustainable energy ing 20th century sculptures and trying to tions will develop educational content for tin bronze. School’s ongoing collaboration with the Art usage, the environment, and economic address questions of authenticity, origin and college and precollege students and the These three groups show good correla- Institute of Chicago, which is led by Katherine development worldwide,” says Chang. artist intention. public, including undergraduate courses on tions with the artist, the foundry, the casting T. Faber, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Mate- “This program will build U.S. capacity The research team, led by Marcus energy topics and modules for K–12 math date and the casting method. For example, rials Science and Engineering, for Northwest- in solar energy research by linking U.S. Young while a postdoctoral fellow in the lab and science classes. the high-zinc brass alloys correspond to most ern, and Casadio, for the Art Institute. of David Dunand, James N. and Margie M. of the Picasso sculptures cast in lost-wax at Krebs Professor of Materials Science and the Valsuani foundry after World War II. events faculty news student news Kelsey Stoerzinger won the TMS Technical Division Student Poster contest for her research, done with Teri Odom’s group, focusing on the Hilliard Symposium, May 20, 2010 Vinayak Dravid was named to the Associated Student Government PhD student Laura Cote (Huang group) was selected as a MRS gradu- assembly of a new class of three-dimensional nanomaterials. Stoerzinger Transportation Center, 600 Foster St., Evanston Faculty Honor Roll for 2010. ate student award finalist and presented with a Silver Award at the April was also awarded the Lucille and Charles A. Wert Scholarship from ASM MRS meeting. MSE alum James Rondinelli (Marks group) was a Gold Keynote: Making Cyber Steels Fly, Charles Kuehmann, President & CEO, Katherine T. Faber’s group results on improved gelcasting techniques Materials Education foundation, the J. Keith Brimacombe Presidential Award winner. Questek Innovations LLC for laminate manufacturing were featured in International Journal of Ap- Scholarship from TMS, and a 2010 Illinois Technology Foundation 50 for Karen Chen Multi-scale tomographic analysis of toughness and fatigue strength in plied Ceramic Technology volume 6 number 5 (2009) and highlighted in the PhD student was awarded a two-year “Studying Abroad the Future award. ACerS Ceramic Materials, Applications & Business Blog in October 2009. Scholarship” from the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. UHS steels — Stephanie Chan (Adviser: Prof. Olson) The Titaniator design team, MSE seniors Allison Weil, Kelsey Sto- Tobin Marks Mark Hersam Lincoln Lauhon Marie Cox Strain-stiffening in synthetic and biopolymer networks — Kendra Erk , and received PhD student will receive an American fellowship from erzinger, Pitichon Klomjit, Tian Zhou, Wenhao Sun, led by (Adviser: Prof. Shull) a Nanoelectronics Research Initiative grant from the Semiconductor AAUW for 2010-11. Professor Greg Olson and project adviser Jamie Tran, placed second Research Corporation. NRI is a university-based research consortium Mark Huntington in the 2009 ASM Undergraduate Design Competition. The project, Analysis of anisotropy, topology, and kinetics of grain growth — Ian McKenna PhD student has been awarded a 2010 NDSEG cooperatively funded by industry and federal and state governments; the Ti5111: Trip Titanium,explored new directions in Ti-alloy design for (Adviser: Prof. Voorhees) fellowship. primary goal is to discover the next switch, a new mechanism for com- naval and automotive applications for clients General Motors and the PhD student Harold Hsiung was one of a seven-member interdisciplin- Monodisperse carbon nanomaterials for thin-film electronics — Alex Green puting that goes beyond simply improving today’s transistor. The funds, Office of Naval Research. The group combined first principles quantum ary team of graduate students who won first place ($7,000) in the 2010 (Adviser: Prof. Hersam) provided as a supplement to NU’s NSF-funded Materials Research Sci- mechanical calculations with available atomic volume data to model the ence and Engineering Center, will be used to study excitons in carbon- Social Entrepreneurship in Health & Wellness Challenge. Teams were A path to eliminating costly crystal substrates: biaxially oriented ZnO on composition dependence of the transformation volume change. They based nanomaterials. required to submit sustainable business plans for diabetes management. glass — Blake Stevens (Adviser: Prof. Barnett) redesigned the 5111 composition to meet the transformation stability re- Mark C. Hersam was chosen to receive the 2010 SES Research Young Two MSE students were recently selected as winners of the 2010 quirement while increasing the transformation volume change by a factor Three-dimensional imaging of porous microstructures for advanced energy Investigator Award from the Fullerenes, Nanotubes, and Carbon Nano- Dow Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge. The winners of the of three for efficient toughening. applications — Noah Shanti (Adviser: Prof. Faber) $10,000 prize were Philip Brunner (Torkelson) and Jonathan structures Division of the Electrochemical Society. Alvin Tan, a MSE sophomore, won the first prize in the Material Ad- Understanding Au impurity incorporation in Si nanowires grown via the Servaites (Tobin Marks and Mark Ratner). Servaites was selected for Tom