Materials simulation, visualization, and bio-inspired design accelerates innovative research by the integration of experimentation, theory and
simulation. This requires researchers to work in new ways that rely on advances in
technology and communication. Presently, the focus is on investigating the
properties and transformations of nature-inspired materials and related structures
for applications including sensors and drug delivery, and the design of man-made
materials. Cutting-edge high-performance computing, 3D visualization and
prototyping make the toolset.
Responsive polymers provide a means for developing new low-energy-driven sub-molecular switches as nanodevice building blocks. Current efforts involve the synthesis of oligomers and polymers that offer giant thermal contraction to be used in devices with tailored (including zero) thermal expansion, molecular actuators, machine intelligence, thermal energy conversion, and the ability to control stem cell differentiation.
