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Summer Internship 2006 Thomas Babinec (Physics/Mathematics, University of Michigan) Prof. David Cory, NED The aim of Tom's work was to use a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer to distribute entanglement through a channel in the three carbon spins of alanine. The project involved first theoretically understanding the spin states involved and developing an optimized pulse sequence to create the entangled state. This pulse sequence was then simulated in MatLab and implemented in the spectrometer. Great progress was made in simulating and implementing the pulse sequence, and few technical difficulties remain in order to realize the entanglement. Poster: Distributing Entanglement Through a Channel in Alanine  Nicole Brenner (Chemistry, Yale University) Prof. Paula Hammond, ChemE Nicole worked in Professor Paula Hammond’s group on Polyelectrolyte Multilayers for Sequential Multi-Drug Delivery. The ultimate goal of the project is to use the Layer-by-Layer technique to coat orthopedic implants with thin films composed of various drugs such as antibiotics and growth factors. Nicole's project focused on finding the ideal conditions for dipping growth factors onto glass substrates in order to maximize the amount of functional growth factor incorporated into the film. The research group simulated the experiments by dipping substrates with a model protein, lysozyme, and varying dipping and release conditions such as temperature, anion, number of layers, and polycation. They determined the ideal conditions over the summer, and the subgroup will begin incorporating growth factors into films the near future. Poster: Polyelectrolyte Multilayers for Sequential Multi-Drug Delivery  Devin Burns (Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland) Prof. Chris Schuh, DMSE Electrodeposition studies on binary Ni-W, Fe-W, and Ni-Fe alloys (and others) have shown that by varying the solute concentration in these alloys, the grain size of the material can be controlled. In this study, Ni-W, Fe-W, and Ni-Fe alloys of varying solute concentrations were ball milled to analyze grain size relationships. The results indicated that the ball milled Ni-Fe system resembled the results found previously by electrodeposition. There was a significant decrease in grain size with an increase in solute concentration. The results of the Ni-W and Fe-W systems did not correspond to those found by electrodeposition. Only a subtle decrease in grain size with increasing solute concentration was observed. X-ray diffraction techniques were used to determine the grain size, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was used to determine chemical composition of the alloys. Poster: Controlling the Nanocrystalline Grain Size of Binary Alloys  Rodolfo Camacho-Aguilera (Materials Science & Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology) Prof. Vladimir Bulovic, EECS Rodolfo worked in Prof. Bulovic's lab on a project in the area of organic LEDs. Poster: J-Aggregates on Microspheres: Towards Strong Coupling via Whispering Gallery Modes  Erin Cochran (Materials Science & Engineering/Mechanical Engineering, University of Idaho) Dr. Jurgen Michel (from Prof. Lionel Kimerling's lab), DMSE Erin worked on a project involving photonic waveguides. Poster: Photonic Crystal Waveguides for Silicon Microphotonic Applications  Lauren Culver (Materials Science & Engineering, University of Florida) Prof. Vladimir Bulovic, EECS Lauren's project was centered around controlling the morphology of metal oxide films that are used to transport charge in organic photovoltaics. Metal oxides, such as the n-type ZnO and TiO2 that were used, form rough surfaces when sputter deposited. These rough surfaces correlate to incomplete metal oxide films. An incomplete film in an organic photovoltaic will short, rendering the device non- functional. After the metal oxide films were optimized to eliminate shorting an organic, Spiro-TPD, was evaporated onto the metal oxide to create a photovoltaic. When exposed to 325 nm UV light the device showed an open circuit voltage of 1 V and an increased current in light. Poster: Controlling the Morphology of Sputtered Metal Oxides for Photovoltaics  Ted Feldman (Engineering Science, State University of New York) Prof. Kimberly Hamad-Schifferli, BE, and Prof. Krystyn Van Vliet, DMSE Ted's work this summer was part of a collaborative project between Prof. Van Vliet’s and Prof. Hamad-Schifferli’s research groups. The groups are interested in combining the high resolution of atomic force spectroscopy using an atomic force microscope (AFM) with the wide-area imaging abilities of electron microscopy (EM) to elucidate further cell chemomechanics and single receptor biophysics. To facilitate the combination of these techniques, they synthesized gold nanoparticles that were approximately 20nm in diameter to be used as cell receptor labels. They then modified the surface chemistry of the nanoparticles with a ligand to reduce non-specific adsorption of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (anti-VEGFR2), a primary antibody, to cell receptors. