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Materials Science and
Engineering

Hugo Celio and the Kratos XPS

Core Faculty

TMI's core faculty lead cutting-edge research by running their grants through the institute, fostering collaboration and resource sharing.

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Graduate Program

Our Materials Science and Engineering program is one of the best in the nation, and our graduates go on to be leaders in their fields.

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Research

TMI supports interdisciplinary research at UT Austin, with over 100 faculty focusing on clean energy, nanotechnology, and advanced materials using our state-of-the-art facilities.

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Instrument Capabilities

The Bruker INVENIO-R is a research-grade Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer for chemical and materials characterization. The system provides broad spectral coverage from the near-infrared through the mid- and far-infrared regions and is equipped with multiple detector options, including DTGS and a liquid-nitrogen-cooled MCT detector. It supports transmission, reflectance, and accessory-based measurements for materials including polymers, thin films, coatings, composites, and other organic and inorganic materials. Rapid-scan capabilities enable time-resolved measurements, while external triggering and macro-development capabilities support integration with automated and electrochemical experiments. The system also includes OPUS and OPUS/3D software for spectral acquisition, analysis, and visualization. The system is currently designed to also operate inside a glovebox which makes it ideal for studying air-sensitive samples.

Key features:

  • Mid-IR: approximately 11,000–380 cm⁻¹ with the KBr broadband beamsplitter.
  • Far-IR (FIR): 680–30 cm⁻¹ using the multilayer beamsplitter and FIR detector configuration
  • Spectral resolution <0.16 cm⁻¹
  • Available detectors:
    • DTGS board detector,
    • Liquid-nitrogen-cooled MCT detector, covering 12,000–600 cm⁻¹, providing high sensitivity for appropriate measurements
  • Rapid-scan capability: more than 70 spectra/second at 16 cm⁻¹ resolution, with scanning speeds up to 160 kHz.
  • External experiment triggering: four digital inputs and four digital outputs for rapid-scan and step-scan experiments

Fees and Policies

  • UT Users: $32/hour
  • Higher Education/State Agencies: $89/hour
  • Corporate/External Users: $89/hour

Training

Users should register for the required in-person training course through UTLearn .

Texas Materials Seminar Series

The Texas Materials Seminar Series features MSE 397 Seminars, TMI Distinguished Lectureships, and TMI Special Seminars, where leading faculty and professionals from around the world share cutting-edge innovations and advancements in materials engineering with our students.

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$12M+

In Grant Funding

20+

Research Patents

10K+

Sq. Ft. of Research Labs

News

Zhantao Chen Publishes New Article on AI-assisted Tool

Zhantao Chen, an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering and a TMI-affiliate, has published an article on an AI tool in Nature Machine Intelligence. The article used AI to help researchers in ways that would assist in experimental tasks that are often labor-intensive and tiresome.

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Terry Zheng & Yu Group Publish New Work on Water-Based Electrolytes

Materials Science and Engineering graduate student Tianrui (Terry) Zheng, under the supervision of Dr. Guihua Yu has published research in Advanced Materials introducing a biphasic electrolyte architecture that combines the strengths of water-based (aqueous) and organic-based electrolytes for long-duration, high-rate zinc metal batteries.

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Get Better Sleep With Ultrasound Patch That Boosts REM Rest

A wearable bioelectronic device increased REM sleep in real-world trials, without invasive surgery or medication.

Published by UT News.

Yuebing Zheng Awarded 'New Directions' Seed Funding from UT OVPR

Yuebing Zheng was awarded seed funding through the University's Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors. The 'New Directions in Research' grants are one time payments that give faculty an opportunity to obtain proof-of-concept or pilot data for future, larger grants.

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Terry Zheng Awarded UT Chevron Energy Graduate Fellowship

Tianrui (Terry) Zheng, a Materials Science & Engineering graduate student working with Dr. Guihua Yu, is a recipient of the 2026-2027 UT Chevron Energy Graduate Fellows Award from UT's Energy Institute.

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