All matter is potentially ‘a material’. Whether we decide to call something a “material” depends on whether its chemical or physical properties (optical, electrical, magnetic, …) give the substance some unique function. Often the properties may depend on how a particular substance is integrated into a larger chemical or physical system.
“Materials Chemistry” can be defined as the branch of chemistry aimed at the preparation, characterization, and understanding of substances/systems that have some specific useful function (or potentially useful function). It involves 4 primary components: preparation/synthesis (“How are materials made?”), structure (“How are they put together”), characterization (“How do they behave?”) and applications (“What are they good for?”). It integrates elements from all four classical areas of chemistry, but puts an intellectual focus on the fundamental scientific issues that are unique to “materials”. Materials Chemistry largely involves the study of chemistry of condensed phases (solids, liquids, polymers) and interfaces between different phases. Because many of these materials have direct technological applications, materials chemistry has a strong link between basic science and many existing and newly-emerging technologies. While chemistry-focused, the Materials Chemistry Program also serves as a bridge between chemistry and the engineering and life sciences.
The Materials Chemistry Ph.D. Program
Our department has instituted a formal Ph.D. Degree in Materials Chemistry. The Materials Chemistry Ph.D. degree program is aimed at students whose interests span the traditional divisions of chemistry, and who are interested in chemistry of materials. Students with bachelor’s degrees in related fields such as physics, chemical engineering, and materials science and who are interested in moving into chemistry will also find the materials chemistry program quite attractive.
Students in the materials chemistry program are free to do their research with any faculty member in the department as their Ph.D. adviser. It is also possible to arrange for a Ph.D. adviser in another department such as the Dept. of Physics or the Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering.
Contact:
Materials Chemistry Path Chair
Prof. Song Jin
Graduate Program Coordinator
N/a
Graduate Program Director
Francisca Jofre
Our Graduate Programs
Materials chemistry projects ongoing in our department
- Development of new surface-based methods for detecting and manipulating biological molecules (bio-chips, bio-electronics)
- Surface/interface chemistry of microelectronic materials (silicon, diamond, gold)
- DNA computing (using DNA molecules as molecular computers or memory devices)
- Molecular electronics (using individual molecules or ensembles of molecules as wires, switches, diodes, and transistors)
- Synthesis and characterization of electron-delocalized polysilanes (molecular “wires”)
- Structure and dynamics of polymers (experiment and theory)
- Photonics
- Semiconductor-based chemical sensors
- Synthesis and characterization of organic non-linear optical materials
- Quantum dots (nanometer-sized assemblies of atoms)
Other materials-related opportunities on campus
The Materials Chemistry Program is administered by the Department of Chemistry in the College of Letters and Sciences. It is intended for students who want a Ph.D. degree in chemistry, but with an emphasis in “materials”.
In addition to the Materials Chemistry Program, students and faculty with interests in ” materials” can further benefit by association with the Materials Science Program (MSP) on the UW-Madison campus. The MSP is a completely distinct, cross-campus program administered by the College of Engineering for students who want a “materials”-oriented degree with a stronger engineering focus. Although the MSP is administered by the College of Engineering, students in the MSP can perform their Ph.D. research with any of the 55 faculty in 12 departments who are members of the Materials Science Program Advisory Committee. The MSP also has a regular seminar series that brings many renowned scientists to speak on their research.
