In this issue:



ULVAC Technologies
Arc Plasma Deposition Systems



SPI Supplies
Sample Preparation Equipment and Consumables



Ted Pella, Inc.
Microscopy Supplies and
Specimen Preparation Tools



MaterialsViews
Stay ahead in
Materials Science!



National
Electrostatics Corp.

Ion Beams, RBS, PIXE,
AMS, MeV Implant



JEOL USA, Inc.
CFEG S/TEM--
Unrivalled Raw Data



American Elements
Now Invent.™



CRAIC Technologies
Raman, UV-vis-NIR, Fluorescence, Polarization Microspectroscopy



Minus K Technology
Best Low-Frequency
Vibration Isolation



HORIBA Scientific
Most Advanced
Ellipsometry Solutions



Rigaku
Rigaku SmartLab
X-ray Diffractometer



FEI Company
Redefining Productivity
in 3D Characterization and Sample Prep



International Business Technologies
Cost Effective, Targeted Research



Angstrom Engineering
Thin Film Deposition Equipment and Materials




IN FOCUS

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Preregistration for the 2015 MRS Spring Meeting is just a few days away!

2015 MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit
April 6-10, 2015  |  San Francisco, California

Don't delay. Register by 5:00 pm (ET), March 20 to ensure discounted rates.

Two Ways to Get Important MRS Spring Meeting Content

Planning your Meeting week schedule has never been easier! Browse and search the technical program, adding events of interest to your personal schedule. Access the app on the web at  mrsspring.zerista.com or download the mobile app and take the entire Meeting Program with you on the go.

The Online Program & Exhibit Guide
Preview the official Program & Exhibit Guide early! Find out about special events, award talks, and more.
Start exploring now: www.mrs.org/spring-2015-program-exhibit-guide

FREE Webinar: 3D Integrated Circuits: Materials Challenges
Wednesday, March 25  |  12:00 - 1:30 pm (ET)

The presentations in this Webinar will cover important aspects of materials challenges in three-dimensional integrated circuits, complementing the articles in the March 2015 issue of MRS Bulletin on this topic.

Attendance for this and all MRS OnDemand Webinars is FREE, but advance registration is required

MATERIALS NEWS

Keep up with materials research news through MRS!
Materials360 Online  |  RSS feed  |  Twitter feed

Materials in Focus


Flower-shaped magnetic nanoparticles may help destroy deep-seated cancer cells
Magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) have gained attention in recent years as promising tools to help defeat cancer through hyperthermia therapy, in which the MNPs produce cancer-destroying heat when subjected to an external alternating magnetic field. Using the technology, researchers have made headway with killing malignant cells close to the body’s surface. But other cancers, such as pancreatic and rectal cancers that are more deep-seated, have remained an issue. Now an interdisciplinary team from Dartmouth College has addressed this problem with their MNPs that form flower-like aggregates.

Self-assembled polymer-nanoparticle hydrogel may be boon for controlled drug delivery
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have recently developed an injectable hydrogel that’s able to simultaneously deliver two different types of drugs—one hydrophobic and one hydrophilic—at different rates. The material is shear-thinning and self-healing, and broadly accessible to other laboratories due to its simple, available components and fabrication methods.

Multi-imaging sets new directions for studying irradiation damage in materials
As irradiation damage in materials occurs on an atomic level, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is typically used for imaging the aftermath of the neutron or ion bombardment. But the TEM images can be tricky to interpret. In a study published in the Journal of Materials Research, a definitive method for TEM imaging has been established, one that can even be used to look at images obtained in the past to ensure they were read and interpreted correctly.

Spider-inspired vibration sensor detects music
Spiders use crack-shaped slit organs near their leg joints to detect minute mechanical vibrations. This inspired Mansoo Choi and his team from Seoul National University to design their own version of a mechanical sensor based on nanoscale crack junctions. The researchers fabricated their sensors by depositing a stiff 20 nm thin film of electrically conductive platinum on a flexible polymer (polyurethane acrylate). The material is then wrapped around glass rods of different diameters to induce controlled directional cracking with different spacing between the individual zigzag cracks. This gap-geometry is crucial to achieve the remarkably high sensitivity to mechanical stress.

High-entropy alloy exhibits low density but high hardness
For metal alloys, there is a delicate balance between strength and ductility. Typically, the higher the strength, the more brittle is the material. In the search for materials that might achieve toughness without sacrificing tensile strength, researchers have turned to high-entropy alloys. A recent study presents a new high-entropy alloy that has a strength-to-weight ratio higher than most other nanocrystalline alloys.

Versatile technique gives light, flexible ultra-strong steel
Researchers in South Korea have devised a simple technique to make a lightweight steel that is stronger and more pliable than today’s lightest, strongest titanium alloys. The new alloy, which consists of brittle iron and aluminum compounds embedded in the steel matrix, holds promise for building lightweight, energy-efficient cars, ships, and machines.

