{"509131":{"#nid":"509131","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Method Could Enhance Heat Dissipation in Electronic Devices","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearch in the area of two-dimensional (2-D) materials such as graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) has heavily increased within the last few years. 2-D materials are promising for a wide range of applications including nano-elecronics, opto-electronics, bio-chemical sensing and water desalination. Researchers have found that the stacking of 2-D materials could lead to exceptional performance in nano-electronic devices, e.g., h-BN, which has similar planar hexagonal lattice structure as grapheme, serves as an excellent dielectric and substrate for graphene electronics, leading to higher carrier mobility compared to any other substrate.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs the size of electronic devices scales down and power density increases, inefficient thermal management is becoming challenging for performance and reliability. The thermal boundary resistance (TBR) at the interface of the 2-D materials and the substrates may play a dominant role in degrading overall device performance. TBR at such interfaces are primarily dominated by phonons which could be understood as atomic vibrations at different frequencies and wave-vectors. Nano-engineering such surfaces for enhanced phonon coupling and reduced TBR requires a good understanding of how atomistic structure and chemistry at the interface affects the phonon transmission. Unfortunately, experimental techniques do not provide frequency and wave-vector dependent phonon transmission for the phonon spectrum of interest.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EToday, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a new analysis method based on the first principle density functional theory and atomistic Green\u2019s function to predict the phonon transmission at the interface of 2-D materials. They, for the first time, report both frequency and wave-vector (k space) dependent phonon transmission at interface of single layer graphene (SLG) sandwiched between h-BN layers (h-BN\/SLG\/h-BN) and analyze the contribution of different phonon modes to TBR considering the effect of atomistic configuration.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe developed method does not use any empirical fitting but computes force constants describing the atomic interactions directly from the first principle density functional theory (DFT) and uses this in a quantum theory based thermal transport model to compute phonon transmission and TBR. This unique feature of the model makes it capable of investigating interfaces of new materials without going through the cumbersome process of devising interatomic potentials. \u201cBy allowing us to investigate the effect of bonding, and electrostatics for different interfacial configurations, this numerical technique opens up a whole new direction to investigate phonon transport at junctions and contacts in next generation of nano-materials and their devices,\u201d said Satish Kumar, an associate professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research was supported by the National Science Foundation and ORNL Laboratory Directed Research and Development funding, and reported in the journal\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003ENanoscale\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cem\u003Ein the January 2016 issue.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003EThe research team includes graduate student and first author Zhequan Yan and his adviser Satish Kumar from Georgia Tech, Liang Chen, an assistant professor at Xi\u2019an Jiaotong University and ex-member of Kumar\u2019s group, and Mina Yoon, research scientist at Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) at ORNL.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearchers found that the atomistic configuration has a significant influence on the phonon transport across the h-BN\/SLG\/h-BN sandwiched systems. They analyzed five representative and stable configurations of h-BN\/SLG\/h-BN, which are obtained from the optimization following DFT. In a real sample of h-BN\/SLG\/h-BN, all these configurations may be present in different grains and separated by the grain boundaries. The structures with the carbon atom located directly on top of the boron atom (C-B matched) are observed to have 50% lower thermal boundary resistance (TBR) compared to the structures with carbon atom directly on top of the nitrogen atom (C-N matched), which is due to the stronger phonon-phonon coupling of C-B matched interface compared with that of the C-N matched interface. The comparison of frequency and wave-vector dependent phonon transmission function reveals that the contribution of in-plane phonon modes are lower in C-N matched interfaces compared to the C-B matched (see Figure below), which is due to the low interfacial distance between graphene and h-BN in C-N matched interfaces leading to high TBR. The low interfacial spacing is a consequence of the differences in the effective atomic volume of N and B atoms and the difference in the local electron density around the N and B atoms.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe findings in this study provide insights in to the mechanism of phonon transport at h-BN\/SLG\/h-BN interfaces. They will help in explaining the experimental observations using Raman Spectroscopy for probing phonon properties and to engineer these interfaces to enhance heat dissipation in graphene based electronic devices. The developed method is general and could be applied to a wide range of nano-materials to decipher the effect of surface chemistry and bonding on interfacial thermal transport.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur simulation and analysis method could be a powerful tool for predicting the interfacial thermal transport of different nano-materials and for providing guidelines to experiments for the growth of stacked layers with favorable properties,\u201d said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/kumar\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESatish Kumar\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cIt provides a quick and effective way to develop and find the new generations of the 2-D materials with a promising thermal properties at their interfaces.