Index    News    Opening    Research    Publication    Member    Education    Link    Seminar

PI: Xuanhe Zhao, PhD (CV)  

Welcome to the Soft Active Materials Laboratory at Duke University. Our research is to understand the fundamental mechanics and physics of materials and phenomena emerging on the interface between engineering and biological systems and to design new materials and structures capable of extraordinary functions. We are currently particularly interested in soft materials which are easily deformed by multiple thermodynamic forces such as mechanical stress, electric field, magnetic field, and chemical potential and their applications in various technologies such as energy storage, energy harvesting, biofouling, drug delivery, tissue engineering, robotics, microfluidics, and water treatment.

Recent News and Opening

• Changyong won best poster award at the 5th Annual Triangle Soft Matter Workshop (more news)

• Postdoctral position available now; PhD positions available for 2013 Fall (more opening)

Recent Papers

• Reversible Sliding in Networks of Nanowires, Nanoletters

• Composite three-dimensional woven scaffolds with interpenetrating network hydrogels to create functional synthetic articular cartilage, Advanced Functional Materials

• Multifunctionality and Control of the Crumpling and Unfolding of Large-Area Graphene, Nature Materials (Discovery, MRS)

• Bioinspired Surfaces with Dynamic Topography for Active Control of Biofouling, Advanced Materials (NBC, MRS)

• Bursting Drops in Solid Dielectrics Caused by High Voltages, Nature Communications (video, Physics Today)

• Highly stretchable and tough hydrogels, Nature (Nature News)

• Dynamic Electrostatic Lithography: Multiscale On-demand Patterning on Large-Area Curved Surfaces, Advanced Materials (MRS Materials 360, BBC Focus Magzine)

• Creasing to Cratering instability in polymers under ultrahigh electric fields, Physical Review Letters (video)

• Mechanical Constraints Enhance Electrical Energy Densities of Soft Dielectrics, Applied Physics Letters

• A Theory for Large Deformation and Damage of Interpenetrating Polymer Networks, Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids

• Localized Ridge Wrinkling of Stiff Films on Compliant Substrates, Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids

• Active Scaffolds for On-demand Drug and Cell Delivery, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (video 1, video 4, Nature highlight, Nature Materials highlight, PNAS highlight)

• Theory of Dielectric Elastomers Capable of Giant Deformation of Actuation, Physical Review Letters

Recent Interesting Images

Index    News    Opening    Research    Publication    Member    Education    Link    Seminar