Soft Matter

The rational design and characterization of mechanical, biological, electronic and photonic properties of soft materials is critical towards pushing technological advancements.  CBE @ UCI aims to better understand structure-function correlations and use them to design advanced soft materials. Soft matter research in our department involves the development of biologically-inspired materials, novel polymeric systems, rheology of complex fluids, and deformation of micro- and nano-structured materials and composites. We also have ongoing efforts on utilizing materials for biomedical applications (e.g., tissue engineering and drug delivery), sensing, energy systems, and stimuli-responsive devices.