Mason vantage Undergraduate Student Speaking Contest at the TMS meeting at won the 2009 American Ceramic Society Edward C. his work to enhance the efficiency of organic photovoltaic solar cells by VLS mechanism — Eric Hemeseth (Adviser: Prof. Lauhon) Pittsburgh for a talk based on his work with Professor Jiaxing Huang. Henry Award for the best paper in the Journal of the American Ceramic addressing existing limitations in light absorption and electron transfer Chemical functionalization of epitaxial graphene surfaces — Qing Hua Society on a subject related to electronic ceramics. He will receive the that inhibit the commercial viability of OPVs. His proposal was the Wang (Adviser: Prof. Hersam) award at the upcoming American Ceramic Society meeting this October. highest scoring in this year’s challenge. He will represent Northwest- alumni news In situ atomic-scale study of redox-induced cation dynamics for oxide- Phil Messersmith was named fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. ern University at Dow’s annual event at Tufts later this year. Brunner Josh Jacobs has been appointed an adjunct professor of materials supported monolayer catalysts — Zhenxing Feng (Adviser: Prof. Bedzyk) was selected for his work “Novel Green Hybrids of Poly(lactic acid) Amanda K. Petford-Long was named division director of the Cen- science and engineering. Jacobs, the William A. Hark, MD/Susanne G. with Microcrystalline Cellulose and Polyethylene Glycol Created via Interfacial and mechanical properties of self-assembling systems — ter for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne National Laboratory. Swift Professor and chairman, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Daniel Carvajal (Adviser: Prof. Shull) Solid-State Shear Pulverization.” The citation states that “…his work...to Rush University Medical Center presented “Biological Implications of David Seidman will give the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society enhance the physical properties of the green polymer, poly(lactic acid) Wear and Corrosion of Orthopaedic Implants” at the MSE colloquium (TMS) Institute of Metals Lecture and receive the Robert Franklin Mehl demonstrates the kind of innovative multi-disciplinary approach to on May 4. Award for 2011 at the 140th TMS meeting in San Diego. solving sustainability problems that we were seeking. We firmly believe Daniel Harrington that such integrated approaches are essential to addressing the global (BS ’96; PhD ’04, Stupp) accepted a position at challenge of sustainability.” Phil is the second student from the Torkel- Rice University in Houston, TX, were he will be helping to build an son group to be selected as a winner for this award; alumna Cynthia interdisciplinary research center. Dan was previously a research assistant Pierre was a winner of the 2009 challenge. professor in the Feinberg School of Medicine (Department. of Urology) and Children’s Memorial Hospital. David Seidman and Vinayak Dravid were named to the Danielle Proffit (Mason) and senior Kelsey Stoerzinger have received Chantal K. Sudbrack 2010 class of fellows of the Materials Research Society. The Department of Energy Office of Science 2010 Graduate Fellowships. (PhD ’04, Seidman) has taken a position number of new fellows selected each year for this lifetime honor with NASA John H. Glenn Research Center in the turbine disk An SEM image of graphitized wood by Matt Johnson (Faber) will is capped at 0.2 percent of the total MRS membership. Dravid was superalloy group. grace the October 2010 cover of Materials Today, an issue devoted to recognized for his “sustained seminal contributions to the science Bryan Harder carbon-based materials. , (PhD ’04, Faber) has taken a position with NASA and technology of advanced materials using the power of electron John H. Glenn Research Center. and scanned probes, and for passionate commitment to facility Michelle Mok (Torkelson) won the 2009 Akzo-Nobel Student Award infrastructure development.” Seidman was recognized for his in Applied Polymer Science. Earlier Torkelson group winners included Hilliard Symposium speakers (left-to-right): Eric Hemeseth (1st place), Blake Stevens “pioneering achievements, involving experiments and simulations, David Hall (1998) and Chris Ellison (2004). Mok and Torkelson together (honorable mention), Daniel Carvajal (2nd place), Noah Shanti, Qing Hua Wang, won another award related to her gradient copolymer research, a 2009 In Memorium Ian McKenna, Stephanie Chan, Alex Green (3rd place), Zhenxing Feng, and Kendra for understanding internal interfaces associated with precipitates, Best Paper Award from the Engineering Properties and Structures Divi- Erk (honorable mention). dispersoids, and grain- or heterophase- boundaries in a wide A symposium in memory of Professor Toshio Mura was held sion of the Society of Plastics Engineers. range of hard materials.” on the Northwestern campus on May 24 and 25. Mura, who Dow, Cohen and Dorn Lectures, 2009-2010 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships for 2010 have been awarded to five passed away in August 2009, came to the United States in 1958 David Seidman Monica Olvera de la Cruz March 30: Dow Lecture Joseph DeSimone, “Top-down Nano-fabrication and were MSE students: graduate students Anthony Johnson, Tyson Moyer to work in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering Technologies for the Production of Uniform, Shape-Specific Carriers for among five Northwestern faculty, including University President and Martin McBriarty and seniors Kelsey Stoerzinger and at Northwestern. He became a professor of civil engineering in Vaccines, Biologics and Small Molecule Drugs” Morton Shapiro, named as fellows of the American Academy of Wenhao Sun. Graduate students Evelyn Auyeung, Mark Huntington, 1966 and also held an appointment in mechanical engineering. Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catherine Tupper and alum Derek Hsu received honorable mention. Among the many accolades for his work, he was elected to the May 12-14: Jerome B. Cohen Distinguished Lecturer Joanna Aizenberg honorary societies. They are among the 229 leaders in the sci- (Harvard University) gave three talks: National Academy of Engineering for his contributions to the ences, social sciences, the humanities, the arts, business and public field of micromechanics. He retired from Northwestern in 1996. • Actuated “Spiny” Surfaces à la Echinoderms: En Route to Adaptive affairs who have been elected to the academy this year for their Materials pathbreaking work and will be inducted at a ceremony Oct. 9 at the academy’s headquarters in Cambridge, Mass. • Creatures that See through Their Bones and Illuminated Glass Houses of the Deep: Lessons in Optics and Mechanics from Marine Organisms • Bio-Inspired Approaches to Crystal Design Scott Barnett Researches Fuel Cells Surface Science Goes Inorganic to Make Fossil Fuels More Efficient collaboration between research- ers at Northwestern University’s Center for Catalysis and Surface Top: view perpendicular to the surface with A unit cell shown in black. Bottom: view parallel Science and scientists at the University of to the surface. Corner-sharing surface TiO4 Image shows a three-dimensional reconstruction of Oxford has produced a new approach for tetrahedra, shown in blue and arranged into a portion of a porous fuel cell. Inset: Scott Barnett understanding surfaces, particularly metal rings of 6 or 8 such tetrahedra, lead to an oxide surfaces, widely used in industry as overall TiO2 surface stoichiometry. supports for catalysts. is an expert in SOFCs — he’s been working This knowledge of the surface layer of in the field for more than 20 years — and atoms is critical to understanding a mate- says fuel cells are currently the best bet for rial’s overall properties. The findings were producing greener energy. published online Feb. 14 by the journal “The technology has come a long way,” Nature Materials. he says. “Fossil fuels like coal are going to be Using a combination of advanced in use for a long time to come, until renewable experimental tools coupled with theoretical energy sources take over, and SOFCs provide calculations, the research team has shown a means for using them more efficiently and how, using methods commonly taught to reducing our production of CO2.” undergraduate chemistry students, one Over the last five years, Barnett and his can understand how atoms are arranged research group have been using a Focused on a material’s surface. (These methods Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscope to date back to the pioneering work of Linus peer inside SOFCs to see just how they work. Pauling and others to understand the by Bruce Russell at Oxford. Enterkin then Physics in Vienna, Austria, said, “This he future of energy could lie in harnessing the energy of solar Barnett’s team, working with Peter Voorhees, Frank C. Engelhart chemical bond.) combined them with density functional cal- simple and intuitive, yet powerful concept and wind to power our homes and reduce CO2 emissions. Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, spent several years “For a long time we have not un- culations and bond-valence sums, showing [the bond-valence-sum method] is widely T But technology has not yet reached the point where we can trying to figure out the process for imaging the fuel cells — no one derstood oxide surfaces,” said Laurence that those that had bonding similar to that used to analyze and predict structures rely solely on renewable energy — the vast majority of our energy had ever done it before — and process works similar to an MRI: the Marks, professor of materials science and found in bulk oxides were those with the in inorganic chemistry. Its successful still comes from fossil fuels. microscope produces 3D images that show the insides of fuel cells. engineering. “We only have had relatively lowest energy. description of the surface reconstruction So how can we make those fossil fuels more efficient and bet- These images show both the electrochemical processes and how simple models constructed from crystal Writing in a “News and Views” article of SrTiO3 (110) shows that this approach ter for the environment now? One answer is fuel cells — specifically, the fuel cells degrade over time. planes of the bulk structure, and these have from the same issue of Nature Materials, could be relevant for similar phenomena in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), which use an electrochemical conver- “Being able to accurately measure these structures is useful in not enabled us to predict where the atoms Ulrike Diebold from the Institute of Applied other materials.” sion device to produce electricity directly from the fuel. Research figuring out how they actually work,” Barnett says. “We’re trying to should be on a surface. happening at the McCormick aims to better understand just how get a handle on how fuel cells degrade over time, and we can do “Now we have something that