The Center supports collaborative, interdisciplinary research efforts in the area of nanoscale materials. The research themes of the Center are focused broadly on nanomaterial synthesis and fabrication, complex oxide thin films, nano- and micro-motors, low-dimensional electronic nanostructures, and integrated optical metamaterials. These research themes are integrated with major efforts in educational and industrial outreach. The activities of the Center involve over forty students and postdoctoral fellows, an approximately equal number of faculty from seven academic departments at Penn State University, and a number of external academic and industrial partners.

The Center for Nanoscale Science was established in September 2002. Currently the Center is composed of two Interdisciplinary Research Groups:

  • IRG1 - 2D Polar Metal Heterostructures
  • IRG2 - Crystalline Oxides with High Entropy

Common themes of complex materials synthesis and length scale dependent physical phenomena permeate all two of the IRGs. The MRSEC links current materials research and the faculty and students who perform the research to a range of educational outreach activities at the K-12, college, and postgraduate levels. MRSEC science and engineering is also well integrated with industry through research collaborations, personnel exchanges, workshops, and technology transfer.

IRG1 - 2D Polar Metals and Heterostructures
IRG1 - 2D Polar Metals and Heterostructures

IRG1 2D Polar Metals and Heterostructures pursues the promise of a new materials platform that stabilizes a diverse array of two-dimensional polar metals and enables their integration into ground-breaking optically and electronically active heterostructures. 

IRG 2 - Crystalline Oxides with High Entropy
IRG 2 - Crystalline Oxides with High Entropy

IRG2 explores a new class of crystalline oxides enabled by configurational entropy which offers exciting functional properties and pathways to new basic science.