Grants

The main goal of this proposal is to understand the fundamental mechanisms of electronic and thermal breakdowns in multilayer films (MLFs) and develop viable approaches to further enhance their breakdown strength and lifetime.

The vision of the proposed ERC is to establish a team of academic and industrial researchers to define, develop and deploy solutions to the most urgent problems associated with the global polymeric materials packaging industry.

Developing modular, portable, reliable methane reformers to convert natural gas syngas at wellheads, with the potential for subsequent conversion to (for example) higher- value hydrocarbons or hydrogen for carbon-free electricity.

Aims to clarify and establish processing requirements for 2-D metal oxides to access these materials down to the smallest level—mono- and nano-layers—and control their lateral size, crystallographic structure and electrical properties.

Seeks to understand the impact of operating conditions and stages of performance loss on specific microstructural changes in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathodes based on lanthanum strontium manganite (LSM).

Seeks to synthesize and characterize heavily doped nanodiamonds for plasmonic applications.

Aims to achieve fundamental understanding of the effect of induced dipolar interactions on electrostriction in elastomer/high k particle nanocomposites via an integrated theoretical simulation and experimental study. In theoretical simulation, our preliminary results indicate that the enhanced local field in the elastomer matrix, especially that between neighboring chained particles along the applied field direction, is responsible for the large electrostrictive effect.

There is a critical need to integrate computation modeling into nanomedical engineering approaches to provide a platform for the rational design of clinically effective nanomedicines. To address this need, the team will use computational modeling at the mesoscale to model and optimize blood floor and vascular wall adhesion of functionalized non-axisymmetric nanocarriers as a function of their size, shape, surface chemicstry and particle modulus.

Seeks to uncover and understand fundamental principles in polymer physics that will lead to simple materials that do not require strong external stimuli to elicit a strong response. Aims to investigate the impact of cononsolvency and n-clustering on the transport of polymeric nanoparticles through a single, strongly confining nanopore.

Seeks to develop a tracheal replacement with the proper radial rigidity, vascularization and respiratory epithelium. Will fuse tissue rings into a composite tissue tube comprised of multiple cell types with controlled, localized growth factor presentation, and evaluate its ability to serve as a tracheal replacement in a biologic model in vivo.