Research
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Areas of Research
Hybrid Material Systems

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Composites

Current strategies in the design of materials often rely on the coupling of one or more material types, such as ceramics and polymers, to obtain composite material behavior that exceeds the sum of the properties of the constituents. Northwestern research ranges from composites design and processing at the nanoscale, as in precipitation-strengthened alloys or nanotube-reinforced polymers, to the micron level in electro-composites and barrier coatings.

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Architected Materials

In architected materials the properties come primarily from geometry rather than composition alone: lattices, cellular solids, and periodic structures whose arrangement produces stiffness, strength, or compliance unavailable in the bulk material. Northwestern work spans the design, fabrication, and mechanical characterization of these structures, from metallic lattices to soft robotic elements.

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Biological and Bioinspired Materials

Living organisms build materials such as bone, enamel, nacre, and silk with combinations of properties that are difficult to reproduce synthetically. Northwestern faculty study how these materials form and function, and use the principles they reveal to design synthetic materials that borrow nature's strategies without being biological themselves.

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Living and Bio-Hybrid Materials

Living and bio-hybrid materials couple cells, tissue, or microorganisms with synthetic matter to produce systems that neither could achieve alone. Northwestern research includes bioelectronic interfaces between devices and tissue, engineered living materials that sense or repair themselves, and scaffolds that direct the behavior of the cells they host.

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Biomedical Materials

Biomedical materials must function in contact with the body, meeting mechanical and chemical requirements while remaining compatible with living tissue. Northwestern faculty work on implants and regenerative scaffolds, targeted drug and nucleic acid delivery, and the nanoscale carriers that make such therapies possible.

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