We develop fundamental understanding and process engineering to control a spectrum of advanced materials for semiconductor device and nanotechnology applications, ranging from nanoparticle catalysts and magnetic nanoparticles to impedance glucose sensor devices and ultrawide bandgap electronics to supramolecular assemblies and interfacial engineering of nanomaterials.
Faculty
My research group focuses on rational design and engineering of next generation electrochemical systems for human convenience, energy, environment, and sustainability. We seek to address key questions related to the electrochemical systems by leveraging electrochemistry, materials chemistry, and device engineering. Our interests include (1) synthesis of new materials for electrochemical devices, (2) combining electroanalytical chemistry (i.e.…
WE WORK ON HETEROGENEOUS CATALYST DEVELOPMENT in my laboratory and our ultimate goal is to obtain a fundamental understanding of these catalysts at the atomic level. Our approach is to synthesize well-defined heterogeneous catalysts using nanoparticle oxides with various shapes and sizes as supports and carefully control the deposition of active metal onto these supports using atomic layer deposition (ALD), or other more conventional catalyst synthesis methods, such as precipitation-deposition or incipient wetness impregnation.…
MY RESEARCH GROUP IS GENERATING INSIGHTS AND SOLUTIONS TO problems with genome engineering, specifically CRISPR/Cas systems. Over the past few years, the slow-progressing field of genome engineering has been transformed by the breakthrough of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) with astronomical applications in science, medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, and biomanufacturing. Originally derived from the bacterial immune system, the CRISPR/Cas9 technology works by introducing two components inside cells, a Cas9 nuclease that acts like molecular scissors and a guide RNA (sgRNA) that binds with Cas9 and directs the complex to the target DNA to create double-stranded cuts in the DNA.…
MY RESEARCH GROUP SEEKS TO PROVIDE INSIGHTS AND SOLUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF SUPRAMOLECULAR BIOMATERIALS. We are aiming at engineering structural and functional properties of supramolecular biomaterials for target applications including smart capsules, micro-reactors, antibacterial and/or drug release coatings. The vision of our lab is to utilize soft matter assembly and recombinant technology for the creation of advanced biomaterials.…
WE ARE BROADLY INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING new chemical, physical, engineering, and biological applications related to self-assembled nanostructured materials. Our current research is focused on the following four topics:
SELF-ASSEMBLED PHOTONIC & PLASMONIC CRYSTALS Photonic crystals and plasmonic crystals offer unprecedented opportunities for the realization of all-optical integrated circuits and high-speed optical computation. Our group is developing a number of scalable colloidal self-assembly technologies to control, manipulate, and amplify light on the sub-wavelength scale.…
Our group focuses on designing advanced polymer materials for clean energy, clean water, and environmental sustainability. We combine modular polymer synthesis with experimental tools that probe both molecular-scale and macroscopic transport in polymers with the goal of informing predictive design of the next generation of materials for membrane-driven separations.
A few areas of interest to our group are:
Predicting gas separation membrane performance in realistic environments
Polymer membranes offer a competitive option for energy-efficient carbon capture and hydrocarbon purification; however, many promising materials developed in the lab fail to perform as well in the field. …
ELECTROCHEMICAL ENGINEERING The research performed in this group represents applications of electrochemical engineering to systems of practical importance. In recent work, electrokinetic phenomena were exploited to enhance continuous separation of water from dilute suspensions of clay associated with phosphate mining operations. The technology developed in this project is intended to greatly reduce the environmental impact of mining operations.…
HEALTH SENSORS
We aim to develop a highly sensitive and low-cost heart attack sensor technology, which can be implemented in a wireless-capable, real-time and handheld sensor for personal and medical usages. Acute myocardial infraction (AMI) causes one of the highest mortality rates worldwide. The existing methods employed by first responders, hospitals and clinics are time consuming and require trained personnel to perform tests.…
MY GROUP STUDIES THE BEHAVIOR AND BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS OF MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES. We combine expertise in synthesis and surface modification of magnetic nanoparticles, physical, chemical, and magnetic characterization, and modelling to understand the colloidal behavior of magnetic nanoparticles, their interaction with biological entities, and to advance their biomedical applications. We are actively investigating novel methods of synthesizing nanoparticles with tailored magnetic properties, evaluating nanoparticle stability and mobility in biological environments, and advancing applications of magnetic nanoparticles in cancer therapy and magnetic particle imaging.…
WE STUDY POLYMERS, PROTEINS, AND THEIR HYBRIDS TO DESIGN THE NEXT GENERATION OF SOFT MATERIALS using molecular dynamics simulations, high throughout computations, and enhanced sampling methods. To sustain materials discovery in the future given the limited resources at our disposal, predictive engineering techniques must be employed to allow for efficient design and optimization of materials.…
Our research team is focused on the design and optimization of natural biomaterials for a variety of clinical applications. Experimental research explores the mechanical and transport properties of elastic and viscoelastic materials, aiming to determine a predictive set of material characteristics that have a known function in the body. We aim to harness the power of the immune system in tissue regeneration to alter the way that these materials integrate following implantation, providing a new strategy for optimizing materials for clinical applications.…
NEARLY ALL NANOMATERIAL APPLICATIONS REQUIRE an interface with other materials, including, for example, polymers in composites, electrodes in devices, pharmaceuticals in drug delivery, body fluids and cells in bioimaging and biosensors, or analytes in chemical sensors. Our group focuses on developing a fundamental understanding of interfaces in nanoscale systems, which can have far-reaching implications to various fields of nanotechnology.…