2007 — 2010 |
Anderson, Dana (co-PI) [⬀] Mcleod, Robert Popovic, Zoya (co-PI) [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Tchcs: Hybrid Rf/Optical Ics For High-Bandwidth Spread-Spectrum Communications @ University of Colorado At Boulder
ECS-0636650 R. McLeod, University of Colorado at Boulder
This new architecture requires an equally novel integration platform for hybrid electro-optic systems. The proposed platform can be thought of as "optical wire-bonding" in which arbitrary discrete RF or optical components are interconnected in 3D to form complex, dense circuits. This process is made possible by advanced photopolymers that can simultaneously encapsulate the individual hybrid subcomponents and can be photo-patterned in 3D to develop micron-scale gradient index features. These index features in the form of optical waveguides are aligned to the encapsulated hybrids by a custom 3D lithography system, avoiding all active alignment. Intellectual Merit This proposal presents a revolutionary integration technology for RF/optical components in the context of a hybrid wireless/optical communication system. The architecture supports multi-channel, mobile GHz bandwidth without the limitations of traditional spread-spectrum codes or adaptive beam-steered antenna arrays. The cornerstone of the communication architecture is a smart electro-optic node (SEON) that adaptively tracks multiple broadband mobile transmitters. Reception is performed with a small-aperture adaptive array automatically listening on as many channels as it has antenna elements; a scaling which is significantly better than current adaptive beam-forming systems.
Broader Impacts The proposed hybrid circuits are fabricated on a single, inexpensive lithography station that, similar to rapid-prototyping processes, can fabricate complex single parts with no costly masks using only low-cost monomer. This enables both large economic impact in small production volumes and large-scale undergraduate educational use. The PI's will extend this educational impact via a new graduate course, ECEN 5004, Fundamentals and technology for RF-optical communication systems
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0.915 |
2008 — 2015 |
Clark, Noel Mcleod, Robert Walba, David (co-PI) [⬀] Bowman, Christopher |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Soft Materials Research Center @ University of Colorado At Boulder
The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Colorado at Boulder supports innovative research and education in liquid crystals, ranging from cutting-edge, basic liquid crystal and soft materials science to the development of enhanced capabilities for photonic, chemical, and biotech applications of liquid crystals. A multi-disciplinary team of physicists, chemists, biochemists, molecular biologists, chemical engineers and materials scientists work collaboratively on research and education projects. The Center offers a broad program of activities directed towards education and enhancement of science literacy. These include summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates and Research Experiences for Teachers. Its K-12 outreach program, Materials Science from Colorado University, brings Center personnel into classrooms and uses the understanding of materials to teach physical science concepts. Outreach activities to the public include the Liquid Crystal Wizards family science show. The MRSEC will participate in a University-wide program (Red Shirt Program) designed to offer a pre-freshman year of preparatory STEM instruction, communication skills development, and clustered housing to help prepare underserved high school students for success as science and engineering undergraduates. The Center pursues collaborative research with a variety of companies and international collaborators and offers its excellent experimental and computational shared facilities for outside users.
Research at the MRSEC is organized as a single Interdisciplinary Research Group, Liquid Crystal Frontiers, with three research thrusts. The Liquid Crystal Macro/Nano/Molecular thrust focuses on the science and technology of bulk and composite liquid crystal systems, pursuing the design and synthesis of new materials, and the discovery and exploration of novel themes of self assembly and ordering. The Active Liquid Crystal Interfaces thrust pursues the science and applications of soft interface structures, emphasizing those that respond to external stimuli, such as light, fields, or chemical composition, and in doing so affect the surrounding bulk media. The Functional Liquid Crystal Assemblies thrust advances the science and technology of hierarchically-structured soft condensed phases, emphasizing nanophase segregation as a path to novel functional materials.
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0.915 |
2010 — 2015 |
Mcleod, Robert |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Career: 3d Optoelectronic Devices Fabricated Via 2-Color Photo-Inhibition/Initiation Lithography @ University of Colorado At Boulder
Objective Traditional photolithography begins with single-photon absorption of patterned light by a photo-initiator to locally expose a resist. In two-color photo-inhibition/initiation (2PII) lithography, these exposed regions are confined by a surrounding pattern of inhibitors generated by one-photon absorption of a second color in a photo-inhibitor. The specific research goal of this proposal is to test the conjecture that the resolution limit of 2PII lithography is enforced by inhibitor diffusion. This will be accomplished by incorporating the 2PII chemistry into thick, solid resists which self-develop index structures in response to 3D direct-write lithography. The resulting solid, photo-patternable materials are foundations for 3D optoelectronic devices in the areas of silicon photonics packaging and high-performance data storage.
