The Materials Science and Technology Division conducts basic and applied research in functional and structural materials and engages in exploratory and advanced development to generate new Navy technologies and defense capabilities. 

These efforts are performed by multidisciplinary teams of materials scientists, physicists, chemists, and engineers working at the atomic, nano, microstructural, mesostructural, and macroscopic scales. The integrated use of new experimental and computational techniques accelerates new scientific understanding and innovative engineering solutions. Advanced materials synthesis, processing, characterization, diagnostic capabilities, performance prediction methods, and life-cycle management methods are developed to further new device design, prototyping, and testing methods.
 

The Division's research efforts encompass metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, and biological materials for electrical, magnetic, optical, plasmonic, chemical, mechanical, and energy technologies. Major Division focus areas include fundamental material physics, innovative device design, performance in extreme environments, power and energy, materials informatics, and the interface between materials and biology.

• Fundamental Materials and Physics - Density functional theory, molecular dynamics and multiphysics simulations, quantum dots, spintronics, and surface and interface physics.
• Materials-based Concepts and Devices - Chemical and explosive detection, magneto-optic sensors, laser direct write, nonlinear dynamics, and advanced alloys.
• Extreme Environment Multiphysics - Corrosion, electromagnetic launch, warfighter protection, additive manufacturing, and joining technology.
• Materials for Energy - Fuel from seawater, battery and fuel cell materials, multiferroic energy harvesting, thermo-electric ceramics, and superconductor technologies.
• Materials Informatics - 3D materials science, multiscale simulation, atom probe tomography, TEM, SEM, tomography, and IR characterization.​​
• Biology and Materials - Neuronal networks, single-cell process measurements, cell healing mechanisms, protein modeling in solution, and biomechanical modeling.

Core Capabilities & Facilities