Materials science

As tough as they come

05/17/23 — Researchers measured the highest toughness of any material ever while studying an alloy made of chromium, cobalt and nickel.

Image of an array of light-emitting devices with 49 different, individually addressable colors.

Berkeley engineers develop multicolored light-emitting array on a single chip

05/10/23 — With limitless colors, device may lead to advances in spectroscopy

Illustration depicting a three-sectioned recycling sign surrounding a scene of two recycling bins with recyclables at varying states of decay.

A Day in the Half-Life podcast: Reimagining plastics

04/18/23 Berkeley Lab — Berkeley Lab: UC Berkeley materials science and engineering professor Ting Xu discusses developing smarter materials that avoid the pitfalls of 20th century plastics

Image of heteropolymers designed to mimic the properties of natural proteins.

Berkeley engineers develop synthetic polymers that mimic the body’s natural proteins

03/20/23 — Alternative polymers work as well as real proteins and are easier to synthesize, a possible game-changer for biomedical applications

Scanning transmission electron microscope images reveal the elemental distribution in a “disordered” solid electrolyte: Top row: titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), and tin (Sn); bottom row: hafnium (Hf), phosphorus (P), and oxygen (O). Scale bar: 50 nanometers.

On the road to better solid-state batteries

03/01/23 — Berkeley Lab: Berkeley engineers help design a new blueprint for solid-state batteries that may lead to greater efficiency and affordability

Artist’s rendering of a copper nanoparticle as it evolves during CO2 electrolysis: Copper nanoparticles (left) combine into larger metallic copper “nanograins” (right) within seconds of the electrochemical reaction, reducing CO2 into new multicarbon products.

Scientists reveal how copper catalyst converts CO₂ into liquid fuels

02/16/23 — Berkeley Lab: Berkeley engineers capture real-time movies of copper nanoparticles as they convert carbon dioxide and water into renewable fuels and chemicals, gaining valuable insights

Image of optical nanoscopy, which uses laser beams to strike free electrons, scattering light and providing insights into electron distribution and dynamics within semiconductor materials. (Image courtesy of Laser Thermal Lab/UC Berkeley)

Researchers develop innovative tool for measuring electron dynamics in semiconductors

02/02/23 — Insights may lead to more energy-efficient chips and electronic devices

Kristin Persson among 11 Berkeley faculty elected to AAAS

01/31/23 — Professor of materials science and engineering and director of Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry elected a lifetime fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her work on the Materials Project

ME Ph.D. student takes the road less traveled to UC Berkeley

01/10/23 — Alexander Alvara pushes past life's obstacles and sets his sights on new frontiers in engineering

Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees Jiachen Li and Alison Borklund

Two from Berkeley Engineering named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list

12/09/22 — Magazine cites Ph.D. candidate Jiachen Li for work on an all-season, smart-roof coating, and MEng alumna Alison Burklund of Nanopath for diagnostics that speed treatment of pelvic and gynecologic infections

UC Berkeley physics and engineering professor Ramamoorthy Ramesh has been elected to the National Academy of Inventors.

Ramamoorthy Ramesh elected to the National Academy of Inventors

12/08/22 — Berkeley engineer and physicist receives the highest professional distinction awarded to academic inventors for his pioneering work in materials science

$Microscopy-generated images of a fracture in CrCoNi alloy$

Say hello to the toughest material on earth

12/08/22 — Berkeley Lab: A new study co-led by Berkeley Engineering materials scientist Robert Ritchie reveals the profound properties of a simple metal alloy

Photo illustration of the process for converting carbon dioxide into solar fuels

To battle climate change, scientists tap into carbon-hungry microorganisms for clues

11/30/22 — Berkeley Lab: Scientists led by Peidong Yang have developed a nature-inspired technique for converting carbon dioxide into solar fuels

Ph.D. student researcher Junpyo (Patrick) Kwon demonstrates a biodegradable printed circuit

Waste not

11/07/22 — Researchers have developed a fully recyclable and biodegradable printed circuit.

Ting Xu holding two vials. On the right is the Falling Walls Foundation line, "I am a Falling Walls Breakthrough."

Berkeley’s Ting Xu wins Science Breakthrough of the Year award from Falling Walls Foundation

09/16/22 — Xu's work on plastic degradation wins recognition in the Engineering and Technology category

Researcher holding up a 3D-printed circuit

Print, recycle, repeat: Scientists demo a biodegradable printed circuit

08/30/22 — Berkeley Lab: New breakthrough by Berkeley researchers could divert wearable devices and other flexible electronics from landfill

Ramesh named Rice University’s vice president for research

08/01/22 — UC Berkeley materials scientist and physicist will assume post Aug. 15

Frame from video showing that nanoparticle growth is directed not by difference in size, but by defects.

How do nanoparticles grow?

07/27/22 — Berkeley Lab: Atomic-scale movie upends 100-year-old theory, as materials scientists observe nanoparticles ripening in solution at record-breaking resolution

Kaichen Dong named one of 35 Innovators Under 35

06/30/22 — Kaichen Dong, a Berkeley postdoc in materials science and engineering, has been named among MIT Technology Review’s 2022 35 Innovators Under 35 contest

Electron microscope images show the precise atom-by-atom structure of a barium titanate (BaTiO3) thin film sandwiched between layers of strontium ruthenate (SrRuO3) metal to make a tiny capacitor.

Ultrathin capacitor could enable energy-efficient microchips

06/24/22 — Berkeley Lab: Scientists led by materials science professor Lane Martin turn century-old material into a thin film for next-gen memory and logic devices