Multilayered Anisotropic Microparticles Fabrication of Novel Functional Materials Eric Baer, Case Western Reserve University, DMR Researchers in CLiPS at CWRU have discovered a novel method of fabricating Multilayered Anisotropic Particles by combining forced assembly layer-multiplying coextrusion with reactive ion etching. Expanding single- component microparticles into anisotropic particles with discrete domains of different functionalities widens the application of colloidal particles in biomedical, self- assembly, and electronic applications. Reactive ion etching (RIE) is an enabling technology that utilizes chemically reactive plasma generated under low pressure by an electromagnetic field to attack and react with the material. Early work was done on etching parameter optimization to achieve high-throughput anisotropic multilayered polymer particles with a vertical sidewall profile (Figure 1). A more recent technique utilizes shadow masking which enables flexibility in designing the final shape of the fabricated microparticles. As a proof of concept, multilayered particles with different shapes and aspect ratios were fabricated. (Figure 2). CLiPS researchers have demonstrated that combining forced assembly layer-multiplying coextrusion with reactive ion etching enables the fabrication of multilayered anisotropic microparticles. Figure 1. (a) SEM Images of the array, (b) sidewall profile, (c) released of 50 μm x 50 μm x 20 μm multilayered particles. (d) FT- IR Image (absorbance) of the array of particles focused at 1725 cm-1. Figure 2. SEM image of various shapes of multilayered particles which can be produced by this technique

Undergraduate Programs – Diversity & Education Eric Baer, Case Western Reserve University, DMR CLiPS REU Class at CWRU CLiPS’s undergraduate programs represent a three-pronged approach to addressing the issues of providing a comprehensive educational foundation for an engineering career, attracting the most talented and capable students to our graduate programs, and fulfilling our goal to improve diversity in our programs As part of the CLiPS Layered Research Teams, undergraduate students take part in a graduate student’s research project and are mentored by that student. Over the past eight years, the number of undergraduate students who work within the Center has risen from just a handful to over seventy students. Through participation in the summer REU program, undergraduate students from across the country (and with diverse ethnic backgrounds) have a chance to work in CLiPS labs under the direction of a graduate student. This successful and long-running program gives students a chance to try-out CWRU when looking at graduate schools. When CLiPS was initiated there were no minority graduate students in the Department of Macromolecular Science & Engineering at CWRU. In the fall of 2014, 12% of graduate students in the department will be from under-represented groups. The Affiliates Program is part of the reason for this success. Affiliate schools in CLiPS are institutions with excellent teaching which do not offer doctoral degrees in CLiPS fields. They participate in CLiPS research activities and are a good source for REU and graduate students. The addition of three HBCUs in 2010 has added richness to CLiPS’s diversity efforts.