1)     Key research focus

New materials have played a vital role in the progress of civilization, and they are crucial for advancements in science and engineering. Such new advanced materials should be multifunctional and adaptive to surrounding stimuli. Their complexity and richness of behavior require collective multi-disciplinary knowledge, methods, and tools for groundbreaking advances and discoveries. Thus, our vision is to perform an innovative research program to develop, study, and utilize advanced materials technology to address pressing global problems. To do this, we are focusing on three key areas:

Design and manufacture of new nanomaterials and interfaces: The new advanced nanomaterials include nano-layered and nanocomposite coatings, wear-protective coatings with tailored surfaces, nano-membranes, and sensors. We use various fabrication techniques such as advanced sputtering, plasma-immersion ion deposition, advanced Nanofabrication using a heated AFM tip, and others.

Functional characterization and testing: Novel experimental techniques, such as advanced atomic force microscopy (AFM) nanoindentation is used for the evaluation of various objects, including biomaterials. We utilize advanced AFM technique, recently developed at ZJU, involving a specially designed tip to obtain measurements with much higher accuracy. In parallel, we use atomistic computer simulations to interpret the data and to study the interactions at interfaces. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy provide insights on nanostructures, while spectroscopy quantifies the composition of materials. Cell culture studies are used to study the biocompatibility of biomaterials.

Multiscale modeling:  Synergistic experiments and computational modeling guide designs of new nanocomposites and their characterization.

2)     Key members

Oleksiy Penkov, Huan Hu, Wee Liat Ong, Kemal Celebi, Binbin Li