Intellectual Merit The current generations of both semiconductor lithography and optical data storage are at the technological limits of resolution. Although these applications are at opposite ends of the cost spectrum, both industries share an uncertain future in the face of the diffraction limit. By combining 3D resolution superior to existing nonlinear absorption methods with the high sensitivity of photo-resist, the proposed lithography method has the potential to transform optoelectronic micro- and nano-fabrication across a broad spectrum of technologies.
Broader Impact The research will be integrated into education via the development of an undergraduate optics sequence featuring senior-level design, fabrication and test of 3D optoelectronic and nanophotonic circuitry via software-controlled lithography and self-developing materials. This sequence will be founded on teaching methods featuring design as the core skill of engineering
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0.915 |
2012 — 2013 |
Mcleod, Robert |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Eager: Shared Materials Plotter For Organic Robotics @ University of Colorado At Boulder
This EAGER proposal, augmenting basic materials and device research in integrated polymer/living tissue structures, opens an exciting new area in engineered materials. Upgrading from the planned inkjet printer to the new generation of materials plotters in this exploratory project will enable the rapid integration of organic structural, sensor, actuator and electronic components into fully functional devices at many scales. The applications for robotics and cyber-physical systems include 3D polymer MEMs with integrated organic electronics, neurons and even muscle tissue into polymer mechanical devices, variable-focus vision systems and new approaches to polymer muscles.
Broader Impacts: This equipment will advance discoveries in multiple materials and device studies in projects across a number of academic departments. The research will broaden participation by providing the critical hardware for three female PhD students in the PI's labs, two of which are funded by NSF GRFs. The equipment will be made broadly available through a new user-service facility, enhancing infrastructure in multiple disciplines.
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0.915 |
2012 — 2014 |
Maute, Kurt (co-PI) [⬀] Mather, Patrick Mcleod, Robert Qi, Hang (Jerry) Stade, Elisabeth |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Efri-Odissei: Photo-Origami @ University of Colorado At Boulder
The research objective of this Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) Origami Design for the Integration of Self-assembling Systems for Engineering Innovation (ODISSEI) award is to create a holistic approach, named photo-origami, to transform a flat polymer sheet into a mechanically robust 3D structure via a sequence of light-activated folding and deformation steps. This new manufacturing approach will be achieved by integrating shape memory polymers, photo-responsive compliant material, and optical waveguides into a smart canvas to enable sequentially folding. The research will develop methods that are applicable to several interdisciplinary fields including active materials, photomechanics, photochemistry, and optics, and thus can be exploited in a wide array of applications. The research approach starts from the establishment of the basic components and the corresponding mechanistic understanding, progresses to the development of multiphysical nonlinear design theory, and achieves the final goal of creating photo origami. Deliverables include a suite of active materials and their activation methods, multiphysical modeling and design tools, demonstration and validation, documentation of research results, engineering student education, engineering research experience for high school students, and dissemination the research achievements to the general public.
If successful, the results of this research will enable fundamentally new approaches to manufacture materials and devices with extraordinary functionalities. Example applications include new sparse materials with low weight but high strength or anisotropic properties, deep 3D MEMs with integrated electronic, RF or optical circuit elements. Manufacturing approaches from this research will offer the advantage of a flat initial state where functional devices can be easily placed and a final complicated 3D structure. Graduate and undergraduate students will benefit from a rigorous training at the interface between material science, mechanics, optics, and design optimization through involvement in the research. The research will also be tightly integrated into STEM education and outreach activities by partnering with the local school district to bring public awareness and to inspire K-12 student?s interest in STEM.
This project is supported in part by funds from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
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0.915 |
2013 — 2017 |
Anderson, Ken Mcleod, Robert |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Goali: Holographic Passive Solar Concentration and Lighting @ University of Colorado At Boulder
Research Objectives and Approaches The objective of this research is to create a new form of holographic polymer film that can redirect sunlight over daily and yearly variations in order to enable passive solar concentrators for energy generation and passive solar lighting for energy conservation. The approach is to tailor the polymer reaction and diffusion rates such that the holograms can grow to 25 times the efficiency typical of such materials, enabling many thin and 100% efficient films to be stacked into a single sheet. Design tools for these angle and color selective films will be created to guide the fabrication and test of functional samples.
Intellectual Merit The research will advance soft materials science by investigating optically-initiated, strong segregation of polymers in solid films. Specialized theoretical and numerical design tools will exploit this enhanced control over 3D material properties to enable new classes of polymer optical devices with large refractive index gradients. High-throughput film fabrication processes will be created to realize these designs in economically-relevant costs and sizes. In cooperation with two industrial partners, the program will then fabricate and test specialized films for solar generation and conservation applications.
Broader Impacts The program will establish a satellite research hub at an undergraduate liberal arts college. Undergraduates will investigate materials during the academic year, then spend summers integrating results into the larger program at the University of Colorado.
