Research

Well designed hybrid structures from nano-microscale to macroscale contribute to further manipulation of thermal-fluidic-energy transport making them useful in many applications. Our research interests lie in utilizing thermal-fluidic-energy transport within hybrid structures.

(1) Multiscale Platforms for Active Control of Thermal & Fluidic transport and Their Applications

a. Multiscale-textured surfaces and structures for phase change heat transfer: Design of multi-porous structures for further controls of heat transfer coefficient and critical heat flux

b. Fluidic transport through nanopores and nanochannels: Fabrication of nanopore-channel platforms and study of underlying physics of ion transport for mass transport and nanofluidic sensing applications

(2) Structure-Guided Combustion Waves (SGCWs) driven Thermal-Chemical-Electrical Energy Conversion for Energy Applications

a. Active manipulation of materials via SGCWs: Facile one-pot transformation of phase / surface / porosity / composition with controlled organic layer coating for metal oxides for energy applications

b. Thermopower waves in SGCWs: Electrical energy generation utilizing thermally-chemically induced charge transport through hybrid materials in propagating combustion

(3) Thermal Metamaterials for Local Heat Flux Manipulation

a. Tunable-multifunctional-reconfigurable thermal metamaterials: Assembly design of unit-cells components with diverse thermal functions in macroscale and fabrication in 2D and 3D structures

b. Applications of thermal metamaterials for local heat flux manipulation: Thermal energy focusing-dissipating-diffusing-rotating using hybrid structures

(4) Thermal Analysis of Multiphysics-Multiscale Systems

a. Hybrid analysis of multiscale systems including thermal transport: Photo-thermal, thermal-electrical, chemical-thermal-electrical energy conversion

b. Applications to multiphysics-multiscale systems: Super resolution near-field structure for nanolithography systems, solid-oxide fuel cells, thermoelectrics, and planar heating elements.

(5) Self-Sustained Thermal-Fluidic Sensing Platform (Energy Harvesting and Sensors)

a. Dual-function sensors for electrical energy generation and sensing of thermal-fluidic transport phenomena: Thermolelectrics, pyroelectrics, triboelectrics, piezoelectrics

b. Applications to various chemical-physical sensors with self-powered functions: Fluid temperature-flow sensors, pH sensors, fluid dynamics and others

(6) 3D printed multifunctional metamaterials

a. Multiscale (𝜇𝑚 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑚) additive manufacturing of electrically conductive polymer

b. Ultraight, ultrastrong, and ultrabroadband absorbing metamaterial - Radar Absorbing Structures (RAS)

c. Temperature-responsive thermo-mechanical hybrids using thermally-functional 3D printed materials