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work was partially supported by National Science Foundation Grant CBET-1236416. Part of this research was conducted at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, which is a DOE Office of Science User Facility and supported by the ORNL Laboratory Directed Research and Development funding. This research used resources of the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, a DOE Office of Science User Facility supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECITATION: Zhequan Yan, Liang Chen, Mina Yoon, Satish Kumar, \u201cPhonon Transport at the Interfaces of Vertically Stacked Graphene and Hexagonal Boron Nitride Heterostructures,\u201d (Nanoscale, 2016). \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1039\/c5nr06818e\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1039\/c5nr06818e\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1039\/c5nr06818e\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Two-dimensional materials could lead to exceptional performance in nano-electronic devices."}],"uid":"27869","created_gmt":"2016-03-03 16:41:08","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:20:57","author":"Allison Caughey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-03-03T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2016-03-03T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"509591":{"id":"509591","type":"image","title":"Mechanical Engineering NSF Grant","body":null,"created":"1458921526","gmt_created":"2016-03-25 15:58:46","changed":"1475895270","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:30","alt":"Mechanical Engineering NSF Grant","file":{"fid":"204937","name":"kumar2_0.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/kumar2_0_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/kumar2_0_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":17279,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/kumar2_0_0.jpg?itok=2vVqa9wd"}}},"media_ids":["509591"],"groups":[{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"171789","name":"bio-chemical sensing"},{"id":"171790","name":"elecronics"},{"id":"171791","name":"opto-electronics"},{"id":"171792","name":"thermal transport"},{"id":"171793","name":"water desalination"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"508791":{"#nid":"508791","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Configurable Analog Chip Computes with 1,000 Times Less Power than Digital","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have built and demonstrated a novel configurable computing device that uses a thousand times less electrical power \u2013 and can be built up to a hundred times smaller \u2013 than comparable digital floating-gate configurable devices currently in use.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe new device, called the Field-Programmable Analog Array (FPAA) System-On-Chip (SoC), uses analog technology supported by digital components to achieve unprecedented power and size reductions. The researchers said that for many applications these low-power analog-based chips are likely to work as well as or better than configurable digital arrays.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECurrently, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) \u2013 digital devices widely used in consumer devices, defense systems and more \u2013 dominate the configurable chip market. These floating-gate integrated circuits can be altered internally at any time, and techniques to reconfigure them for many different forms and functions are well established.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProfessionals familiar with FPGAs will find the programming interface of the new analog chip surprisingly like the digital circuits in many ways, said Jennifer Hasler, a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and leader of the research team that produced the new analog architecture.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBut in other ways the FPAA is going to seem quite different,\u201d she said. \u201cIn terms of the power needed, it\u0027s extremely different because you need only milliwatts to run the analog device, while it\u2019s hard to get an FPGA to work on less than a watt.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA paper on the new FPAA system-on-chip device has been published on the IEEE Xplore website. Another paper focusing on the details of programming FPAA devices was also published on the Xplore site. In addition a third paper, detailing a high-level open-source programming toolset developed by Hasler and her team for programming analog arrays, has also been published online in the Journal of Low Power Electronics and Applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENovel Techniques\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETraditionally, analog technology has been used primarily for hard-wired circuits such as sensors that interface between digital devices and the real world; examples include the circuits that detect and reproduce sound in cell phones and other devices. Analog circuits are also used extensively in electronics to regulate and optimize power use. These single-function circuits cannot perform software-based computation, using hardware gates and switches, in the manner of digital integrated circuits.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHasler\u2019s team, however, has developed techniques that perform computation using an analog-style physical architecture by reliably positioning electrons in an FPAA\u2019s connective structure. This approach stands in contrast to FPGAs, which process electrons through floating gates in ways similar to conventional digital semiconductors such as memory chips or central processing units.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne advantage of FPAAs is that they\u0027re non-volatile, Hasler explained, meaning they retain data even when power is turned off. This is similar to flash memory technology, such as the solid-state drives and storage cards commonplace today. The use of non-volatile memory reduces power consumption, in contrast to the higher power needs of the volatile SRAM configurations typically used in FPGAs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn addition to being non-volatile, our analog architecture lets us do something fairly radical \u2013 we can compute using the routing fabric of the chip, exploiting areas that are usually considered just dead weight,\u201d Hasler said. \u201cTo help do this, we\u0027ve developed highly efficient switches that can be programmed on, off, or in-between \u2013 partially on and partially off. This flexibility provides both increased computation capabilities and reduced power consumption.