New optical materials manipulate light into 3D profiles
The discovery of new materials is being rapidly accelerated through the use of computational methods that can screen the constituent elements for a desired application. While simple materials systems and structures can be easily predicted using these methods, more complex systems can prove challenging due to the increased number of potential configurations. Researchers at Northwestern University now report a bottom-up strategy that uses a custom-built evolutionary design algorithm to predict a new class of materials.

 

Industry Focus

Delaware's membrane connection

Delaware has become a landmark for membranes as discoveries by companies like the DuPont Co. and W.L. Gore Associates contributed to an explosion of useful and specialized synthetic materials. The groundwork was laid locally with DuPont's development products like Permasep, used to produce breakthrough water desalination systems, and the earlier fluoropolymer Teflon and Gore's later innovations with the same material.

Optical nanoantennas set the stage for a NEMS lab-on-a-chip revolution

Newly developed tiny antennas, likened to spotlights on the nanoscale, offer the potential to measure food safety, identify pollutants in the air and even quickly diagnose and treat cancer, according to the Australian scientists who created them. The new antennas are cubic in shape. They do a better job than previous spherical ones at directing an ultra-narrow beam of light where it is needed, with little or no loss due to heating and scattering, they say.

Scientists in breakthrough in fight against strokes

Scientists in Siberia have taken a step forward in the fight against strokes by developing a cheaper and more effective device to prevent the condition. Novosibirsk company Angioline, in conjunction with the Institute of Strength Physics and Materials Science (ISPM) in Tomsk, have come up with an implant where potentially-dangerous nickel in cario stents is replaced with silicon.

 

OF INTEREST TO THE MATERIALS COMMUNITY

Why can’t a woman be more like a man – Blog post by Athene Donald

Last fall, only 3 out of 47 of the Royal Society’s University Research Fellows were women. Athene Donald of the University of Cambridge applauds the Society’s steps to address this concern. More.

Vote now: Thinkable Open Innovation Award

An organization called Thinkable is running an Open Innovation Award competition. The website is now open for Thinkable researchers and members (it’s easy to become one!) to vote on their favorite idea—some of which are in materials research. More.

RUST: journalist Jonathan Waldman’s stories on corrosion

Rust is less dramatic than hurricanes and blizzards—yet it’s costlier than all other natural disasters combined, says Jonathan Waldman, author of Rust: The Longest War. And the peril, as they say, never sleeps. More.

MEETINGS UPDATE

Professional Development Opportunities at the 2015 MRS Spring Meeting

Several special events will be featured at the upcoming MRS Meeting in San Francisco. Below are just a few highlights. For a list of all Meeting activities, visit www.mrs.org/spring-2015-activities-events.

Essentials of Getting Your Work Published—I’ve Done My Research, Now What?

Whether you are a student preparing to publish your first paper, an early-career researcher hoping to polish your publishing skills, or if you just have questions about the publishing process, plan to attend this interactive “how to” session and learn the fundamentals of successful scientific publishing from MRS journal editors-in-chief.

Career Development Sessions

These educational sessions will introduce you to a wide range of rewarding careers in materials science. Attendees will gain a broader understanding of the science and technology practiced in industry, government labs and academia, hear from industry leaders on what it takes to move a product from conception to market, get tips on writing a resume and preparing for an interview, and more.

Career Fair

Part of the NEW MRS Career Central, the Career Fair is a rich resource for exciting career opportunities. You have the skills and knowledge that employers are searching for—they just need to find you. Join us at the Career Fair and meet them face-to face. Upload your confidential resume, create your personal profile and register today!

Critical Meeting Deadlines

2015 MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit
April 6-10, 2015  |  San Francisco, California

exhibit opportunities available

PREREGISTRATION OPEN
Register by 5:00 pm (ET)
March 20 and SAVE!
20th International Conference on
Solid State Ionics
(SSI-20)

June 14-19, 2015  |  Keystone, Colorado
PREREGISTRATION OPENS SOON
73rd Device Research Conference
(DRC 2015)

June 21-24, 2015 | Columbus, Ohio

exhibit opportunities available

PREREGISTRATION OPENS SOON
57th Electronic Materials Conference
(EMC 2015)
June 24-26, 2015  |  Columbus, Ohio

exhibit opportunities available
PREREGISTRATION OPENS SOON
XXIV International Materials Research Congress
(IMRC 2015)

August 16-20, 2015 | Cancun, Mexico

CALL FOR PAPERS
Abstract Submission Deadline—
April 15
2015 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit
November 29 - December 4, 2015
Boston, Massachusetts

exhibit opportunities available

CALL FOR PAPERS
Abstract Submission Opens—
May 18
Submission Deadline—June 18


JUST PUBLISHED

MRS Communications

Google PlayiTunes

Research Letter:
Unique mechanical properties of fullerite derivatives synthesized with a catalytic polymerization reaction
M. Popov, V. Blank, S. Perfilov, D. Ovsyannikov, B. Kulnitskiy, E. Tyukalova, V. Prokhorov, I. Maslenikov, I. Perezhogin, E. Skryleva and Yu Parkhomenko


Get your free Android App or iOS App for MRS Communications for full mobile access to this journal.

