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Seed Groups at PCCM 2004-2005Superseed: Infrared Upconversion Nanocrystals for Biotechnology
This is a “superseed” proposal connecting faculty in Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Molecular Biology, the Genomics Institute and a local New Jersey company, Sunstones Inc. We will develop the emerging technology of Infrared-Upconversion ceramics for use as biological markers, with an emphasis on optimizing the parameters of the upconversion process for nanocrystal biological markers. Focus of the study is an unusual class of ceramic rare-earth materials which can do “up-conversion” of infrared (IR) photons to visible emission with high efficiency. Superseed: Physics and Biology of Self-Assembly in the Fly Embryo
Spontaneous self–assembly is the hallmark of biological systems. A larval fly, for example, constructs itself out of the components which exist in the closed, constant volume container formed by the egg. The blueprint is abstract, encoded in a single molecular copy of the genome, and the result is a complex and fully functioning “machine” (the maggot) which senses its environment, walks, eats, etc. While many efforts in materials science have exploited or imitated molecular mechanisms at work in biological systems, we believe that construction of substantially more complex structures will require us to look at the mechanisms that coordinate function and assembly on a larger scale. We plan to study the underlying physics and biology of the fly embryo as it goes through 13 nearly synchronous cycles of mitosis before building cell walls. Of particular interest will be the mix of variability and precision of patterning that occurs in the embryo in characterizing the gradient of the protein bicoid (Bcd) and the spatial ordering of the nuclei. Superseed: Structural Modifications of Polymer Electrolytes for Fuel Cells
Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are a central element of the US government’s plan for efficient pollution free power for automobiles. PEM fuel cells employ a polymer with ionizable substituent groups that permit proton conduction from an anode to a cathode. This group will characterize the mechanical/chemical/electrical properties of ionomers to elucidate how polymer structure is related to water uptake in constrained geometries. The project will also develop new polymer electrolytes that are rigid, with a high proton conductivity and chemical stability in the fuel cell environment.
Seed: From Oligomeric Coordination Complexes to Nanometric Molecular Ensembles
Seed: Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Memories
Seed: Photo-Modifiable Materials and Bandgap Engineering for Mid-Infrared Photonics
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