Nontechnical Abstract: The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) builds on UCI’s strengths in multidisciplinary science and engineering research to establish a major research hub for materials discovery and innovation in the Southern California academe-industry eco-system. The primary mission of this MRSEC is to establish foundational knowledge in materials science by developing new classes of materials that offer unique and broad functionalities. The MRSEC comprises two Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs), each working in close collaboration to address Grand Challenges in national defense and human health. The first IRG aims to create materials which exhibit unprecedented physical properties, such as the ability to withstand extreme environments having applications in national defense. The second IRG team is addressing dynamic, responsive soft materials that are in essence living electronic materials serving as an interface with living systems for healthcare applications. Through seed projects, the UCI MRSEC engages new participants in exciting new research directions. It attracts a diverse group of scientists, including women, underrepresented minority groups, and persons with disabilities, from across the nation and trains future leaders at all academic and professional levels to address critical societal challenges. This MRSEC’s integrated activities—including novel materials research, partnerships with industry and national laboratories, entrepreneurial innovation, career development, and mentorship—are enabling a transformative long-term impact on fundamental science, advanced applications, and workforce development.
UCI MRSEC combines an experimental, computational, and theoretical framework pursuing atomic- and molecular-level design and control of structure and dynamic response through two Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs). IRG 1 investigates the atomic-level structure, chemistry, thermodynamics, and kinetics of interfaces in an emerging class of Complex Concentrated Materials (CCMs) that exhibit exceptional properties such as high strength, ultra-low thermal conductivity, and extremely large dielectric constants. Understanding their structure-property relationships guides design and processing of next-generation structural and functional materials. IRG 2 investigates dissipative self-assembly strategies to understand fundamental charge-matter interactions, with the goal to produce supramolecular “living†materials. Development of conductive active materials, where assembly is fueled by chemical, electrical, and other stimuli, provides the intellectual framework for a new class of living electronic materials for bio-interfaces and biological computing. The research team leverages state-of-the-art electron microscopy facilities within the Irvine Materials Research Institute and pursues instrumentation innovations to characterize atomic-scale structure and dynamic properties. Multifaceted education, outreach, and collaborations with industry, national laboratories, and nonprofit organizations allow this MRSEC to achieve significant, long-term impact with the targeted scientific advances. This impact includes technological innovation, workforce development, and boosting of the regional and national economy. Synergistic activities provide holistic training of diverse junior scientists at all stages, from K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students to postdoctoral scholars and untenured faculty, further fostering inclusive excellence in STEM.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
