News at CHESS - 2013

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Pi stacking improves organic semiconductors

Flexible electronic devices, such as plastic displays, wearable radio frequency identification tags, and roll up solar panels, based on pi-bonded organic semiconductors have become highly desirable due to their light weight and high level of durability. Recently a group of researchers from Princeton University, led by Professor Yueh-Lin Loo, demonstrated the ability to tune the molecular orientation of organic thin-films through post-deposition treatments and independent of surface treatments, resulting in organic semiconductor thin-films with desirable properties for organic electronics applications.

Complete article here:
http://news.chess.cornell.edu/articles/2013/Loo04252013.html

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Compartmental Nanosponges

Cornell Researchers led by Materials Science and Engineering professor Ulrich Wiesner have developed a method based on sol-gel chemistry and self assembly to produce compartmentalized sponge-like nanoparticles. The technology could be used to provide safer drug delivery or develop new approaches to catalysis. The group was also able to connect multiple cores with tube-like bridges between them, suggesting that their method could be used to create complex nanoparticle architectures.

Complete summary available here:
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2013/04/nano-compartments-may-aid-drug-delivery-catalyst-design

Original publication available here:
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6130/337.abstract

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A new approach to the glass transition

Most materials freeze at a well-defined temperature into a mass of tiny crystals. Glass is different – over a narrow range of temperature, known as the glass transition, the melt solidifies but retains an atomic structure that is very similar to that of the liquid melt. Now a group of researchers from Harvard University, led by Professor Joost Vlassak, and the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source have combined efforts to develop new experimental capabilities with the potential to provide new insights into the nature of the glass transition.

Complete article here:
http://news.chess.cornell.edu/articles/2013/Vlassak04232013.html

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Understanding the Spring-Loaded Rotary Motor Within Living Cells

The vacuolar ATPase is a large, multi-protein enzyme complex that pumps acid (protons) across lipid membranes in all animal and plant cells.  The activity of the complex is regulated by a unique mechanism in which the part of the complex responsible for ATP hydrolysis detaches from the membrane embedded proton channel in a process referred to as reversible dissociation  What is the structural basis for the reversible dissociation?

Complete article here:
http://news.chess.cornell.edu/articles/2013/Wilkens04162013.html

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Spreading the Butter on the Toast Just So – High-Performance Organic Transistors by Novel Deposition Technique

Organic transistors are being hotly investigated for flexible and inexpensive “plastic electronics” applications, such as automobile dashboards and smart tags. A joint team of scientists from the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, and Stanford University just reported an experimental break-through for studying the structural evolution of organic transistor layers during the coating process in-situ and in real-time with x-ray scattering.

Complete article here:
http://news.chess.cornell.edu/articles/2013/Smilgies04112013.html

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At last: Insights into membrane fusion and disease

Within every cell of the human body lies an intricate network of membrane tubules and sheets tasked with orchestrating the processing of many of the molecules necessary to keep the cell alive.  This network, called the endoplasmic reticulum, employs many different types of proteins to accomplish this task.  However, when this structure breaks down, it can result in diseases.

Complete article here:
http://news.chess.cornell.edu/articles/2013/Sondermann04112013.html

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Expo features flyers, hoverers, soarers and wind catchers

From viewing 19-foot hang gliders to making 19-inch walk-along gliders, visitors to the first Aeronautics/Alternative Energy Expo in Clark Hall March 28 got to experience the real challenge of catching a breeze.

Complete article from the Cornell Chronicle here:
http://www.news.cornell.edu//stories/2013/04/expo-features-flyers-hoverers-soarers-and-wind-catchers

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Insights on regulation of the RNA-protein complex involved in protein synthesis

Cells synthesize proteins by transcribing genetic information from DNA onto messenger RNA molecules.  The Gehring group and co-workers report in the journal Molecular Cell how they used X-ray methods to elucidate how this transcription process works.

Complete article here:
http://news.chess.cornell.edu/articles/2013/Gehring03282013.html

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How do superlattices grow?

A team of scientists from Cornell University in the US, the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam in Germany, and the University of Hamburg, also in Germany, are the first to have studied how superlattices form.

Complete article from nanotechweb.org here:
http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/52719

Or see the (pdf) from http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/52719

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Cryo-SAXS breaks the radiation damage limit

Complete article here:
http://news.chess.cornell.edu/articles/2013/Meisburger03052013.html

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Sorting proteins to the right address at the cellular post office

By comparing small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and X-ray crystallographic data, the Fromme group of Cornell University finds that this motif exhibits an unexpected flexibility in solution with implications for exomer function as a cargo adaptor in a heterogenous membrane milieu.

Complete article here:
http://news.chess.cornell.edu/articles/2013/Richardson02192013.html

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Image courtesy of: LEPP, Cornell University

NCUWiP (Women in Physics) Conference

A Cornell conference for women in physics and other physical sciences drew close to 200 participants, Jan. 18-20.

Organized by Cornell students, the Northeast Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics was one of six events happening simultaneously throughout the U.S. About 140 female undergraduates and 40 invited guests, including speakers, panelists and faculty members, attended the Cornell event.

Complete article here:
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Jan13/womenPhysics.html

Also (pdf)

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Shake It Up – Insights on printing thin films for organic electronics devices

The production of thin films underlays much of modern technology, from flexible flat screen monitors to future applications of “plastic electronics” in cases such as luminaires, smart tags, and solar energy conversion. While the common process of vacuum deposition of thin film materials onto substrates is well understood, much less is known about how a molecular thin film forms from a liquid solution. This is important because liquid solution methods will enable fast, inexpensive printing of electronics, solar cells and batteries.

Complete article here:
http://news.chess.cornell.edu/articles/2013/Amass01172013.html

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Women in Science

Former NFL Lineman and Cornell Professor Matt Miller (CHESS Faculty Liaison) talks engineering with his daughter Chaney in a video for the Cornell Institute for Women in Science.

See the Video: http://news.chess.cornell.edu/articles/2013/MillerWinS.html

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Cornell University Partners in Sustainability Award

Sustainable Tompkins recognized community sustainability efforts and Cornell received 59 "Signs of sustainability" certificates for 2012!  One being given to the CLASSE Outreach Program - XRaise for their  "Catch the Breeze" wind turbine design competition.

See the Sustainable Campus online article: http://www.sustainablecampus.cornell.edu/blogs/news/posts/cornell-awarded-59-signs-of-sustainability

Or see the (pdf)

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Austin Hooey Award for CHESS Graduate Student User Kaifu Bian

Cornell chemical engineering student Kaifu Bian was recently awarded the 2012 Austin Hooey Award for Outstanding Thesis Research. The Hooey Graduate Research Excellence Recognition Award is the highest award given to a graduate student by Cornell’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. This award recognizes excellence in graduate research and service to the research group, department and community. Kaifu’s research focused on fundamental processing-structure-property relationships of nanocrystal assemblies as designer solids.

Complete article here:
http://news.chess.cornell.edu/articles/2013/Kaifu01022013.html