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMilliwatts or Microwatts\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe present FPAA device can operate on less than 30 milliwatts \u2013 thousandths of a watt, Hasler explained. That level approaches three orders of magnitude less than a conventional digital configurable chip. Further design advances in analog arrays could bring their power needs down into the microwatt range \u2013 millionths of a watt.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo program the analog environment of the new device, researchers manipulate electrons in precise ways. Using electron-injection and electron-tunneling techniques, they erase data by lowering the number of electrons at specific locations in the device structure to the lowest possible value. Then they encode new data by increasing the number of electrons located at a given location up to an exact value.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis complex approach makes possible a highly dense chip structure that offers many parameters \u2013 meaning programmable variables that can exist in a large number of different states and offer many shadings of behavior. It is this structural density that allows greater computing capability for a given degree of physical size and power input.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur FPAA chip has roughly half a million of these programmable parameters,\u201d Hasler said. \u201cThey can be used as a switch in a digital manner \u2013 using the lowest possible value for \u2018off\u2019 or the highest possible value for \u2018on\u2019 \u2013 or we can achieve even more rich behavior using intermediate values.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA New Toolset\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe FPAA device includes a small amount of built-in digital circuitry that supports communication within the chip and also helps run the programming infrastructure. Utilizing these support features, the team has developed an extensive set of high-level programming tools to take advantage of the new chip.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAmong other things, the new toolset is designed to make working with analog arrays accessible to those familiar with digital designs like FPGAs, which are programmed using comparable high-level tools. The new toolset can both simulate and program the FPAA reconfigurable device. A paper detailing these high-level tools has been published online.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur toolset uses high-level software developed in the Scilab\/Xcos open-source programs, with an analog and mixed-signal library of components,\u201d Hasler said. \u201cGeorgia Tech undergraduates are already using these tools in classes in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering that cover mixed-signal and analog devices and tools.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne area in which the analog approach is notably powerful involves command words \u2013 voice recognition technology used in devices like smartphones to do such things as wake up circuits from an off state, Hasler said. Like traditional analog sensing circuits, an FPAA offers excellent context-aware capability at extremely low power states.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHasler said that she has talked with several companies about potential applications of the FPAA in commercial devices. A significant number of FPAA chips has already been produced, but plans for potential large-scale manufacture of the chips have not been finalized. The key technologies in the FPAA system-on-chip are patent pending.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe believe that analog technology offers very powerful ways to look at physical computing, with considerable potential for commercial, neuromorphic, military and other applications,\u201d Hasler said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATIONS\u003C\/strong\u003E:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESihwan Kim, et al., \u201cIntegrated Floating-Gate Programming Environment for System-Level ICs,\u201d (IEEE Transactions on Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) Systems, 2015). \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1109\/TVLSI.2015.2504118\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1109\/TVLSI.2015.2504118\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1109\/TVLSI.2015.2504118\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESuma George, et at., \u201cA Programmable and Configurable Mixed-Mode FPAA SoC,\u201d (IEEE Transactions on Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) Systems, 2016). \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.dx.doi.org\/10.1109\/TVLSI.2015.2504119\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/www.dx.doi.org\/10.1109\/TVLSI.2015.2504119\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.dx.doi.org\/10.1109\/TVLSI.2015.2504119\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMichelle Collins, et al., \u201cAn Open-Source Tool Set Enabling Analog-Digital-Software Co-Design,\u201d (Journal of Low-Power Electronics and Applications, 2016). \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.3390\/jlpea6010003\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.3390\/jlpea6010003\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.3390\/jlpea6010003\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E177 North Avenue\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia 30332-0181 USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986) (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Rick Robinson\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have built and demonstrated a novel configurable computing device that uses a thousand times less electrical power \u2013 and can be built up to a hundred times smaller \u2013 than comparable digital floating-gate configurable devices currently in use.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers have demonstrated a novel reconfigurable computing device that uses much less power than comparable digital devices."