Robert J. Macfarlane

About

Professor Robert J. Macfarlane is a Richard P. Simmons (1953) Professor in Metallurgy and an Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT. His research focuses on building new materials using concepts and building blocks from supramolecular chemistry, polymer science, nanotechnology, self-assembly, colloids, and processing science. In his lab, researchers have developed design principles for synthesizing hierarchically organized materials with simultaneous and programmed control of structural features across molecular, nano, micro, and macroscopic length scales. These nanocomposites enable fundamental insights into mechanical, optical, chemical, electrical, and thermal structure-property relationships and are applied in areas such as adhesives, coatings, sensors, electronic and optical devices, and energy storage. Professor Macfarlane earned a BA in biochemistry from Willamette University in 2004, an MS in chemistry from Yale University in 2006, and a PhD in chemistry from Northwestern University in 2013, where he developed design rules for DNA-programmed assembly of nanoparticle superlattices. Following his doctorate, he was awarded the Kavli Nanoscience Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship at Caltech, where he developed self-assembly and processing methods to synthesize bottlebrush polymer photonic crystals. Since joining MIT's Department of Materials Science and Engineering in 2015, he has merged his assembly techniques to establish novel synthesis,…

Research topics

• Materials science
• Nanotechnology
• Composite material
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Optoelectronics
• Chemical engineering
• Crystallography

Selected publications

• Macroscopic materials assembled from nanoparticle superlattices

  Nature · 2021 · 225 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  DOI

• Nanoparticle Assembly as a Materials Development Tool

  Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2022 · 162 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  Nanoparticle assembly is a complex and versatile method of generating new materials, capable of using thousands of different combinations of particle size, shape, composition, and ligand chemistry to generate a library of unique structures. Here, a history of particle self-assembly as a strategy for materials discovery is presented, focusing on key advances in both synthesis and measurement of emergent properties to describe the current state of the field. Several key challenges for further adva…

  DOI

• Nanocrystal Assemblies: Current Advances and Open Problems

  ACS Nano · 2024-05-30 · 103 citations

  articleOpen access

  We explore the potential of nanocrystals (a term used equivalently to nanoparticles) as building blocks for nanomaterials, and the current advances and open challenges for fundamental science developments and applications. Nanocrystal assemblies are inherently multiscale, and the generation of revolutionary material properties requires a precise understanding of the relationship between structure and function, the former being determined by classical effects and the latter often by quantum effec…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Single-crystal Winterbottom constructions of nanoparticle superlattices

  Nature Materials · 2020 · 94 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  DOI

• 33 Unresolved Questions in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

  ACS Nano · 2025-09-04 · 22 citations

  articleOpen access

  Significant advances in science and engineering often emerge at the intersections of disciplines. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are inherently interdisciplinary, uniting researchers from chemistry, physics, biology, medicine, materials science, and engineering. This convergence has fostered novel ways of thinking and enabled the development of materials, tools, and technologies that have transformed both basic and applied research, as well as how we address critical societal challenges. In this…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• CAREER: Nanocomposite Structure Control via Nanoparticle Self-Assembly

  NSF · $702k · 2017–2022

• Brush Particle-Based Building Blocks for High Refractive Index Composites

  NSF · $450k · 2022–2025

• Fundamental Principles of Multivalency in Nanoscale and Macromolecular Systems

  NSF · $537k · 2023–2026

Frequent coauthors

• Chad A. Mirkin

  Northwestern University

  118 shared

• Byeongdu Lee

  Argonne National Laboratory

  52 shared

• Andrew J. Senesi

  40 shared

• Matthew R. Jones

  Rice University

  38 shared

• Youngeun Kim

  26 shared

• Paul A. Gabrys

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  25 shared

• Evelyn Auyeung

  Dow Chemical (United States)

  24 shared

• Mary Wang

  Universidad Católica de Santa Fe

  19 shared

Awards & honors

• 2019 Non-Tenured Faculty Award, 3M
• 2017 Unilever Award for Outstanding Young Investigator in Co…
• 2017 Faculty Early Career Development Award, National Scienc…
• 2016 Young Investigator Award, Air Force Office of Scientifi…
• 2010 Outstanding Researcher Award, International Institute f…

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