   

MRS Bulletin
Follow @MRSBulletin

Materials challenges in 3D IC technology
March 2015

Includes Energy Quarterly

Google PlayiTunes

3D ICs are based on vertical integration, where two or more electronic components are homogenously or heterogeneously stacked. As Moore’s Law nears its limits, 3D ICs are expected to deliver performance enhancement and heterogeneous integration in future electronic products by combining chip technology and packaging technology. The articles in this issue discuss some of the materials challenges that need to be overcome to improve the current low yield and low reliability at high cost that are limiting applications of 3D ICs. The cover image shows a glass-Si bonded 3D chip that is placed above a glass device wafer and a Si device wafer. These wafers are ready for wafer-level bonding in the 3D IC process.

Materials challenges in 3D IC technology
Kuan-Neng Chen and King-Ning Tu, Guest Editors

Technical Feature
Lights, nano, action! New plasmonic materials and methods to probe nanoscale phenomena
Jennifer A. Dionne

MRS Bulletin will present a free webinar on 3D Integrated Circuits: Materials Challenges on
Wednesday, March 25.

Find out more about advertising in MRS Bulletin.

Journal of Materials Research
March 2015, Volume 30, Issue 5

 

A selection of papers:

Resonant Bragg structures based on III-nitrides
Andrey S. Bolshakov, Vladimir V. Chaldyshev, Wsevolod V. Lundin, Alexey V. Sakharov, Andrey F. Tsatsulnikov, Maria A. Yagovkina and Evgenii E. Zavarin

A catalytic alloy approach for graphene on epitaxial SiC on silicon wafers
Francesca Iacopi, Neeraj Mishra, Benjamin Vaughan Cunning, Dayle Goding, Sima Dimitrijev, Ryan Brock, Reinhold H. Dauskardt, Barry Wood and John Boeckl

Fabrication of vertical graphene-based nanocomposite thin films

Keivan Davami, Mehrdad Shaygan and Igor Bargatin

Find out more about advertising in JMR.  
   

MRS Online Proceedings Library

Visit the MRS Online Proceedings Library and read about the latest research presented at MRS Meetings. Access is free to MRS members.

 

From Volume 1656, 2013 MRS Fall Meeting, Symposium PP – Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology X:

Environmental Monitoring of Volatile Organic Compounds Using Silica Gel, Zeolite and Activated Charcoal
Molly McGath, Blythe McCarthy and Jenifer Bosworth

Hawaiian Barkcloth from the Bishop Museum Collections: A Characterization of Materials and Techniques in Collaboration with Modern Practitioners to Effect Preservation of a Traditional Cultural Practice
Christina Bisulca, Lisa Schattenburg-Raymond and Kamalu du Preez

Characterization of Bistre Pigment Samples by FTIR, SERS, Py-GC/MS and XRF
María L. Roldan, Silvia A. Centeno, Adriana Rizzo and Yana van Dyke

 

SCIENCE AS ART

"A Rose by Any Other Name..."
by John Wiley, University of New Orleans

A SEM image of complex ZnO meso-crystals synthesized through a solvothermal process.

A Finalist in the Science as Art competition at the 2014 MRS Fall Meeting

Copyright for all Science as Art images belongs to the Materials Research Society. To request permission to re-use the images, please contact Anita Miller.

 

EDITOR'S CHOICE VIDEO

Apple

Apple Watch Edition - Gold

Created using a process of blending gold and ceramic powder, the 18-karat gold developed for Apple Watch Edition is up to twice as hard as standard gold.

NEW PRODUCTS FOCUS

New Specimen Preparation Solution


EXpressLO LLC, provider of specimen preparation solutions for focused ion beam (FIB), announces the release of the Aspirato™ lift out module for the EXpressLO™ ex situ lift out station. The Aspirato™ module enables faster processing of FIB specimens by improving lift out speed and specimen placement, allowing users to maximize the advantages of the EXpressLO™ grids and lift out method. Aspirato™ and the EXpressLO™ solutions benefit FIB users in industry and at universities, in both the life sciences and physical sciences.

[Contact: [email protected] or 321-663-3806]

 
New Rotary Vane Pump


The Kurt J. Lesker Company® recently introduced their own line of vacuum pumps. KJLC-RV series are two-stage oil sealed rotary vane vacuum pumps offering: exceptional ultimate pressure, high pumping speed, low noise/ vibration levels, and excellent vapor handling capabilities. KJLC-RV pumps are offered in four models with pumping speed ranges from 3.8 to 22.9 cfm. Each model features a gas ballast, anti-suckback valve and QF25 flanges making them ideal for use in a wide range of applications. A wide variety of standard accessories are also available to support the range including mist eliminators, traps, and filters.

[Contact: [email protected] or 412-387-9200]

To suggest items for inclusion in Industry News and New Products Focus, please contact Mary Kaufold at 724-779-2755.

ABOUT MATERIALS360®

Materials360 is edited by Judy Meiksin, News Editor, and produced by Kirby Morris, Electronic Communications Assistant, Materials Research Society.

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