Intellectual Merit: Currently neurological and neuromuscular disorders such as spinal cord injuries and Parkinson’s disease are poorly understood.  A impediment to advances in this area is a lack of materials and devices that would allow for precise long-term two-way communication with groups of neurons (nerve cells) in the body.

MIT MRSEC researchers have developed stimuli-responsive hydrogel materials that can change their mechanical properties upon exposure to light. Insights generated from these studies will aid in the development of programmable hydrogels with specific stress-relaxing or energy-dissipating properties.

The Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program at the MIT MRSEC immerses local science teachers in materials research on campus to increase their content knowledge, and develop pedagogical material for their classroom use.

Biological membranes are deformed and shaped by proteins that assemble into higher-order scaffolds. These scaffolds target the force-generating polymerization of actin filaments to deform and shape the membrane.

Navier-Stokes equations dictate that the conventional fluid flows only in response to an externally imposed gradient in stress or a body force. We developed a novel active fluid that is comprised of microtubules and energy consuming molecular motors kinesin.

Researchers at North Carolina State University and Elon University have developed soft robots based on magnetic field-directed self-assembly of magnetic particles into chains embedded in elastomer films.

Most recent work on hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites is focused on solar cell applications. Hybrid perovskites, however, provide a flexible platform for materials design, with prospects for many different applications.

Topological crystalline insulators feature conducting surface states for electrons whose existence is protected by crystal symmetry.  Scanning probe microscopy experiments on SnTe reveal that such metallic topological states can coexist next to semiconducting regions.

CRISP continued its interactions with industrial companies that aim to commercialize broadly new and simpler approach for force microscopy measurements.  Separately, CRISP continued to train graduate students in research, writing, and presentation skills by providing the opportunity to attend a number of international conferences.