Research Experience for Faculty and Students at Undergraduate Institutions
Our enhanced Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program recruits two faculty/student pairs from regional four-year colleges and universities to engage in summer research with MRSEC faculty, with the goal of providing a research experience which benefit both the participants and the MRSEC projects. It is expected that the professor/student pairs continue to expand on MRSEC-related research at their home institutions during the academic year. A summer stipend for the professorial member will be provided for up to two full months of full-time commitment to the MRSEC project. The student will receive a weekly salary plus free room/board for up to 10 weeks of commitment to the project.
In summer 2011, the following faculty/student teams joined the MRSEC group:
Professor Julian Velev (left) and student Giovanni Baez (front)
(right: Gradstudent Jesuan Betancourt and Milena Bobea)
University of Puerto Rico - Río Piedras
worked with Evgeny Tsymbal, Physics.
"This summer two undergraduate and two graduate students from the University of Puerto Rico participated in the program. We pursued several projects: Using first principle calculations the metastable phases of a given compound can be compared at zero temperature. However, technological applications require room temperature operation. By calculating phonon dispersions from first principles we investigated the thermal stability of various metastable phases of materials of technological importance. In addition, we studied electron transport involving strongly correlated materials in the magnetic tunnel junction or the spin filtering setup. These materials have additional functionalities which could be exploited for technologically important applications such as non-volatile memories and magnetic recording."
Professor Luis Rosa and student Freddy Wong (middle)
left: REU Physics student Godohaldo Perez
University of Puerto Rico - Humacao
worked with Peter Dowben, Physics.
"Our work this summer consisted on the electronic structure characterization of the polymer blends of Poly(3-hexylthiophene) P3HT and Poly(vinylidene fluoride) PVDF. The blend incorporates two polymer with two distinct physical properties, P3HT is a semiconducting polymer and PVDF a ferroelectric polymer. The blend films were prepared by Langmuir-Blodgett deposition techniques on a gold substrate. By poling the ferroelectric component of the blends we can control the band position and bensing of the semiconducting polymer of the blend."
Professor Khalid Eid and student Taylor Reid (right)
front: Gradstudent Robert Tolley
Miami University, Ohio
worked with Andrei Sokolov, Physics.
Professor Yung Huh and student Eric Krage
South Dakota State University
worked with David Sellmyer, Physics.
"Eric Krage, a senior physics major is investigating the structural and magnetic properties of novel ferromagnetic alloys along with Dr. Yung Huh, associate professor of Physics from the South Dakota State University. Projects include the growth and characterization of the rare-earth based permanent magnet SmCo4-x FexB and the high spin polarized room temperature ferromagnetic Mn2TiSn Heusler alloys. The systematic Fe doping effect was studied on the structural and magnetic properties of SmCo4-xFexB with 0.05 ≤ x ≤ 0.2 using XRD, EDX, SEM, TEM and SQUID magnetometer. SmCo4-xFexB was prepared by arc-melting followed by thermal annealing at 1000 °C for 48 hr. XRD results show that SmCo4-xFexB alloys crystallize into the hexagonal CeCo4B-type structure with x = 0.05 to 0.20. A maximum coercivity of 30 kOe with a magnetization 70 emu/g was observed in SmCo4-xFexB at 10 K.
Arc-melted Mn2TiSn compound was prepared and followed by thermal treatment. EDX and XRD analysis revealed its structural properties and the atomic compositions. Magnetization as a function of temperature and magnetic field measured between 5 K and 350 K show that the samples are ferromagnetic at room temperature but the magnetization at 60 kOe (M) and coercivity (Hc) change significantly with temperature. The room temperature M and Hc are 12 emu/g and 220 Oe respectively. Both the M and Hc increase with decreasing temperature and reach 28 emu/g and 760 Oe as temperature reaches 10 K. We note that the M(H) loops are not fully saturated even at 60 kOe. Magnetization as a function of temperature measured between 5 K and 350 K shows that the samples appear to have magnetic transition at around 400 K."
Professor Mark Plano Clark and student Micah Marvin
Doane College (Crete, NE)
worked with Axel Enders, Physics.
"This summer we are using what we’ve learned in the past two summers to build a second version of our inexpensive scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Version 2 of the STM reduces the long cables to manageable lengths in a compact system that can be more vibrationally isolated. We have succeeded in producing STM images. Our work this summer has also focused on improving the surfaces and the tips. Using information gathered from other groups we are in the process of producing a tip etching station that should allow us to reliably produce sharp tips. With the new tips, clean surfaces, and the new and improved STM we hope to produce good images by the end of the summer. We continue to try to incorporate changes into the STM that will allow colleges and high schools to build/obtain a reliable STM that fits within their budgets."