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0.915 |
2015 — 2018 |
Mcleod, Robert Shaheen, Sean (co-PI) [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Precision Organic Electrochemical Transistors For Single-Cell Electrophysiology @ University of Colorado At Boulder
Time-resolved in-situ metrology of organic electrochemical transistors to support the development of a dynamic device model
Abstract Nontechnical: Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are an emerging class of biocompatible organic semiconductor device that operate at very low voltages and with very high amplification. This combination of properties makes them attractive for external and implanted bioelectronics such as measuring electrical activity of muscles or neurons. However, progress is currently limited by incomplete understanding of the internal functioning of the transistors and also rudimentary fabrication methods that restrict integration and repeatability. The internal dynamics of the transistors will be studied with a number of microscopy techniques applied to operating transistors to inform the assembly of a theoretical device model. This model will guide the creation of new biomedical devices based on these transistors including the measurement of cellular action potentials.
Technical: OECTs modulate the conductivity of a polymer semiconductor by injecting ions that replace dopant polyions, reversibly transforming the polymer channel into an insulator. This study will elucidate the spatio-temporal dynamics of lithographically-fabricated OECTs, based on the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). The proposed techniques include real-time, electrochromic microscopy to elucidate the in situ doping dynamics during switching, scanning Kelvin probe microscopy to measure the spatial distribution of polymer doping on even finer scales, and AFM to reveal polymer morphology and swelling that are critical to understanding the physiological interface. These studies will elucidate the interplay of ion transport and doping, current flow, and mechanical properties in the active channel of working devices, leading to a better understanding of the structure-function relationship and validation of the first complete transient model of OECT function. This understanding will guide the study of improved fabrication methods including UV photolithography and surfactants that have been shown to improve performance and repeatability of other organic electronic devices. Repeatable photolithographic fabrication will enable device integration and precision measurements beyond current capability. Performance of these optimized sensors will be demonstrated by integration with nerve-like and skeletal myocyte cells, which will be bio-printed onto the gates of OECT arrays and a multi-electrode array for comparison. This will be performed with the assistance of a local bio-tech firm and two CU cell biology collaborators. A low-noise, multiplexed electrical interface to the OECT array will be designed and built as part of the undergraduate and outreach program.
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0.915 |
2017 — 2018 |
Hubler, Mija Srubar Iii, Wil Mcleod, Robert Ferguson, Virginia (co-PI) [⬀] Bryant, Stephanie (co-PI) [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Mri: Acquisition of a 4d High-Resolution X-Ray Micro-Computed Tomography System For the Rocky Mountain Region @ University of Colorado At Boulder
This Major Research Instrumentation award to acquire a high-resolution X-ray microtomography (XRM) imaging system will advance a broad spectrum of fundamental research, potentially leading to novel materials that enhance infrastructure resilience, next-generation medicine, and energy production. The instrumentation, which is not currently available to researchers in the Rocky Mountain region, uniquely combines an X-ray source with an objective turret to attain exceptional spatial resolution and unprecedented image quality. The instrumentation will advance critical research areas, including next-generation civil infrastructure materials, biological tissues and materials for tissue repair and regeneration, natural and archival materials, smart polymers, and energy collection and storage. As a publicly available resource, the XRM will be leveraged to advance the scientific missions of industry, individual researchers, and research institutions throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Annual working group meetings and a biannual materials imaging symposium will facilitate dissemination of state-of-the-art imaging science, enable continuous recruitment of new users, and catalyze new local and regional collaborations. The project will also support the education, training, and mentorship of a new generation of advanced instrumentalists, who will establish a regional expertise in high-resolution imaging of both hard and soft materials.
As the gold standard in materials imaging, high-resolution XRM with in situ mechanical testing, temperature-controlled capabilities, and dynamic, time-resolved imaging provides a non-destructive means to image and differentiate internal micro- and nanostructures of materials with 700 nm spatial resolution at large working distances, <70 nm voxel resolution, and exceptional phase contrast for both small and large sample sizes (up to 300 mm). Advanced capabilities permit in situ augmentation of standard tests to image material behavior in 3D/4D under controlled temperature, compression, tension, and flexure, enabling previously unobservable damage and failure mechanisms at the sub-micron scale. Beyond quantifying microstructural features and empirically analyzing physical and mechanical properties in situ, image data can be directly imported into numerical simulations and manipulated with stress, strain, temperature, pressure, and fluid flow to computationally model, predict, and observe microscale material behaviors, ultimately enabling more sophisticated design of highly complex synthetic and biomimetic materials.
