Research

• Advanced Surface & Interface Process Intensification (ASIPI)

  

  Research Statement
  

  ASIPI research group is a team of interdisciplinary scientists and engineers who create advanced surfaces towards process intensification. Our research intersects the multidisciplinary fields of surface engineering, functional polymer, interface mechanics, and micro/nano-fabrication. By exploring Advanced Surface & Interface Process Intensification (ASIPI), the research aims to learn the interaction at Interface Phenomena and Surface Science, thus bringing transformational efficiency enhancements in interfacial processes for sustainable environment & energy.

  
  

  

  
  

  Research Overview

  ASIPI research is relevant to five parts of the interfacial processes which contain various research topics. All of these studies aim to control the interfacial processes in a smarter, better, safer, and faster way! 

  
  

  

  
  

  Fundamental science and engineering implications of ASIPI research

  
  

  

  
  

  Research Sections

  The four sections which ASIPI research primarily focuses on to achieve the research mission are Multifunctional Coating,  Smart Materials, Supermolecular Interactions, and Microfluidics Technology. The unique combination of these research backgrounds can open up new, transformative technological advances in topics of sustainable environment & energy  including (1) water scarcity, (2) energy utilization, (3) chemical/bio-fouling, and (4) undesired icing.

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

          

• 1. Multifunctional Coatings

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  1.1 Surface Coating for Wetting Control

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  1.2 Surface Coating for Droplet Propulsion

  

  
  

  1.3 Surface Coating for Anti/De-Icing

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  1.4 Surface Coating for Self-Cleaning

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  1.5 Surface Coating for Anti-Bioadhesion

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  2. Smart Materials

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  2.1 Smart Surface for Regulation of Interface Mechanics

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  2.2 Smart Nanosystem for Management of Chemical Reaction

  
  

  

  
  

  2.3 Smart Hydrogel for Construction of Soft Acutators

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  2.4 Smart Membrane for Detection of Toxic Chemicals

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  3. Supermolecular Interactions

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  3.1 Mussel-Inspired Chemistry as Platform for Surface Functionalization

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  3.2 Catechol Derivatives Adhesion as Platform for Versatile Surface Coating

  
  

  

  
  

  3.3 Host-Guest Interaction as Platform for Detection of Toxic Chemicals

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  4. Microfluidics Technology

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  4.1 Microfluidics Device Fabrication

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  4.2 Microfluidics Synthesizing Microparticles

  
  

  

  
  

  4.3 Microfluidics Catalytic Microreactors

  
  

  
  

  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

          

• ASIPI research aims to learn the interaction at Interface Phenomena and Surface Science, thus bringing transformational efficiency enhancements in interfacial processes for sustainable environment & energy.
  

  
  

  
  

  Dr. Zhang acknowledges the sponsors for following funding supports on his past  (Prior to DUT) research projects.