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Materials Research

UCSB's Department of Materials is recognized many times over as one of the best materials programs in the world. Materials at UCSB is a community of world-renowned researchers, Nobel laureate faculty members, and groundbreaking research centers. Materials research has a tremendous impact on several global industries, from polymer materials to high speed electronics. UCSB Engineering strengths in materials science and engineering include:

Electronics & Photonics Materials

Gallium Nitride (GaN) and related materials. GaAs, InP, and GaSb-based semiconductors, quantum confined structures and devices for vertical cavity laser diodes, high speed transistors and electronics. Epitaxial growth by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) and Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD). Novel semi-metal / semiconductor composites. Spintronics. Semiconducting oxides, including ZnO, In2O3, SnO2, and Ga2O3.

Functional & Quantum Materials

Functional oxides, chalcogenides, pnictides, intermetallics, and even hybrid organic-inorganic materials, prepared as a variety of platforms, ranging from bulk amorphous and polycrystalline materials to single crystals and epitaxial thin film. Perovskite oxide heterointerfaces, insulator-to-metal transitions, correlated oxide materials. Single-crystal growth and studies of correlated materials. Functional inorganic and hybrid materials for energy conversion and storage.

Macromolecular & Biomolecular Materials

Synthetic methods for new materials; highly controlled macromolecular architectures; study of self-assembly, electronics properties and interactions with biological species. Energy conversion; organic semiconducting materials for solar cells, light emitting diodes, and thermoelectrics. Biomolecular assemblies; bioinspired active gels; conjugated materials that interface with cell membranes. Interfacial science; intercellular interactions; interface control adhesion; surface forces apparatus (SFA).

Structural Materials

Integrated materials computation; design of materials with controlled properties. Advanced composites, multilayered systems and hybrid materials architectures. Materials for sustainability and advanced manufacturing; materials for clean energy technologies; emerging additive and nano-manufacturing technologies. 3D and 4D materials science; predicting and characterizing structures.

Academic Programs