2012 Research Highlights

The Penn State MRSEC received an overwhelming positive response to its first annual Women in STEM Mixer.

The Penn State MRSEC is expanding its efforts to encourage diverse high school students to pursue degrees in STEM fields.

Intrinsic magnetoelectric coupling describes the microscopic interaction between magnetic and electric polarization in a single-phase material.

The ability to non-invasively and dexterously manipulate cells and other microparticles is critical for a wide variety of applications in biology, chemistry and medicine.

We have designed a set of microscale pumps that consist of insoluble polymer films that depolymerize to release soluble monomeric products when exposed to a specific analyte.

The resistance of a thin-film topological insulator Bi₂Se₃ shows an abrupt and prominent upturn when the electrodes (In, Al or W) becomes superconducting.

Our knowledge of one-dimensional superconductivity to date is based on studies of nanowires just a few microns long.

Using the new tools of metamaterials and transformation optics, MRSEC researchers have developed designs for miniaturized optical devices in chip-based optical integrated circuits, the analog of th

For the first time, MRSEC researchers have created single layers of a naturally occurring rare mineral called tungstenite or WS₂.

Graphene is a one-atom-thick planar sheet of carbon atoms.