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2016-03-02 21:41:33","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:20:57","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-03-03T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2016-03-03T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"508741":{"id":"508741","type":"image","title":"FPAA Chip","body":null,"created":"1457114400","gmt_created":"2016-03-04 18:00:00","changed":"1475895270","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:30","alt":"FPAA Chip","file":{"fid":"204918","name":"fpaa-chip5.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/fpaa-chip5_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/fpaa-chip5_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1938985,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/fpaa-chip5_1.jpg?itok=9KG8Ojb8"}},"508761":{"id":"508761","type":"image","title":"FPAA System on Chip","body":null,"created":"1457114400","gmt_created":"2016-03-04 18:00:00","changed":"1475895270","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:30","alt":"FPAA System on Chip","file":{"fid":"204920","name":"fpaa-chip13.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/fpaa-chip13_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/fpaa-chip13_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1503473,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/fpaa-chip13_0.jpg?itok=u4yMHPJ1"}},"508771":{"id":"508771","type":"image","title":"FPAA Chip2","body":null,"created":"1457114400","gmt_created":"2016-03-04 18:00:00","changed":"1475895270","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:30","alt":"FPAA Chip2","file":{"fid":"204921","name":"fpaa-chip7.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/fpaa-chip7_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/fpaa-chip7_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1901252,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/fpaa-chip7_0.jpg?itok=HkYxU1dd"}},"508781":{"id":"508781","type":"image","title":"FPAA Chip3","body":null,"created":"1457114400","gmt_created":"2016-03-04 18:00:00","changed":"1475895270","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:30","alt":"FPAA Chip3","file":{"fid":"204922","name":"fpaa-chip8.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/fpaa-chip8_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/fpaa-chip8_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2222969,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/fpaa-chip8_0.jpg?itok=BE6mMzrH"}}},"media_ids":["508741","508761","508771","508781"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"7569","name":"analog"},{"id":"169991","name":"FPAA"},{"id":"171780","name":"FPAA system-on-chip"},{"id":"91651","name":"Jennifer Hasler"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"508491":{"#nid":"508491","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Metamaterial Separation Proposed for Chemical, Biomolecular Uses","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe unique properties of metamaterials have been used to cloak objects from light, and to hide them from vibration, pressure waves and heat. Now, a Georgia Institute of Technology researcher wants to add another use for metamaterials: creating a new directional separation technique that cloaks one compound while concentrating the other.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThough the idea must still be proven experimentally, the researchers believe that manipulating mass transfer using metamaterials could help reduce the energy required for certain chemical and biomolecular processes. The proposed technique would use specially-patterned polymeric materials to direct the flow of atoms by taking advantage of their specific physical properties.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA detailed explanation for how the technique could be used to separate a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen \u2013 by cloaking the nitrogen and concentrating the oxygen \u2013 was reported February 25 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EScientific Reports\u003C\/em\u003E. The research was supported by a seed grant from the American Chemical Society.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe will control how the atoms cross the metamaterial, in which direction they will go,\u201d said Martin Maldovan, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering and School of Physics. \u201cBy designing the diffusivity of the metamaterials, we can make the atoms of one compound go one way, and the atoms of another compound go a different way. We are manipulating the physical properties to control the direction the atoms take through the metamaterial shell.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMaldovan and Graduate Research Assistant Juan Manuel Restrepo-Fl\u00f3rez have evaluated their metamaterial using computational techniques, and plan to build a prototype separation device this summer. The work could have applications in such areas as chemical manufacturing, crystal growth of semiconductors, waste recovery of biological solutes or chemicals, and production of artificial kidneys.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe metamaterial technique could supplement traditional membranes, which control the passage of chemicals by varying solubility and diffusivity. Similar in principle to other metamaterials, the mass transfer technique can either direct chemicals around the shell, or concentrate them within the shell.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cInside the metamaterial shell, you can tell one atom to do one thing, and another atom to do something else,\u201d Maldovan said. \u201cOur metamaterials will control the flow because they are anisotropic \u2013 certain directions are favored by the structure. We are controlling where the atoms go.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMaldovan\u2019s plan for the mass transfer metamaterials uses four different types of polymers, two with high diffusivity and two with low diffusivity. The size and patterning of blocks made from each material is determined by mathematical algorithms.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWith this metamaterial, we can control the direction the atoms can go using the trick of anisotropy,\u201d he explained. \u201cThis would be in addition to separation based on solubility and diffusivity. We have added an important parameter to the toolbox of chemical engineers: where to send the atoms.