The Emergent Nanomaterials Lab manipulates matter on the smallest of scales to create materials with emergent properties, characterized by novel and sometimes surprising features arising from the interactions of multiple bodies. By synthesizing, assembling, combining and organizing nanoscale building blocks, we design materials with unusual and potential advantageous properties, such as (i) "tech tattoo" inks that impart the skin with new functions, (ii) "slide-ring" gels, elastomers, and glasses with extreme toughness and flexibility, and (iii) nano- and microscopic machines powered by alternative energy sources.
