We discover, design, and characterize
the advanced materials humanity needs.
At UC San Diego, we leverage our cross-disciplinary expertise to discover, design, and characterize advanced materials needed to address global societal challenges. Our materials work is relevant for developing zero- and low-carbon energy and transportation systems; cost-effective healthcare advances; solutions for natural-resource sustainability; and next-generation information technologies.
This work is grounded in our ability to control materials at the level of atoms and electrons.
Equally important, we are world-leaders in characterizing the structure and function of materials at the nanoscale level using a suite of cutting-edge analytical and theoretical tools, many of which we have developed here at UC San Diego.
Learn more on the "About" page.
Download the IMDD brochure.
About
At the UC San Diego Institute for Materials Discovery and Design (IMDD)
we discover, design, and characterize the advanced materials humanity needs.
Learn more about IMDD here.
In July 2020, we celebrated our first big IMDD win: we landed an $18 million NSR MRSEC grant.
Recent News
Nanosized Blocks Spontaneously Assemble in Water To Create Tiny Floating Checkerboards
June 13, 2024
Researchers have engineered nanosized cubes that spontaneously form a two-dimensional checkerboard pattern when dropped on the surface of water. The work, published in Nature Communications, presents a simple approach to create complex nanostructures through a technique called self-assembly. Full Story
Plant Virus Treatment Shows Promise in Fighting Metastatic Cancers in Mice
May 13, 2024
An experimental treatment made from a plant virus is effective at protecting against a broad range of metastatic cancers in mice, shows a new study from the University of California San Diego. The treatment, composed of nanoparticles fashioned from the cowpea mosaic virus—a virus that infects black-eyed pea plants—showed remarkable success in improving survival rates and suppressing the growth of metastatic tumors across various cancer models, including colon, ovarian, melanoma and breast cancer. Full Story
Biodegradable 'Living Plastic' Houses Bacterial Spores That Help It Break Down
April 30, 2024
A new type of bioplastic could help reduce the plastic industry’s environmental footprint. Researchers have developed a biodegradable form of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) filled with bacterial spores that, when exposed to nutrients present in compost, germinate and break down the material at the end of its life cycle. Full Story
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