MRSEC: Materials Research Science and Engineering Center

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The University of Pennsylvania Materials Research Science & Engineering Center (MRSEC) will build on past success and embrace new faculty to pursue a program to integrate the design, synthesis, characterization, theory & modeling of materials. These materials range from hybrid macro-molecules and de novo proteins, with architectures & functions inspired by nature, to nano- and micro-structured hard & soft materials with unique properties. Potential practical outcomes are in the areas of drug delivery, energy transduction, electronics, sensors, and cellular probes. The MRSEC research is organized around five Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs), which target new advanced materials with potential for high-technology applications in diverse areas such as energy transduction, electronics, sensors, & cellular probes. Materials interfaces are a recurrent theme, as is the interplay between biological & synthetic constructs and composites of hard & soft materials. The MRSEC sustains an array of education and human resources development programs, whose impact will range from K-12 students and their teachers to undergraduates and faculty at minority serving institutions. It is associated with the University of Puerto Rico at Humacao through a Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (PREM). The MRSEC manages extensive shared facilities that benefit the broader research community. The MRSEC is linked with Penn's Center for Technology Transfer to license its discoveries and inventions for translational research thereby ensuring the coupling of MRSEC research to the needs of society. The MRSEC contains the following IRGs: Filamentous Networks andStructured Gels, IRG-1 explores the properties of filamentous networks with a goal to design & synthesize responsive network materials. Functional Cylindrical Assemblies, IRG-2 will synthesize semi-flexible, functional cylinders, composed of dendrimer-based polymers & self-assembling block copolymers. Synthetic Programmable Membranes, IRG-3 draws expertise from four departments to design fully integrated functional analogues of cellular membranes. De Novo Synthetic Protein Modules for Light-Capture & Catalysis, IRG-4 draws on the rich biological resource of atomic-level structures and functional mechanisms to guide design & synthesis of novel proteins as modular nano-scale materials. Oxide-based Hierarchical Interfacial Materials, IRG-5 will harness expertise in theory, synthesis, & experiment, from four departments to create and understand novel hierarchical interfacial oxide materials. Participants in the Center currently include 38 senior investigators, 12 postdoctoral associates, and 22 graduate students from seven departments. Professor Michael L. Klein directs the MRSEC.