Polymeric Materials & Soft Matter

Polymeric materials research at UChicago PME bridges soft matter chemistry and physics with macro-scale solutions to global challenges. PME researchers are developing functional and active polymers that process like traditional plastics while exhibiting advanced electronic, ionic, responsive, and responsive/adaptive properties, with impact across energy, water, sustainability, and human health. These efforts span circular-by-design plastics, the repurposing of existing plastic feedstocks into new functional materials, emerging research on polymer “pluripotency” to access diverse material properties from single polymer platforms, precision self-assembled electronic materials, electroactive polymers for wearable bioelectronic “e-skin,” advanced electrochromics, and all-organic batteries. The next generation of AI-driven polymer labs are being designed and built to accelerate discovery in this key area.