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to separating atoms, the ability of the metamaterials to concentrate atoms could allow sensors to detect more dilute quantities, essentially amplifying the available chemical signal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn their paper, the researchers show how to separate a 50-50 mixture of nitrogen and oxygen using available polymers that have the necessary properties. Each type of separation will require polymers with different properties, not all of which are available in existing materials, meaning not all chemical or biomolecular mixtures will be amenable to separation with the new technique.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe new separation process won\u2019t replace traditional distillation and membrane separation processes, but could supplement them, Maldovan said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cDistillation and evaporation are very energy intensive, but they are the workhorses of the chemical industry,\u201d he said. \u201cMembrane processes have been developed to reduce energy use. Our goal is to provide a technique that uses even less energy. This could lead to better and more efficient membranes that would provide better separation.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe metamaterials will ultimately have to be fabricated at the micron scale to be effective. But Maldovan says prototypes can be made using larger structures \u2013 at the centimeter scale \u2013 to demonstrate the process.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe need first to fabricate them, then optimize the design,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know what needs to be fabricated, so future efforts will combine design, fabrication, and optimization.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Restrepo-Fl\u00f3rez, J. M. and Maldovan, M., \u201cMass Separation by Metamaterials,\u201d (Scientific Reports, 2016)\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca title=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/srep21971\u0022 href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/srep21971\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/srep21971\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Metamaterial Separation Proposed for Chemical, Biomolecular Uses"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe unique properties of metamaterials have been used to cloak objects from light, and to hide them from vibration, pressure waves and heat. Now, a Georgia Institute of Technology researcher wants to add another use for metamaterials: creating a new directional separation technique that cloaks one compound while concentrating the other.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Metamaterial Separation Proposed for Chemical, Biomolecular Uses"}],"uid":"27271","created_gmt":"2016-03-02 14:33:01","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:20:57","author":"Brad Dixon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-03-02T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2016-03-02T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"508341":{"id":"508341","type":"image","title":"Concentration profile","body":null,"created":"1457114400","gmt_created":"2016-03-04 18:00:00","changed":"1475895270","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:30","alt":"Concentration profile","file":{"fid":"204910","name":"metamaterials1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/metamaterials1_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/metamaterials1_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1709690,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/metamaterials1_0.jpg?itok=MDve1vy9"}},"508351":{"id":"508351","type":"image","title":"Concentration profile2","body":null,"created":"1457114400","gmt_created":"2016-03-04 18:00:00","changed":"1475895270","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:30","alt":"Concentration profile2","file":{"fid":"204911","name":"metamaterials2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/metamaterials2_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/metamaterials2_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1734991,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/metamaterials2_0.jpg?itok=cgJiFeny"}}},"media_ids":["508341","508351"],"groups":[{"id":"1240","name":"School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"}],"keywords":[{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"},{"id":"79961","name":"Martin Maldovan"},{"id":"79971","name":"metamaterials"},{"id":"167445","name":"School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering"},{"id":"170184","name":"separations"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:john.toon@comm.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ejohn.toon@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E),\u0026nbsp;404.894.6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["john.toon@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"507831":{"#nid":"507831","#data":{"type":"news","title":"2016 Georgia Tech Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology (IEN) Seed Grant Program: Information and Request for Applications","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EProgram Description\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Georgia Tech IEN is an Interdisciplinary Research Institute (IRI) comprised of faculty and students interested in using the most advanced fabrication and characterization tools, and cleanroom infrastructure, to facilitate research in micro- and nano-scale materials, devices, and systems. Applications of this research span all disciplines in science and engineering with particular emphasis on biomedicine, electronics, optoelectronics and photonics, and energy applications. As there can be a learning curve associated with initial proof-of-concept development and testing using cleanroom tools, this seed grant program was developed to expedite the initiation of new graduate students and new research projects into productive activity. Successful proposals to this program will identify a new, currently-unfunded research idea that requires cleanroom access to generate preliminary data necessary to pursue other funding avenues.