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were then modified with the antibody-conjugated nanoparticles. They then imaged the cells using environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and differential interference contrast microscopy (DIC). Results indicate that additional chemical modifications of the nanoparticle-antibody complexes and enhanced imaging techniques will improve the labeling process. Work in these areas is currently ongoing. Ted tremendously enjoyed his work with Prof. Van Vliet’s and Prof. Hamad-Schifferli’s research groups, feeling that the experience refined his research abilities and greatly extended his skill sets in the disciplines of nanotechnology, chemistry, biomaterials, biomedical imaging, and biophysics. Poster: Functionalized gold nanoparticles for cell receptor mapping  Christine Hsieh (Physics/Cell Biology & Neuroscience, Rutgers University) Prof. Ian Hunter, ME The overall goal of Christine's project was to progress toward the creation of nanowires that could be used in non-invasive neural recording where it is unnecessary to open the skull. Originally, this concept was tested on frogs with platinum wires, but they were found to be too stiff to harmlessly navigate human capillaries. Therefore, Christine used a technique called Electrospinning to create polymer fibers that would be flexible enough. She spent her time studying the size, morphology, and process variables of these Poly(ethylene oxide) fibers. Poster is currently unavailable -- sorry!  Thad Koehn (Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Physics, University of Rhode Island) Prof. Yoel Fink, DMSE Thad's research project involved the development of amorphous glass photovoltaic cells. The goal was to increase the overall efficiency of the cell by increasing the short circuit current and open circuit voltage. This was done through a variety of methods, including changing junction dimensions, materials used, and crystalization. As a result of this summer, Thad feels much more strongly about continuing on to graduate school. Poster: Photovoltaic Fibers  Lydia Marshall-Lugo (Mechanical Engineering, University of Puerto Rico) Prof. Michael Cima, DMSE Lydia worked on drug delivery systems, but not on actual devices. She worked with the drug and how it is absorbed into the tissue, experimenting with different solutions and varied the pH of urine. She found that the absorption of the drug into the tissue is quick within the first hour, then it stabilizes (which is a good sign). Since Lydia is majoring in mechanical engineering, this research topic was something completely new for her, but she had a very good experience that changed her career goals completely. She is now very interested in continuing to do research in the biomedical engineering field. Poster currently unavailable--sorry!  D. J. Nothern (Materials Science & Engineering, Cornell University) Dr. Rajesh Menon (from Prof. Hank Smith’s lab), EECS Maskless lithography systems, such as zone-plate-array lithography, have the advantage of being able to change the printed pattern without delay or cost between samples. However, optical lithography is limited in resolution by the diffraction limit. We proposed a new scheme, Absorbance-Modulation Optical Lithography, that has the potential to overcome this limit. A layer of photo-chromic material that can be made transparent upon exposure to wavelength1, and made opaque again by exposure to wavelength2, is spin coated on top of the conventional photoresist stack. When exposed with a focused spot at wavelength1 and a ring illumination at wavelength2, a sub-wavelength aperture is formed in the photo-chromic layer, through which photons at wavelength1 can transmit and expose the underlying photoresist. A proof of concept has been prepared and carried out successfully. (Poster itself is confidential -- sorry!)  Frajovon Talley (Chemistry, Howard University) Prof. Francesco Stellacci, DMSE Frajovon's project involved gold nanoparticles. Poster: Time and Concentration Effects of MUA on Metal Nanoparticle Chains  Neil Treat (Polymer Science, University of Southern Mississippi) Prof. Michael Rubner, DMSE Neil's research involved the application of the SIEMBIMM technique to probe the physical properties of PEMs at differing relative humidity. In this case, laser diffraction patterns from buckled films and PEM thickness via ellipsometry were analyzed in order to obtain the modulus values. Poster: The Effect of Humidity on the Modulus of Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Films  Adam Zeiger (Mechanical Engineering, Drexel University) Prof. Krystyn Van Vliet, DMSE During the REU program, Adam was involved in multiple projects involving protein/cell interactions. He was trained on Atomic Force Microscopy, Fluorescent Microscopy, as well as in numerous cell culture techniques. Using these techniques, he was able to conduct an experiment to funcitonalize multiple surfaces with Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP). The ability to coat numerous surfaces, such as Polyelectrolyte Multilayers, with proteins like GFP, opens the door to a novel form of cell culture. Cells can exist in a culture where the experimenter controls not only the substrate the cells grow on, but also the cells' behavior via the surface proteins. Poster: Surface Functionalization Optimization for Polyelectrolyte Multilayers |
