The research objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program award is to investigate the use of fundamental structural symmetries for multiscale calculations of structural defects in systems of importance to nanotechnology and life sciences. The focus nanostructures are carbon nanotubes and graphene, and the focus biological structures are DNA molecules and lipid membranes. Structural defects can have huge impacts: for example, carbon nanotube networks with junctions can behave as soft and ultra-low-weight electromechanical materials; voids in graphene can cause failure, or even enable new properties such as piezoelectricity in non-piezoelectric perfect graphene; mechanical kinks in DNA can affect electron transport and consequently biological function; and the exit and entry of biomolecules to the cell is essentially through the formation of defects in lipid membranes. The research strategy will use a unifying description of the underlying structural symmetries in these various systems to enable multiscale calculations of defect properties, in particular the role of defects in deformation and electron transport.
The outcomes of the project will include new methods for complex bio- and nano-structures, and the scientific insights of the focus studies can provide strategies for designing and optimizing new materials with complex structure. This project plans a number of educational activities that are closely integrated with the research. This includes a new National Engineer Week exhibit based on symmetry and collective behavior; involving undergraduates in the proposed research; training a PhD student; the development of interdisciplinary graduate courses on "Multiscale Modeling"; and the organization of conference sessions on topics related to the project.
