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New research from Professor Qian Chen's group, published in Nature Synthesis, reveals that atomic-scale edges on gold nanoparticles are the hidden key to creating an unprecedented variety of surface polymer patterns — bringing synthetic nanoparticles closer than ever to the surface complexity of proteins. Co-first authors Dr. Xiaoying Lin and Chansong Kim led the work, with collaborators at the University of Michigan and Argonne National Laboratory. 

Beckman researchers have developed a novel approach to making thermoset polymers — materials essential to aerospace, electronics and infrastructure — both high-performing and recyclable by leveraging polymer entanglement and strategically limited, reversible crosslinking. The breakthrough, which preserves material properties including strength and stiffness across multiple recycling generations, lays the groundwork for rethinking the lifecycle of thermosets and opens the door to "generational material systems" whose properties can be intentionally reprogrammed over time.

Professor Paul Braun will be the next head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Grainger College of Engineering has announced. Braun is taking over the leadership role on Aug. 15, 2026, after serving as director of the Materials Research Laboratory.

Professor Cecilia Leal's lab  has discovered that beneficial bacteria living in the honeybee gut naturally produce membrane-bound vesicles enriched with genetic material, revealing a molecular pathway through which gut symbionts communicate with their host. Using a novel cryogenic electron microscopy imaging framework to distinguish true vesicles from cellular debris, researchers opened the door  to RNA-based treatments that could protect honeybee colonies from parasites and pathogens — and may ultimately inform microbial therapeutic delivery systems in other animals and humans.

Master's student Morgan Scott was thrilled to attend the 2026 Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE) Conference in Seattle, with the trip funded through a Graduate Student Conference Travel Award from Robert and Sandra Sherman. Scott has interned with Boeing for a number of years and has interest in working for the company after completing her master's degree in materials science and engineering.

Assistant Professor Marie Charpagne is a passionate person, both as a materials scientist and as a musician. She enjoys playing piano in her spare time as part of events at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at Illinois, allowing her to share a skill that has earned her significant awards in the past.