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EProgram Eligibility\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EGeorgia Tech Applicants\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis program is open to any current Georgia Tech or GTRI faculty member as project PI. The graduate student performing the research should be in the first 2 years of his\/her graduate studies, and preference will be given to students who are new users of the IEN facilities. The student\u2019s research advisor (project PI) does not need to be a current user of the IEN cleanroom\/lab facilities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EExternal (non-Georgia Tech) Applicants\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERecent funding from the NSF to create the Southeastern Nanotechnology Infrastructure Corridor (SENIC, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/senic.gatech.edu\/\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/senic.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/senic.gatech.edu\/\u003C\/a\u003E) as part of the NNCI has allowed IEN to open this program to external (not affiliated with Georgia Tech) users currently at an academic institution in the southeastern US. The graduate student performing the proposed research cannot be a current user of the IEN facilities. The student\u2019s research advisor (project PI) may have a current project in place for use of the IEN cleanroom\/lab facilities, but this is not a requirement. If awarded, a specialized service agreement will need to be arranged with the user\u2019s home institution.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPast awardees of a seed grant may submit additional proposals for different students\/projects, but not in consecutive funding cycles. It is the responsibility of the project PI and student to determine their ability to make use of the awarded time during the grant period. Extensions requested once the project has begun will not be granted.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAward Information\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEach seed grant award will consist of free cleanroom access to the student identified in the proposal for 2 (consecutive) billing quarters. Based on current access rates and the academic cap on hourly charges (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cleanroom.ien.gatech.edu\/rates\/\u0022 title=\u0022https:\/\/cleanroom.ien.gatech.edu\/rates\/\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/cleanroom.ien.gatech.edu\/rates\/\u003C\/a\u003E), this comprises a maximum award of $6000 for the 6 month period. This maximum award amount is still in effect even if IEN non-cleanroom (lab) equipment or electron beam lithography (EBL) is required. The designated student user is expected to only utilize the cleanroom\/tool access while working with the PI on the proposed project. Members of the IEN Advanced Technology Team (ATT) will be available to consult during the project period. The number of awards for each proposal submission date will depend on the number and quality of the proposals. A short report describing the research activities is required midway and at the completion of the award period.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESubmission Schedule\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis Seed Grant program is offered in\u003Cstrong\u003E two competitions each year with due dates on April 1 and October 1\u003C\/strong\u003E. While it is expected that research activity will begin on June 1 and December 1, respectively, there is flexibility in scheduling the 2 quarters of research work, as long as they conform to the IEN billing quarters.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EProposal Requirements (2 pages max)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe proposal (submitted as a PDF file of no more than 2 pages) should do the following:\u003Cbr \/\u003E1. Provide a project title.\u003Cbr \/\u003E2. Identify the research problem and specify the proposed methods.\u003Cbr \/\u003E3. Indicate the IEN research tools necessary to conduct the research. If assistance is needed with this component, members of the IEN Advanced Technology Team are available for consultation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E4. Describe the relationship of this research to the PI\u2019s other research activity.\u003Cbr \/\u003E5. Identify the PI and the graduate student involved (including year of graduate work), and if there will be a mentoring relationship with the PI\u2019s other students. Note if there are collaborative relationships with Georgia Tech faculty that bear on this research project.\u003Cbr \/\u003E6. Specify the potential for follow-on funding based on the results of this initial work.\u003Cbr \/\u003ESubmit the PDF file by the specified due date to Ms. Amy Duke (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amy.duke@ien.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eamy.duke@ien.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EReview Criteria\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EProposals will initially be reviewed by IEN staff for technical feasibility within the 6-month time frame. Rating of proposals will be done by a review committee of Georgia Tech faculty, with final selection of awardees by IEN staff.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor more information, please contact Dr. David Gottfried, \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:dsgottfried@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Edsgottfried@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E, (404) 894-0479.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech IEN is an Interdisciplinary Research Institute (IRI) comprised of faculty and students interested in using the most advanced fabrication and characterization tools, and cleanroom infrastructure, to facilitate research in micro- and nano-scale materials, devices, and systems. Applications of this research span all disciplines in science and engineering with particular emphasis on biomedicine, electronics, optoelectronics and photonics, and energy applications. As there can be a learning curve associated with initial proof-of-concept development and testing using cleanroom tools, this seed grant program was developed to expedite the initiation of new graduate students and new research projects into productive activity. Successful proposals to this program will identify a new, currently-unfunded research idea that requires cleanroom access to generate preliminary data necessary to pursue other funding avenues.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Successful proposals to this program will identify a new, currently-unfunded research idea that requires cleanroom access to generate preliminary data necessary to pursue other funding avenues."