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0.915 |
2018 — 2021 |
Mcleod, Robert Cole, Michael (co-PI) [⬀] Ferguson, Virginia (co-PI) [⬀] Bryant, Stephanie (co-PI) [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Goali: Projection Stereolithography of Gradient Viscoelastic Polymer Nanocomposites @ University of Colorado At Boulder
Polymer reinforced composites are materials that combine reinforcement materials such as carbon or glass fiber, or glass particles with a polymeric base material to produce a material with enhanced mechanical properties. Utilization of these materials has revolutionized industries involved in aerospace, automotive, and sporting goods manufacture. Increasingly, industry is turning to additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, to realize customized components with complex geometries. However, stereolithography, an additive manufacturing process that uses light to locally cure (harden) a liquid polymer resin in layers to build up a solid part, cannot successfully produce polymeric reinforced composites. Nor can the process easily incorporate material property gradients within a single build. This Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) project seeks to overcome these limitations by understanding the material processing interactions occurring during a modified stereolithography printing process capable of combining polymers and nanoparticles to produce printed polymer composite materials. Success will advance the performance and range of polymeric materials that can be printed via stereolithography, and in doing so will realize the 3D printing of high performance, customizable, functionally graded components. This has the potential to advance the competitiveness of core US industries involved in the manufacture of aerospace, automotive, and medical components. As Align Technology, a manufacturer utilizing stereolithography in their custom-made orthodontics fabrication process, is a collaborator on this project the students involved in the project will not only be exposed to advanced material science and manufacturing technologies but will also gain an understanding of industrial challenges and drivers. Extended online courses will be made available to students and practicing engineers, providing flexible learning opportunities to keep informed of new developments in materials science and manufacturing.
The primary goal of this project is to elucidate the structure/property relationships of gradient composite polymers printed by gray scale stereolithography of a matrix polymer followed by swelling with a reactive filler containing nanoparticles. A secondary goal is to reduce, control or eliminate the large internal stresses caused by polymerization shrinkage and solvent swelling of stereolithographic parts. The latter will be achieved by employing covalent adaptable matrices, e.g. addition-fragmentation chain transfer backbones that rearrange to relax stress in the presence of radicals. To achieve these goals the following tasks will be conducted; 1) precise, macroscopic characterization of matrix monomer-to-polymer conversion as a function of processing conditions and how this partial conversion controls swelling of the filler, 2) validation of the macroscopic predictions on the micron scale via gray-scale stereolithography of the matrix followed by swelling and polymerization of the filler, 3) validation of the predicted viscoelastic behavior of inhomogeneous printed nanocomposites, and 4) demonstration that reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer chemistry can be leveraged to provide local stress control in bulk composites. If successful the knowledge gained will be used to print and verify the predicted properties of a printed trinary nanocomposite with photo-induced plasticity.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
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0.915 |
2021 — 2025 |
Mcleod, Robert Bryant, Stephanie [⬀] Vernerey, Franck (co-PI) [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Collaborative Research: Recode: Organoid Model of Growth Plate Development @ University of Colorado At Boulder
The growth plate is a cartilage tissue located at the end of children’s long bones that is responsible for bone growth. It begins as a cluster of stem cells that become specialized and organize themselves into columns to form a functioning growth plate. This process is driven by both chemical cues and mechanical forces, although it is unclear how they work together to form the structure and function of the growth plate. This Reproducible Cells and Organoids via Directed-Differentiation Encoding (RECODE) project will develop a reproducible growth plate organoid that will allow one to study how stem cells form a mature growth plate, which can lead to novel approaches for bone and cartilage regeneration particularly in children. This project will train a diverse group of graduate, undergraduate, and high school students in mathematical modeling, biomaterial development, and stem cell and developmental biology and will provide opportunities to the broader community through outreach activities and events open to the public.
The overarching goal for this RECODE project is to gain fundamental insight into the link between biophysical cues, cellular differentiation, and cellular organization that leads to the development of a functioning growth plate. This project combines experimental and computational approaches to gain insight into the local cues that govern directional cell division (Task 1), chondrogenic differentiation followed by columnar organization (Task 2), and hypertrophic differentiation, the characteristic phenotype of the growth plate (Task 3). This project will uncover how biophysical cues combined with spatially localized biochemical cues dovetail to drive the self-assembly of stem cells into a growth plate organ with the appropriate structure and function. By utilizing novel tools in biology, advanced biomaterials in 3D printing, and physics-based mathematical modeling, this project will create the first growth plate organoid to date. This organoid will provide a model system for deeper study of stem cell and chondrocyte differentiation, in normal and abnormal bone growth. Understanding the mechanisms that direct the differentiation of MSCs into a mature growth plate organoid will help guide the design of novel biomaterials for regenerative medicine approaches to treat growth plate injury, an area that currently lacks a viable and clinically accepted treatment.
This RECODE award is co-funded by the Physiological and Structural Systems Cluster in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems, the Mechanics and Engineering Materials Cluster in the Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation, and the Engineering Biology and Health Cluster in the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
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0.915 |