Areas of Research
We promote discovery, inquiry and creative opportunities through mentored research experiences for graduate and undergraduate students.
As computational power has increased, modeling of materials behavior has replaced the time-consuming process of trial and error. Our researchers have discovered formerly unknown properties of materials as well as invented new ones.
Faculty in this area
Materials with novel and controlled electronic, optical, and magnetic properties have widespread applications, including computers, lighting, sensors, medicine, and sustainability. Research in electronic, optical, and magnetic materials includes processing techniques for obtaining materials with controlled compositions and structures, characterization, and applications of these materials.
Faculty in this area
The need for sustainable, secure, and efficient energy is one of the great engineering challenges of our time. Materials are the limiting components of nearly all advanced energy technologies. Research in this area focuses on the understanding of the structure, property, and processing of materials for such applications as solar cells and lithium-ion batteries.
Faculty in this area
The development of new materials requires characterization of their structure across a range of length scales ranging from maco to the atomic. At each scale, one must explore the relevant length scale structures and chemical fluctuations to understand structure-property relationships. Research in this area focuses on developing new techniques to make the most of every scattering electron or X-ray, explaining the properties of new materials, and understanding how new properties can emerge from old materials through modifying their micro- and nano- structure features.
Faculty in this area
Research in this area addresses the relationship between the structure and function of soft and biomaterials. Scope includes Antibacterial and antimicrobial materials; Bioaerosols; Biocatalysis; (bio)Polymers; Biofouling and antifouling; Biomimetic materials; Biomolecular sensing; Drug delivery and targeting; Nanoparticles; Photodynamic therapy; Self-healing materials; and Sustainable biomaterials.
Faculty in this area
The demands placed on structural material performance are constantly increasing across application areas including transportation, power generation, and defense. This area of research is focused on the structure-processing-property relationships in materials for load-bearing applications. These materials must retain their mechanical properties in extreme environments even as the allowed weight, costs, and energy inputs decrease