Reseachers in IRG-I of the MIT MRSEC have used a new technique called aberration-corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy to take the first images of individual atoms on and near the surface of platinum and cobalt nanoparticles, which are key catalysts in the creation of eco-friendly energy storage.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Highlights
November 20, 2008
A step toward developing better fuel cells for electric cars and more [Research]
June 13, 2008
Bacteria choose to stick to a surface or not based on mechanical stiffness [Research]
The Rubner and Van Vliet groups of the MIT MRSEC have discovered a previously overlooked factor that should be considered in the design of anti-bacterial coatings…
March 25, 2008
REU student contributes to important research on controlled drug delivery [Research] [Education]
Brian J. Andaya, a former participant in the MIT Research Experience for Undergraduates program, is one of authors on a recently published paper in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA). During his summer as an REU student, Brian worked in the lab of Professor Paula Hammond and assisted with the research that led to this discovery.
February 25, 2008
Dynamic Surface-Emitting Fiber Lasers [Research]
Members of of IRG-I have recently introduced a new concept in fiber lasers… these fibers could provide enhanced capabilities for diverse technologies, including medical imaging, explosive vapor and chemical detection, photodynamic therapy, and fabric displays.
February 25, 2008
Dual Function Drug-Release Coating Mimics Hummingbird Wings [Research]
Functionally active thin film coatings find many important uses in the biomedical field as sensors and drug delivery systems. Members of IRG-II have created a new multilayer coating that can serve both functions. By creating a patterned multilayer stack comprised of alternating regions of low refractive index (nanoporous regions) and high refractive index (dense regions), the coating exhibits bright iridescent colors similar to those observed in, for example, hummingbird wings.
January 20, 2008
A story of two spin off companies [Industry]
Fundamental MRSEC research often leads to new technologies that in turn create innovative start-up companies. QD Vision and Luminus Devices are two exciting examples of this process. In both cases, MRSEC-supported research at MIT helped to develop the basic platform for these new technologies.
August 1, 2007
Research Experience for Teachers program is a springboard to ongoing relationships with local schools [Education]
After spending two summers participating in the Research Experience for Teachers Program at MIT’s MRSEC, Ms. Julie O’Loughlin, a science teacher at Breed Middle School in Lynn, MA, brings her eighth-grade classes to CMSE to share the exciting research being done at the Center. The workshop is one example of the unique synergistic interaction between the research, facilities and education components of the MIT MRSEC.
June 22, 2007
Power Transfer Goes Cordless [Research]
Members of IRG-I of the MIT MRSEC have recently demonstrated wireless transfers of power on the order of 60W over distances greater than 7 feet, with efficiency of roughly 50%, confirming the predictions of an earlier theoretical paper. The power transfer scheme proposed, dubbed “WiTricity,” could be used for wireless charging of autonomous electronic devices…