seems these fuel cells work — and to find better materials to create them. that with this technique. That will allow manufacturers to make bet- to work,” Marks said. “It’s the bond-va- Fuel cells work by using two electrodes and an electrolyte to ter fuel cells in the future.” lence-sum method, which has been used Chad Mirkin Elected to NAS and Honored exploit the reaction between oxygen and hydrogen. By combining Barnett is also researching how to use fuel cells for energy for many years to understand bulk materi- hydrogen from a fossil fuel directly with oxygen (instead of burning storage. Solar and wind power are intermittent — solar power is als. The way to understand oxide surfaces by Chinese Academy of Sciences it, like in a coal power plant) we can harness the electricity from the produced only during the day, for example, and yet we still need turns out to be to look at the bonding pat- electricity during the night. By running solar or wind-produced en- terns and how the atoms are arranged and had A. Mirkin, a world-renowned Mirkin is the George B. Rathmann We’re trying to get a handle on how fuel cells ergy backwards through a fuel cell, you could use it to make fuels then to follow this method.” leader in nanotechnology research Professor of Chemistry in the Weinberg Col- like hydrogen or natural gas, and store that fuel until you need it. Marks, together with Kenneth Poep- degrade over time, and we can do that with and its application, has been lege of Arts and Sciences and professor of “We’ve started publishing papers on this, and we’re getting pelmeier, professor of chemistry in North- C this technique.” elected to the prestigious U.S. National medicine, chemical and biological engineer- good results,” Barnett says. “It looks very feasible.” western’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sci- Academy of Sciences (NAS) and has been ing, biomedical engineering and materials Part of Barnett’s research projects include looking for new ma- ences, and Martin Castell, university lecturer elected an Einstein Professor of the Chi- science and engineering and director of reaction with an efficiency of 40 to 60 percent, compared to less terials to use in fuel cells. Right now, fuel cells run best on hydrogen, in the department of materials at Oxford, led nese Academy of Sciences. Northwestern’s International Institute for than 30 percent for conventional power plants. The result is a highly but that hydrogen has to be processed out of fuel. Fuel cannot be the research. Membership in the NAS is one of the Nanotechnology. efficient, low-emission energy source. used directly with fuel cells because, as is the case with natural In the study, Northwestern graduate highest honors given to a scientist or engi- A member of President Obama’s So why aren’t fuel cells used more often? NASA has used them gas, the methane deposits carbon on the nickel that is used as a student James Enterkin analyzed electron neer in the United States. The Einstein Pro- Council of Advisors on Science and Tech- on its space shuttles, and Google uses fuel cells to power part of key material in the fuel cell. Natural gas also contains impurities like diffraction patterns from a strontium titanate fessorship Program is a key initiative of the nology, Mirkin is known for invention and their private headquarters. But cells are still relatively high-cost and sulfur, which glom onto the nickel and render it inoperable. surface to work out the atomic structure. academy, with professorships awarded each development of biological and chemical can’t yet be used directly with fossil fuels — they work best with hy- “We’re trying to find alternative materials to nickel to overcome He combined the patterns with scanning- year to up to 20 distinguished scientists diagnostic systems based upon nanoma- drogen, which is found in most fossil fuels but needs to be processed these problems,” Barnett says. tunnelling microscopy images obtained out. Some also question fuel cells durability and lifespan, and whether To conduct this research, Barnett uses a cadre of both gradu- working around the world at the frontiers terials. He also is the inventor and chief the cost can be reduced enough for broad commercial markets. ate and undergraduate students in his lab. of science and technology. Mirkin will visit developer of Dip-Pen Nanolithography, a Scott Barnett, professor of materials science and engineering, “It’s fun to have undergraduates around,” he says. “A lot of China this year for a lecture tour organized groundbreaking nanoscale fabrication and is working on two SOFC research projects — both funded by the them do meaningful research and are getting their names on publi- by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. analytical tool, and is the founder of three National Science Foundation through the American Reinvestment cations. We invest a little time initially, and pretty soon they are Chicago-based companies: Aurasense, and Recovery Act — that will address these challenges. Barnett giving back.” Nanosphere and NanoInk. McCormick Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Department of Materials Science PAID and Engineering Northwestern University Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science Northwestern University Technological Institute 2145 Sheridan Road Evanston, Illinois 60208-3100

Editors: Emily Ayshford, Kathleen Stair Photographer: Andrew Campbell

Design: Amy Charlson Design

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