}],"uid":"27863","created_gmt":"2016-03-01 12:18:40","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:20:57","author":"Christa Ernst","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-03-01T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2016-03-01T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"507811":{"id":"507811","type":"image","title":"IEN Seed Grant logo","body":null,"created":"1457114400","gmt_created":"2016-03-04 18:00:00","changed":"1475895270","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:30","alt":"IEN Seed Grant logo","file":{"fid":"205936","name":"seed_grant_ien_pic_0.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/seed_grant_ien_pic_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/seed_grant_ien_pic_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":45984,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/seed_grant_ien_pic_0.jpg?itok=2uIfVuWh"}}},"media_ids":["507811"],"groups":[{"id":"1271","name":"NanoTECH"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"249","name":"Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"116781","name":"BioMEMS"},{"id":"5754","name":"biophotonics"},{"id":"14545","name":"George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering"},{"id":"2557","name":"mems"},{"id":"107","name":"Nanotechnology"},{"id":"141971","name":"NNCI"},{"id":"1815","name":"optoelectronics"},{"id":"2290","name":"photonics"},{"id":"167679","name":"Seed Grant"},{"id":"169986","name":"Southeastern Nanotechnology Infrastructure Corridor (SENIC)"},{"id":"169987","name":"student research funding"},{"id":"169988","name":"student research grants"},{"id":"166968","name":"the Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"168380","name":"the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering"},{"id":"168357","name":"The School of Materials Science and Engineering"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"},{"id":"39491","name":"Renewable Bioproducts"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor more information, please contact Dr. David Gottfried, \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:dsgottfried@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Edsgottfried@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Cbr \/\u003E(404) 894-0479.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["dsgottfried@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"508541":{"#nid":"508541","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Dr. Fred Cook to receive Olney Medal","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDr. Fred Cook, Professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate programs, Schools of Materials Science \u0026amp; Engineering, was recently selected to receive the American Association of Textile and Chemists and Colorists 2015 Olney Medal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECook will be honored at the AATCC\u0027s international conference, April 19-21 in Williamsburg, VA. The medal signifies outstanding achievement in textile chemistry, or in polymer or other fields of chemistry that are of major importance to textile sciences and fibrous materials. This also includes the development of chemical agents or chemical processes used in the manufacture of textiles, fibrous materials, or methods for their evaluation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Olney Medal is the Associations\u2019 highest scientific award. It was established in 1944 as a testimonial to Dr. Louis Atwell Olney, founder of AATCC, in recognition of his lifetime of devotion and multitudinous contributions to the field of textile chemistry. This award is given to encourage and afford public recognition of such achievements and contributions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Cook\u0027s research interests lie in the fields of textile and polymer chemistry. More specifically, areas under investigation include: crown ethers in anionic polymerizations and resin supports, carbon fiber conversion processes, energy-conserving textile chemical processes and polymer syntheses.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe returned to Georgia Tech from the Experimental Station of E.I. DuPont Co., where he served as a polymer research chemist. His studies at Tech blend polymer chemistry with textile chemical and process applications. A member of the American Chemical Society, the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, the Fiber Society, Dr. Cook has chaired the AATCC National Committee of Conferences, chaired the NTC Operating Board, chaired the Georgia Tech Polymer Program for eight years, President of NCTE, and is a member of Sigma Xi, Delta Kappa Phi and Tau Beta Pi Professional Fraternities. He is a consulting editor for Textile World Magazine, and he has served as an expert witness in court for Bic Co.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFounded as the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), the Association continues to evolve to meet the needs of those in the ever-changing textile and materials industries. AATCC has served textile professionals since 1921. Today, the Association provides test method development, quality control materials, education, and professional networking for a global audience.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Honor will be awarded by the AATCC in April"}],"uid":"28159","created_gmt":"2016-03-02 15:29:48","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:20:57","author":"Kelly Smith","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-02-29T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2016-02-29T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"508551":{"id":"508551","type":"image","title":"Fred Cook","body":null,"created":"1457114400","gmt_created":"2016-03-04 18:00:00","changed":"1475895270","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:30","alt":"Fred Cook","file":{"fid":"204916","name":"fred_cook.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/fred_cook_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/fred_cook_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":12770,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/fred_cook_0.jpg?itok=hNrH0wH_"}}},"media_ids":["508551"],"groups":[{"id":"217141","name":"Georgia Tech Materials Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"}],"keywords":[{"id":"829","name":"AATCC"},{"id":"1692","name":"materials"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}