– PERFORMANCE MATERIALS LAB | EPIC HALL 3186
Where Materials Meet Mission
Advancing clean water, next-generation coatings, and sustainable materials science from the Arctic to the Caribbean. Powered by 25 years of industry know-how and rigorous fundamental science.
Flexible sensing and wearables
Utilizing flexible sensors and wearables to understand how the human body interacts with the world around us…
Composite materials
Development of new bio-based and sustainable composite materials for a better future for us and the planet…
Clean water
Our research delves into the critical issue of water pollution, examining its impacts on both freshwater and ocean environments …
About Research Group
The Performance Materials Laboratory at UNC Charlotte advances materials science at the intersection of high-performance engineering and environmental sustainability. Our research addresses two parallel imperatives: developing next-generation materials that outperform conventional options in demanding applications, and understanding the chemical contaminants, including PFAS and microplastics, that threaten water systems globally.
We operate at the boundary between fundamental science and applied engineering. Federal sponsors including the National Science Foundation fund our basic research programs, while direct industry partnerships ensure our discoveries move toward real-world deployment. Field research extends beyond the laboratory to open-ocean and coastal environments through our partnership with the Sustainable Seas Institute and its research vessel R/V Dawn.
Our team brings together researchers from materials science, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, and environmental science. This breadth is not incidental. The problems we work on require it.
Dr. Roger Tipton
Roger Tipton is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science at UNC Charlotte, where he directs the Performance Materials Laboratory. He holds pending patent applications on advanced materials and is the principal investigator on an active NSF award examining transarctic contamination.
Before entering academia, Dr. Tipton spent 25 years in industry, progressing from manufacturing engineer to chief executive. That background shapes how he trains researchers, structures projects, and evaluates whether a discovery has real-world legs. He chairs the board of the Sustainable Seas Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates R/V Dawn for ocean research in partnership with UNC Charlotte, and serves on the board of the Polymer Center of Excellence.
Select Publications
- T.L. Powell, J.J. Doughty, Y. Shimabukuro, C.L. Kirschner, R.B. Tipton, Consumer food waste upcycled into lignocellulosic materials that are utilized in polyethene biocomposites, MRS Advances, June 2024
- How I navigated through my midlife PhD, R.B. Tipton, Nature, 2022
- Roger B. Tipton, Dianhao Hou, Zhimin Shi, Thomas M. Weller, Venkat R. Bhethanabotla, Optical interconnects on a flexible substrate by multi-material hybrid additive and subtractive manufacturing, Additive Manufacturing Journal, Volume 48, Part A, 2021
- Digital fabrication of a small diameter polymer optical waveguide, VR Bhethanabotla, TM Weller, RB Tipton, JT Bentley… – US Patent 10,852,479, 2020
- Roger B. Tipton, Dianhao Hou, Eduardo A. Rojas-Nastrucci, Thomas M. Weller, Venkat R. Bhethanabotla, Laser Enhanced Direct Print Additive Manufacturing of Embedded Circular Cross-Section Optical Fiber Interconnects for Board Level Computing Devices, Additive Manufacturing Journal, Volume 34, 2020
About Publications Group
Our group is working at the interface of materials science, electronics, and additive manufacturing with the goal of advancing understanding of sustainable biomaterials, contributing to a greener and more sustainable future.
- We specialize in both computational and experimental studies.
- We engage with government agencies and industrial partners to maximize the impact of our work and maximize the benefits to society.
For more information on the research of our group please feel free to contact Roger Tipton.
News & Field Reports
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From the Shop Floor to the Sensor: Marley Magnotta’s Work on Wearable Gloves for Worker Health and Safety
Good engineering solves real problems for real people. Marley Magnotta’s undergraduate research this semester did exactly that, and she presented it with the confidence and clarity of someone who understands both what she built and why it matters. At the UNC Charlotte undergraduate research symposium, Marley presented her project titled “Wearable Flexible Sensors for Injury…
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Outstanding Undergraduate Research: Evaluating Materials for Hypersonic and Spacecraft Applications
One of the most rewarding parts of directing a research laboratory is watching undergraduate students tackle genuinely hard problems and deliver results that advance the field. This semester, Paul Travers and John Tran did exactly that. I am proud to share that Paul and John recently presented their research at the UNC Charlotte undergraduate research…
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PML Undergraduate Researcher Presents at NCUR 2026
Performance Materials Laboratory undergraduate researcher Sam Phillips traveled to Richmond, Virginia this month to present original research at the 2026 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), held April 13-15 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University. Sam’s presentation, titled “Modeling the Transport of Forever Chemicals in the Arctic Ocean,” examined…