As technologies become increasingly connected, researchers are working to overcome a fundamental limitation of traditional electronic systems: rigidity. For School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) assistant professor Anju Toor, developing soft functional materials that enable flexible electronics is both a scientific challenge and an opportunity to transform how technology interacts with people and environments. 

Toor's research focuses on designing and processing soft materials for deformable energy storage, chemical sensing, and organic electronics. Her group develops materials and devices that can bend, conform, and operate in environments where conventional electronics struggle.

"The widespread deployment of technologies like environmental sensors and the Internet of Things cannot rely on traditional bulky electronics," Toor said. "We need materials that are mechanically compliant while maintaining performance and reliability."

Her research program is organized around three areas: deformable energy storage, printable organic electronics, and multifunctional nanocomposites. Projects include developing hydrogel electrolytes for flexible aqueous lithium-ion batteries, formulating solution-processable inks for printed sensors and organic electronic devices, and engineering self-assembled nanocomposite structures for advanced energy applications.

What excites Toor most is the connection between fundamental materials design and real-world technologies.

"Bridging the gap between molecular-level materials design and functional device fabrication is incredibly rewarding," Toor said. "You can see how tailoring a polymer network or directing the self-assembly of nanomaterials directly translates into device performance."

Those advances could have broad impacts across a range of industries. In precision agriculture, her team is developing printed ion sensors that monitor soil nutrients such as nitrate, ammonium, and potassium in real time. The group is also creating stencil-printed micro batteries capable of powering distributed wireless sensor systems. In bioelectronics, researchers are developing moisture self-regulating electrolytes designed to form stable interfaces between electronic devices and biological systems.

"Understanding the challenges of integrating materials into products helped shape the research questions I pursue today," Toor said. "It ultimately inspired me to build a program that tightly couples materials design with processing and device fabrication."

Beyond the laboratory, Toor is passionate about mentoring the next generation of engineers and scientists. Her approach varies by career stage: undergraduate students are guided through structured projects that build confidence and independence, while doctoral students are encouraged to develop critical thinking skills and pursue their own research directions.

"Empowering emerging engineers to translate fundamental materials science into practical solutions is central to my mentoring philosophy," she said.

This year, Toor also served as chair of the Focused Session on Functional Gels for Flexible Sensors and Energy Devices at the IEEE International Conference on Flexible and Printable Sensors and Systems (FLEPS). The session highlighted the growing importance of functional gels in flexible electronics, particularly for applications such as human-machine interfaces, soft robotics, sensing, energy storage, and energy harvesting.

A recurring theme throughout the session was the unique combination of biocompatibility and tunable charge transport that gels provide. Researchers discussed how these materials can function as sensing platforms, flexible electrolytes, and active components in emerging electronic systems.

For Toor, serving as a session chair was an opportunity to help shape conversations across the field while fostering new collaborations.
"It provides a venue for identifying synergies between fundamental materials design and applied device engineering," she said.

Looking ahead, Toor is eager to expand her group's efforts across all three research areas. Current priorities include fluorine-free aqueous lithium-ion batteries enabled by water-scarce hydrogel electrolytes, expanding printed sensor technologies for precision agriculture, and advancing the design of bicontinuous interfacially jammed emulsions, or bijels, for electrochemical energy storage applications.

As flexible and printable electronics continue to evolve, Toor's research is helping lay the materials foundation for technologies that are more adaptable, sustainable, and seamlessly integrated into everyday life.