Materials Science

Materials science and engineering is grounded in an understanding of why materials behave the way they do. Researchers study ways to make materials - how they can be made light yet very strong, such as high-strength aluminum alloys for jet aircraft, for instance. Mechanical strength, electrical, optical, and magnetic properties, to name a few, are the bases of many new potential products. Research is conducted on ceramics, polymers, and semiconductors, as well as old standbys, metals and glasses. Areas that benefit from advances in materials research are biomedical engineering, computing, the auto and aircraft industries, and biotechnology.

Modern research in chemistry, physics, materials science, and biology is increasingly focused on nanoscale systems and nanotechnology. Basically, this is the study of systems, materials and phenomena where the important length scale is conveniently measured in nanometers (nm). Much of modern chemistry is performed on the nanoscale and nearly all of molecular biology and biochemistry, as well as a lot of materials science.

Faculty Experts:

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Gayle J. Fritz Associate Professor of Archeaology in Arts and Sciences Expertise: human-plant interrelationship, plant remains, subsistence continuity, agricultural systems, paleoenthnobotany, develpment of agricultural systems, plant domestication, … Direct contact: (314) 935-8588 / gjfritz@wustl.edu

Pratim Biswas Stifel and Quinette Jens Professor Biswas Biswas received his Ph.D. from California Institute of Technology, has published extensively in his field and served on many international organizations and conferences. His research interests include aerosol science and engineering, nanoparticle technology, air quality engineering, combustion, materials ... Expertise: aerosol science, nanoparticle technology, air quality engineering, combustion, material processing for environmental technologies, environmentally benign processing, environmental nanotechnology, … Direct contact: (314) 935-5482 / pratim.biswas@seas.wustl.edu

Joseph O'Sullivan Professor Of Electrical & Systems Engineering Joseph O'Sullivan Download O'Sullivan received his doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. He has published dozens of peer reviewed articles and is active in many international conferences and professional organizations. He conducts research in a wide range of science and technology for security applications, including ... Expertise: electrical engineering, encryption, sensors, automatic target recognition, cybersecurity Direct contact: (314) 935-4173 / jao@wustl.edu

William Buhro Professor of Chemistry in Arts & Sciences William Buhro Download William H. Buhro, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and associate director of the Center for Materials Innovation, specializes in nanotechnology. He and his group are engaged in synthesis on the nanometer-scale. They design reactions and mechanisms for the growth of inorganic crystals having dimensions ... Expertise: nanomaterials, materials, inorganic chemistry, nanotubes, nanowires Direct contact: (314) 935-4269 / buhro@wustl.edu

Stuart A. Solin Hohenberg Professor of Experimental Physics in Arts & Sciences A leading figure in condensed matter physics and materials science, Solin's research focus is in fundamental physical phenomena in ordered solids, such as diamonds, and disordered solids, such as window glass. His contributions to the advancement of physics include the development of a number of experimental ... Expertise: fundamental physical phenomena, x-ray physics, high-pressure physics, mesoscopic physics, nanoscopic physics, femtosecond, phase tranformations, … Direct contact: (314) 935-5605 / solin@wuphys.wustl.edu

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News Stories & Tip Sheets:

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In the mix Research aims to produce energy on the farm April 15, 2008 -- David Kilper/WUSTL Photo Muthanna Al-Dahhan (left) and graduate student Rajneesh Varma are researching effective ways to take agricultural waste and make biofuel out of it. Engineers at Washington University in St. Louis, using an impressive array of imaging and tracking technologies, have determined the importance of mixing in anaerobic digesters for bioenergy production and animal and farm wastes treatment. They are studying ways to take "the smell of money," as farmers long have termed manure's odor, and produce biogas from it.

Missouri earthquake awareness month Seminar to address ways to lessen earthquake damage Feb. 6, 2008 -- The Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Structural Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis is presenting a series of seminars and workshops on the topic of reducing the damage that would occur when a strong earthquake strikes the New Madrid fault area again.

Whitesides ponders the origin of life Harvard professor George Whitesides ponders new ideas in chemistry and the origin of life Jan. 24, 2008 -- Innovative researcher George Whitesides will speak on revolutionary ideas in chemistry that may lead to a new understanding of the origin of life for the Ferguson Science Lecture at 11 a.m. on Wed., Feb. 6 in Graham Chapel as part of the Assembly Series.

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More News:

Chemists make first boron nanowhiskers; 'Little shavers' could prove key in nanoelectronics
June 2002 - They're cute little shavers, and they could play a key role in the "small" revolution about us. Chemistry graduate student Heng Yu and William E. Buhro, Ph.D., professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, examine nanowire specimens in an inert-atmosphere glove box, which stores moisture- and oxygen-sensitive chemicals. The glove box allows manipulation of sensitive reagents and nanostructured materials in a continuously scrubbed nitrogen atmosphere.They're boron nanowhiskers, the world's first such crystalline nanowires, made by chemists at Washington University in St. Louis.

A leader in a small revolution
Advances in nanotechnology by William E. Buhro, Ph.D., impact realms from sports to electronics
Nov. 9, 2001 - William E. Buhro, Ph.D., professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, sweats the small stuff. In his world, it's all small stuff. That's because Buhro and his group are immersed in the Lilliputian world of nanoparticles and nanowires, which are invisible to the naked eye and hold promise in making stronger and tougher materials for a wide range of products and applications, and for enabling advances in nanoelectronics.