Materials Faculty
AJ Boydston
Position title: Professor of Chemistry, Yamamoto Family Professor, Affiliate in MSE and CBE
Email:
aboydston
Julian Cooper
Position title: Assistant Professor
Email:
jccooper5
On July 1, 2024, Julian Cooper will join the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Department of Chemistry as an assistant professor to research and unlock new modes of chemical reactivity in materials. Cooper earned a Bachelor of…
Dawei Feng
Position title: Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Chemistry
Email:
dfeng23
Samuel H. Gellman
Position title: Professor of Chemistry, Vilas Research Professor, Ralph F. Hirschmann Professor of Chemistry
Email:
gellman
Shaoqin Sarah Gong
Position title: Vilas Distinguished Professor, Advancing Vision Science Chair Professor, and RRF Edwin and Dorothy Gamewell Professor in the Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Chemistry, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery
Email:
shaoqingong
Padma Gopalan
Position title: Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Chemistry
Email:
pgopalan
Robert J. Hamers
Position title: Professor of Chemistry, Steenbock Professor of Physical Science
Email:
rjhamers
Ive Hermans
Position title: John and Dorothy Vozza Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Email:
hermans
David Lynn
Position title: Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Chemistry
Email:
dlynn
JR Schmidt
Position title: Professor of Chemistry, Associate Chair for the Undergraduate Program
Email:
schmidt
Marcel Schreier
Position title: Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry
Email:
mschreier2
John C. Wright
Position title: Andreas C. Albrecht Professor of Chemistry
Email:
wright
Arun Yethiraj
Position title: V. W. Meloche-Bascom Professor of Chemistry
Email:
yethiraj
Martin T. Zanni
Position title: V. W. Meloche-Bascom Professor of Chemistry
Email:
zanni
Materials Labs
Boydston Group
The Boydston Group studies functional materials at multiple length scales.
Choi Group
Research in the Choi Group employs electrochemistry as the primary synthetic tool to fabricate various solid-state materials as thin film-type electrodes and catalysts for electrochemical and photoelectrochemical applications critical to creating a sustainable future.
Cooper Group
The Cooper Group combines the tools of chemistry, materials science, and mechanics to develop new ways to make materials and alter their capabilities.
Fredrickson Laboratory
The Fredrickson Lab research aims to elucidate the chemical principles underlying the structures of the solid-state compounds that form upon alloying metals together: intermetallic compounds.
Goldsmith Group
The Goldsmith Group is developing new technology for controlling how light interacts with molecules, often at the level of single molecules.
Hamers Group
Research in the Hamers Group lies at the intersection of chemistry, materials science, and nanotechnology.
Hermans Group
The Hermans Group is a multidisciplinary team, focusing on both fundamental and applied aspects of sustainable chemistry and catalysis.
Jin Group
The Jin Group is interested in the chemistry, physics, and technological applications of nanoscale and solid-state materials.
Martell Group
The Martell Group develops catalysts that merge the benefits of enzymes and synthetic chemistry, with applications spanning sustainable synthesis, chemical biology, and plastic recycling.
Schmidt Group
The Schmidt Group applies computational approaches to study complex materials, often with direct applications to problems of relevance to energy and fuels.
Stahl Group
The Stahl Group's research focuses on the field of catalysis and draws upon and impacts several areas of chemistry.
Wright Group
The Wright Group focuses on using nonlinear spectroscopy as a tool to study a vast array of different molecular and material states--from low-energy vibrational modes of proteins to excitonic and ionized states of quantum dots and everything in between--and their coherent dynamics.
Yethiraj Group
The Yethiraj Group research focuses on theoretical studies of soft condensed matter.
Zanni Group
The Zanni Group studies topics in biophysics and the energy sciences using 2D IR spectroscopy.
Feng Group (Affiliate)
The Feng Group focuses on the development of novel solid electrolytes and cathode materials for high-power and high-energy-density electrochemical energy storage devices.
Gong Group (Affiliate)
The Gong Group focuses on the design, synthesis/fabrication, and characterization of novel materials and devices.
Gopalan Group (Affiliate)
The Gopalan Group focusses on using the tools of organic chemistry to design new polymeric materials.
Lynn Group (Affiliate)
Lynn Group research is focused broadly on the design and synthesis of functional organic materials and the fabrication and physical characterization of polymers, macromolecular assemblies, nanoscale materials, and surfaces/interfaces.
Ping Group (Affiliate)
The Ping Group’s research focuses on developing theoretical and computational methods such as many-body perturbation theory and first-principles open quantum dynamics based on density-matrix formalism, to understand and predict materials’ properties including optoelectronic, excitonic, and …
Schreier Laboratory (Affiliate)
Since most existing chemical processes rely on hydrocarbons as feedstocks and energy carriers, the Schreier Lab employs our understanding of electrochemical interfaces towards developing the science for converting hydrocarbons using electrical energy.