Angel Garcia, senior constellation chaired professor in biocomputation and bioinformatics and professor of physics at Rensselaer, will receive the 2006 Edward A. Bouchet Award presented by the American Physical Society. Photo by Rensselaer/Kris Qua

From energy-efficient lighting to flexible “nano skins” for a variety of applications, more than 50 Rensselaer researchers are presenting this week at the American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting in Baltimore, Md. In addition, Angel Garcia, senior constellation chaired professor in biocomputation and bioinformatics and professor of physics, will receive the 2006 Edward A. Bouchet Award by the APS for “his contributions to the understanding of the role of water in the dynamics and folding of proteins through computer simulations.” The award promotes the participation of underrepresented minorities in physics by identifying and recognizing a distinguished minority physicist who has made significant contributions to physics research.

E. Fred Schubert, the Wellfleet Senior Constellation Professor of the Future Chips Constellation at Rensselaer, participated in an energy press conference at the March 13 opening of the conference. He discussed challenges he believes must be overcome for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to enable the tremendous energy savings that have been predicted. LEDs have the potential to draw far less electricity and last much longer than conventional fluorescent and incandescent bulbs, but current LEDs are not bright enough to replace most everyday uses of the standard light bulb. Schubert’s group has created a new type of omni-directional reflector (ODR) that has dramatically improved the luminance of LEDs.

A team of researchers led by Pulickel Ajayan, the Henry Burlage Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Rensselaer, are presenting on a new process that they have developed to make flexible, conducting “nano skins” for a variety of potential applications, from electronic paper to sensors for detecting chemical and biological agents. The materials, which combine the strength and conductivity of carbon nanotubes with the flexibility of traditional polymers, can be bent, flexed, and rolled up like a scroll, all while maintaining their ability to conduct electricity, which makes them ideal materials for flexible electronics.

A versatile technology that has been used to spot cracks in space shuttle foam, while also offering the potential to see biological agents through a sealed envelope and detect tumors without harmful radiation, will be the focus of a talk by Xi-Cheng Zhang, the J. Erik Jonsson ’22 Distinguished Professor and director of the Center for Terahertz Research at Rensselaer. Objects at room temperature emit thermal energy in the terahertz (THz) range. This radiation is extremely useful for sensing and imaging objects, with major advantages over other techniques, according to Zhang.

Diamonds have always been alluring, but now a team of scientists has made them truly magnetic, and they are also presenting their findings at the conference. Led by Saikat Talapatra, a postdoctoral research associate with the Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center, the researchers report a technique to make magnetic diamond particles only 4-5 nanometers across. Carbon is lightweight, very stable, simple to process, and less expensive to produce, which could give magnets made from carbon a number of advantages over their metal counterparts, according to Talapatra.

Published March 13, 2006