Materials Science and Engineering

Materials science is essential to modern life, shaping advancements in energy, health care, computing, microelectronics, quantum information science, infrastructure and manufacturing. Researchers in materials science are working to discover and design new materials, and improve the performance and resilience of materials used for devices we rely on today, from smartphones to MRI scanners—as well as ensure a prosperous future with advancements in energy storage, infrastructure, quantum materials, and beyond.

At Argonne National Laboratory, our materials science experts work with experts in chemistry, physics, computing, and engineering. They study how atoms and molecules organize themselves—and how to harness the remarkable and useful properties that arise to design and build materials with properties such as enhanced conductivity, reactivity, durability, and strength. These efforts also include developing materials for quantum devices and systems, which enable advancements in fundamental science and quantum technologies.

Argonne research in materials discovery, synthesis, characterization, and theory strives for greater understanding and appreciation of the small-scale phenomena that determine the large-scale characteristics of materials. By leveraging advanced techniques in computational and experimental design, synthesis and assembly,  imaging, and high-performance computing, scientists at Argonne probe material properties at the nanoscale and develop real-world solutions that impact everything from reliable energy and water purification to biomedical devices and next-generation microelectronics.

In addition to materials discovery, materials research at Argonne bridges the gap between invention and application by applying fundamental science to scaling-up, and optimizing manufacturing processes for commercial production.  Key areas of focus for Argonne in materials science include materials to improve batteries, fuel cells, and grid storage solutions for growing energy demands; strong, lightweight, and flexible materials for durability in transportation, aerospace, and infrastructure; chemical catalysts that drive more effective and efficient manufacturing and energy production processes; smart coatings and functional surfaces that enhance efficiency in extreme environments; energy-efficient microelectronics for AI applications, and quantum communications. Argonne’s user facilities, including the Center for Nanoscale Materials, the Advanced Photon Source, the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility, as well as its Materials Engineering Research Facility for science at scale research, make major contributions to these efforts.

Through collaborations with industry, academia, and government, Argonne’s materials scientists are not just discovering new materials—they are helping U.S. manufacturers scale up and deploy inventions for real-world impact in energy, infrastructure, and next-generation technologies to increase competitiveness and security.