Micro- and Nanosystems
Chemical engineers at Â鶹´«Ã½ engineer matter from the atomic level up to integrated chips, creating micro- and nanosystems that endow materials with unprecedented optical, mechanical, and chemical functionality. Macromolecular and nanoparticle self-assembly produces nanostructured polymers, shape-memory networks, and vapor-deposited films that respond to light or strain. Nanoscale contact patterning and monomolecular interfaces impart electronic precision to colloids and thin films.
These building blocks are integrated into devices operating where a human hair is a skyscraper. Researchers fabricate ultrathin solid-state polymer electrolytes for next-generation batteries and embed microencapsulated therapeutics or biosensing interfaces onto medical implants and photonic chips. Thin-film membranes, porous coatings, and micro-machined channels combine to form lab-on-a-chip diagnostics, soft actuators, and photonic components for quantum and imaging technologies. Students leverage state-of-the-art nano-fabrication and characterization facilities to iterate rapidly from concept to prototype, delivering solutions for clean energy, biomedicine, and advanced manufacturing.
