The central research interest of the Mesoscale Engineering Laboratory is to explore and translate the mesoscale phenomenon by designing novel materials or structures to engineer devices for potential applications, particularly related to biomedical and energy devices.
From our perspective, a mesoscale structure is a "granular system" where the ensemble of the grain synergize (amplify) the properties or special phenomena emerge. For example, electrical conduction through an array of percolating nanoparticles may not obey Ohm's Law. A multilayer composite thin film of nanoparticle and polymer may have modulus (i.e., stiffness) that is well over million fold lower than its constituents. A hallmark of a mesoscale assembly is the high incidence of "defects" that play a crucial role in affecting the ultimate property and nature of the mesoscale structure. Thus, understanding, and controlling the defects is one focus of our research. An essential nature of defect mediation has two distinct advantages: (1) it is a highly effective "knob" to tailor properties to engineer applications; and (2) it makes the system less stringent to fabricate making the device scalable for practical application.
- Single electron phenomenon and devices
- Electrical Double Layer based devices
- Multilayer nanocomposites and devices
The major research themes are: