| Name | Research Interests |
| Asst Prof Abhisek Ukil | Dr. Ukil's research interest is in the field of
- Power Systems: Protection, Bulk Power Transmission (HVAC, HVDC, overhead/underground), Distribution Automation (MV & LV), DC Grid, Renewable Energy & Integration, Microgrid, Energy Efficiency, Control, Hardware-in-loop testing,
- Condition Monitoring & Diagnostics: Rotating Machine, Transformer, Cables, Circuit-Breaker, Relay/DFR, Surge Arrester,
- Signal Processing, Machine Learning, Sensor-based Embedded Systems and applications. |
| Asst Prof Alessandro Romagnoli | Alessandro's research interests are:
- Waste heat recovery (Thermo-electric generation, Boosting technology and turbocharging, Organic ranking cycles)
- Battery thermal management
- Thermal energy storage
- Propulsion for UAVs |
| Assoc Prof Alfred Tok Iing Yoong | 1) Carbon-based Field-Effect Transistor Sensors
The biosensors market, which is currently at USD 9.9 billion, is expected to reach USD 18.9 billion in 2019 (GIA Report, 2014) propelled by the growing population and health issues. Our group capitalizes on this emergent market and researches on disposable and low-cost sensor suitable for real-time sensing in field conditions. Our group focuses on sensors for biological and gas detection applications.
2) Synthesis of Nanostructured Materials using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD)
Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has evolved to be a unique tool for nanotechnology with atomic level control of the depositions, 3D conformity and homogeneity. Film depositions can be realized for complex non-planar topographies for a wide range of applications such as energy conversion and storage, nanoparticle catalysts, nanostructures for drug delivery, gas separations, sensing, and photonic applications. Our group focuses on ALD materials for solar cell, hydrogen generation and smart window applications.
3) Hard & Tough Materials for Ballistic Protection Application
The next generation of military vehicular and soldier system requires light-weight materials with high strength-to-weight ratio. Our research focuses on the synthesis and densification of nanostructured materials & desired composite architecture to significantly raise the ballistic protection capability. The B-C-N-O group of compounds are potential candidates to form novel materials for ballistic protection application as they inherent the unique properties from both boron nitride and boron carbide which are known for their light weight, high hardness, low friction coefficient and high wear resistance. Prof Tok leads a team of collaborators in armour material research ranging from high temperature synthesis of novel superhard materials and consolidation by state-of-the-art Spark Plasma Sintering to advanced characterisation techniques such as depth of penetration test using Two-Stage Light-Gas Gun.
4) Institute for Sports Research
Our group is involved in the Institute for Sports Research, working on the damping property of midsoles which is based on carbon nanotube (CNT). CNT’s high aspect ratios (length/diameter) is particularly desirable for mechanical reinforcement, and it is found that the vertical aligned (VA)CNTs perform well in damping, to dissipate the energy absorbed under compression (Figure 7). Our present job is to tune the damping property of VACNT by adjusting the length, diameter and area density etc. parameters and try to reinforce the polymer with VACNT to fabricate midsole material with better cushion property.
5) NRF-CREATE
In accordance with the objectives of the Energy Thrust Program of the NRF-CREATE Project, our group is focused on the design and synthesis of highly functional nanomaterials, which enables energy harvesting and conservation. Recently, novel graphene oxide synthesized nanoballs and nanoflowers were synthesized. These exhibit potentials for supercapacitors and energy applications. In general, these activities results in above 50 publications, 17 patent applications and projects discussions with companies regarding commercialization possibilities. |
| Assoc Prof Ali Iftekhar Maswood | Design and Evaluation of a New Converter Control Strategy for Near Shore Tidal Turbines
Five-Level Multiple-Pole PWM AC-AC Converters with Reduced Components Count
Novel Converter topology for hybrid Wind & Solar Energy
Maximum Power Tracking Control Strategies using Fuzzy logic and Particle Swram Optimization
Novel DC-DC buck-boost Converter for solar/Fuel Cell optimal power txtraction |
| Asst Prof Ana Cristina Dias Alves | Her research interest lies broadly on South-South relations, particularly China’s relations with developing regions in the southern hemisphere. Over the past decade her research has focused on China’s economic cooperation with Africa, particularly its engagement in extractive industries on the continent. Her research interests also encompass comparative studies, namely regarding China’s engagement in different regions (Africa-South America and Southeast Asia), and comparing China’s approach with that of other emerging powers in the southern hemisphere. |
| Assoc Prof Ang Diing Shenp | 1. Reliability physics and characterization of nanoscale transistors (negative-bias temperature instability, hot-carrier effects, gate oxide breakdown, low frequency/RF noise, metal gate/high-kappa gate stack, non-volatile memories, silicon-on-insulator transistors, nanowire devices etc.)
2. Nano-characterization techniques (conductive atomic force microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and associated anaytical techniques for alternative gate dielectrics, nanowire devices etc.)
3. Characterization of novel devices (e.g. tunneling FETs, novel memories etc.) |
| Asst Prof Anutosh Chakraborty | (1) Adsorption Thermodynamics.
(2) Adsorption/Absorption refrigeration/Heat Pump Systems and Desalination
(3) Adsorption Gas (Methane/Hydrogen) Storage, Surface science.
(4) Pool boiling at sub-atmospheric pressure, Flow boiling, Condensation.
(5) Micro/Nano-Scale Transport Phenomena.
(6) Bulk and Nanostructured thermoelectric device and their simulation tools. |
| Asst Prof Aravind Babu Dasari | Dr Dasari’s major research emphasis is on the development of in-depth understanding of the various facets of processing-structure-property relations in hybrid polymer nanocomposites to achieve synergistic properties for different end applications. These facets include:
1. Thermal stability and flame retardancy (with eco-benign agents)
2. Functional properties (electrical/thermal conductivities, biodegradability and UV shielding)
3. Electrospinning techniques
4. Wear/scratch damage at different scales (macro/micro/nano)
5. Deformation and Fracture mechanisms
6. Active food packaging |
| Assoc Prof Atsushi Goto | Polymer Chemistry and Polymer Materials
1) Controlled syntheses of polymers
2) Development of new living radical polymerization via organic catalysis
3) Creation of new advance polymer materials using structurally controlled polymers |
| Prof B.V.R. Chowdari | Development of electrode and electrolyte materials for energy storage applications including Lithium Ion Batteries. |
| Asst Prof Bae Tae-Hyun | 1. Chemistry of materials
- nanoporous materials including zeolites, mesoporous materials and metal-organic frameworks
- thin films and nanocomposite membranes
2. Environmental technology
- CO2 capture
- water treatment
3. Molecular separaitons in chemical processes
- hydrocarbon separations
- gas separations |
| Assoc Prof (Adj) Bhangu Bikramjit Singh | Power electronics, power semiconductor devices, advanced machines and drives, intelligent power converters, sensorless control of high speed generators, battery storage, battery management systems, health monitoring of power converters and health monitoring of rotating electrical machines. |
| Asst Prof Bo An | Artificial intelligence, multi-agent systems, game theory, automated negotiation, resource allocation, and optimization |
| Assoc Prof Cai Wenjian | Prof Cai's areas of expertise are system modelling, control and optimization, multivariable system identification and control, sensor and instrumentation, mechanical system simulation and design, and intelligent systems. His current research works focus on industry applications in building HVAC processes, renewable energy processes and environmental processes. |
| Assoc Prof Cesare Soci | We are interested in the fundamental properties of materials related to small dimensionality and large interface area. Understanding these properties is essential to exploit them in emerging technologies, such as renewable energy sources. In particular we focus on two classes of nanostructured materials, namely organic and inorganic semiconductors, and on their interplay, from basic scientific issues all the way to the device level. Some topics of specific interest are:
1. Nanowire synthesis and devices: semiconductor nanowires are synthesized by different approaches, including top-down and bottom-up methods, and lithographic techniques are used to fabricate nanowire arrays and devices.
2. Organic semiconductors: we study the fundamental properties of organic semiconductors and their use in "plastic electronics." In particular we focus on the interplay between charge carrier photogeneration and exciton recombination, which is a determining factor of the performance of organic solar cells, light-emitting diodes and field-effect transistors.
3. Organic-inorganic hybrid systems: we investigate the optoelectronic properties of hybrid organic-inorganic heterostructures specifically targeted to light sensing and photovoltaic applications, combining microscopy, optical and photocurrent spectroscopy, and nanofabrication technologies. |
| Dr Chan Chee Keong | Currently, Dr Chan is attached to the Information Engineering Division, lecturing in subjects related to computer systems, artificial intelligence, software engineering and cyber security. Through his years in NTU, he has published about 30 research papers in conferences, journals and book chapter. Dr Chan has also provided numerous consultations to the industries. His current research interest areas include data mining (text and solar radiation data mining), evolutionary algorithms (scheduling and games) and renewable energy. |
| Prof Chan Siew Hwa | Prof Chan's areas of expertise are fuel cells, fuel reforming and internal combustion engines. |
| Asst Prof Chan Wai Lee | Combustion modeling; Combustion instability; Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD); Flamelet models; Fluid-structure interactions; Gas turbine engines; High-fidelity simulations; High-speed air-breathing vehicles; Large-eddy simulations; Numerical combustion; Pollutant emission; Turbulent non-/reacting flows |
| Assoc Prof Chen Chien-Ming | Corporate social responsibility and environmental problems; empirical research on operational management; organizational productivity |
| Prof Chen Zhong | Thin Films & Low-dimensional Materials: Thin films & nano-materials for clean energy and environmental applications; Microelectronic thin films; Protective and functional surface coatings.
Mechanical Behavior of Materials: Fracture, fatigue, and creep of bulk monolithic & composite materials, thin films and multi-layers; Experimental and computational mechanics. |
| Asst Prof (Adj) Chiam Sing Yang | I am interested in surface & interface studies for a wide range of electronic, energy and environmental materials. We study the fundamental properties and functionality of coated thin films, and apply them in applications to examine their performances.
I am interested in understanding different aspect of materials interfaces. This includes formations, reactions and evolution during growth and how this affects their basic properties. I am also keen to explore solution thin film coating in making functional and low cost coatings that can be utilized in sensing, chromogenics, electrochemistry and pollutant adsorption. I am also interested in developing and furthering spectroscopic techniques. Recently, we are particularly keen on expanding FTIR and photoemission techniques. In particular, for more in-situ measurements at liquid and gaseous interfaces.
I am also interested in growing new or nanostructured materials intended for energy and environmental applications. We have achieved this for photovoltaic, catalysis and chromism applications. I am particularly interested in understanding the physics that governs respective interfaces and how the detail understanding of the material properties can critically affect the properties, reliability and efficacy of the device performances. |
| Asst Prof Cuong Dang | - OptoElectronic Devices
- Nano-Photonics
- LEDs, Lasers, Quantum Emitters
- Nano-Materials |
| Prof Denis Fichou | Our present research aims at conceiving novel materials, either organic or inorganic in nature, in view of energy applications such as sunlight conversion and storage.
1. Organic and hybrid photovoltaic cells
We design and synthetize novel small organic molecules having an extended pi-electron system and use them either as active materials (p- or n-type semiconductors) or as interfacial layers in thin film solar cells. We recently developed series of molecules such as for example dipyrranylidenes and organo-cobalt complexes, that we used to fabricate efficient photovoltaic solar cells.
2. Oxide-based photoelectrochemical systems
We aim at converting efficiently sunlight into clean and readily usable fuels such as hydrogen or methane on a large scale. One of the most promising technologies consists in splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen through solar irradiation of semiconductor-based devices. We recently designed various efficient PEC systems based on either WO3, Cu2O, or BiVO4 among others, and used them under sunlight illumination to produce hydrogen.
3. Supramolecular self-assemblies on surfaces
The self-assembly of organic molecules on solid surfaces provides a versatile route towards functional 2D arrays in view of energy, catalytic and magnetic applications. Our group develops unique supramolecular architectures by controlling the size and shape of the molecular bricks. We then observe and manipulate the assemblies at the atomic/molecular scale by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). |
| Assoc Prof Douglas Leslie Maskell | Associate Professor Douglas Maskell conducts research in the areas of reconfigurable computing systems, algorithm acceleration, embedded applications & architectures and renewable energy. He is an active member of both the Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) and the Centre for High Performance Embedded Systems (CHiPES).
His principle research focus is in the area of reconfigurable computing. In particular, he examines research problems that aim to overcome the emerging challenges introduced by the trend to incorporate reconfigurable fabrics into embedded and performance computers so as to significantly improve the overall performance of the computing system. This effort involves the development of tools, algorithms & architectures and system level modelling, simulation & design to improve the performance & management of the computing resources. Research areas include: efficient utilisation of FPGA hardware & architecture resources for rapid and near routeless placement & fast configuration; system resource management & inter-module communications for run-time hardware systems and involves investigations at the tools, algorithms and architecture levels.
He also applies his modelling and simulation expertise to projects in the renewable energy field. This initiative examines PV module and systems efficiency in tropical climates. Specifically, this work investigates: novel algorithms and architectures for maximum power point tracking, including hybrid architectures, operating under partial shading conditions and sudden irradiance changes; inverter architectures; and concentrated PV (CPV) systems. |
| Assoc Prof Duan Hongwei | His current research is focused on two major areas including nanomaterials engineering and biomedical nanotechnology. The goal of this work is to develop new technological platforms for early detection and targeted therapy of major human diseases such as cancer. Ongoing projects in his group include semiconductor quantum dots for live cell imaging and biomarker profiling, multifunctional nanoparticles for integrated cancer imaging and therapy, self-assembled nanostructures for disease-targeted drug/gene delivery and ultrathin films based arrays for ultrasensitive biodetection. |
| Assoc Prof Fan Hongjin | 1. Nanomaterials in Energy
Nanomaterials for solar water splitting via photoelectrochemical cells
Li-ion batteries, Na-ion batteries, supercapacitors, and emergent energy storage devices
Atomic layer deposition in energy applications
2. Low-Dimensional Semiconductors
Semiconducting nanowires and heteronanostructure
2D materials, especially heterostructured 2D materials, and related electronic devices |
| Assoc Prof Fei Duan | (1) Kinetics of phase changes
(2) Evaporation cooling and thermal management
(3) Energy/exergy analysis on thermocapillary evaporators
(4) Thermal analyses of energy systems
(5) Development of smart materials |
| Dr Foo Yi Shyh Eddy | His research interests are multi-agent systems, microgrid energy management systems, electricity markets and renewable energy resources. |
| Assoc Prof (Adj) Goh Kia Liang Gregory | Prof. Goh's expertise is in hdyrothermal synthesis, film and nanostructure growth a epitaxy. His current research interests include:
* Growth of TiO2 films for spintronic and photocatalytic applications
* Hydrothermal synthesis of lead-free piezoelectrics
* Inorganic photovoltaic materials
* Low temperature solution epitaxy of ZnO films and nanostructures |
| Assoc Prof Gooi Hoay Beng | Prof Gooi's areas of expertise are Energy Management Systems, Forecast & Scheduling Applications, and Network Applications. His current research focuses on Microgrid Energy Management Systems, Electricity Markets, Spinning Reserve, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Sources. |
| Dr Grahame John Henderson Oliver | Past Research
After graduating from Sheffield University (1970), I worked in mineral exploration for a year in New Zealand and then undertook PhD research at Otago University on the lower crustal rocks exposed adjacent to the Alpine Fault in Fiordland (1976). There then followed two years of post-doctoral research: Rb-Sr dating Fiordland rocks (Cambridge, UK) and basement geology of the Navan Pb-Zn mine (University College Dublin, Ireland) before taking a Lectureship at St Andrews (1978). During 30 years at St Andrews I researched the sub-greenschist (prehnite-pumpellyite) metamorphism of the British Caledonides, zircon geochronology of the Polish Caledonides (with a sabbatical year of zircon dating in Canada), geodynamics of the Main Central Thrust and Lesser Himalayas; metamorphic core complexes and regional detachments in the Damara Belt, Namibia; the Outer Isles Fault Zone, Outer Hebrides; the Ballantrae Ophiolite, and the geodynamics of Scottish Caledonian granites (including a sabbatical year of zircon dating in Australia with Prof S Wilde). I have been collaborating with Dr J Najman (University of Lancaster) and Dr Ruth Robinson (University of St Andrews) on the type and age of detrital minerals in the Ganges and Irrawaddy river systems and the timing of the Himlayan Orogeny and river capture.
Developing research interests
1. Feasibility of geothermal power in Singapore (in collaboration with Prof A Palmer, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, NUS)
2. Siting of nuclear power plants in metropolitan areas (collaboration with Prof. A Palmer and A. Prof G.Rethinaraj, NUS).
3. A new integrated coal prospecting tool for SE Asia, an integrated remote sensing and geophysical approach (collaboration with Prof D Higgit (Univ Nottingham), and A Prof S Lieu, A Prof Chen-Chieh Feng, (NUS).
4. Evolution of the Malaysian Tin Belt (collaboration with Prof M Searle (Oxford University) and Prof A Ghani (University of Malaya).
5. Groundwater studies in Singapore (collaboration with A. Prof V Babovik, NUS).
6. Holocene sea levels and large storm events (collsboration with Prof J Terry, Univ Dubai) |
| Prof Hng Huey Hoon | Prof Hng's main research interest is in the understanding of processing-microstructure-property relationships of nanomaterials. The research covers a wide range of experimental analytical techniques such as electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Such techniques enable the characterization of nanometre scale phases and provide an in-depth understanding of the materials' properties. Her current research works focus on the synthesis of inorganic materials using various processing techniques. The materials of interest are thermoelectric and energetic materials including metal alloys, intermetallics and functional ceramics. |
| Assoc Prof (Adj) Hong Yan | His current research interest are:
Jatropha curcas as a biofuel feedstock plant;
Biotechnology of tropical forestry species;
Plant metabolic engineering;
Plant tissue culture and genetic modification;
DNA marker and other technology development. |
| Assoc Prof Hsu Wen Jing | High Performance Computing; Parallel and Distributed systems;
Resource Scheduling; Multi-core Computing; Energy-efficient Scheduling; Green Computing;
Peer-to-peer systems; Personal Positioning; Location-aware systems and applications; |
| Prof Hu Xiao | Composites and Nanocomposites
Functional Polymers: Synthesis and Assembly
Nanocrystals Synthesis and Modification (including rods, dots and tubes)
Organic-inorganic Hybrid Materials |
| Prof Huan Cheng Hon, Alfred | Alfred Huan's research interests lie primarily in surface science and spectroscopy. He has published over 180 papers in international refereed journals and 1 book chapter, with a current H-index of 19 and citation rate of 7.92. He has been the PI of several research grants awarded by Ministry of Education and A*STAR, with total exceeding S$4 million.
He serves on the editorial board of a new journal (Research Letters in Physics), and is a member of the Programme Committees for the ICMAT and VASSCAA conference series |
| Asst Prof Jason England | Bioinspired activation of small molecules and inert X-H bonds. More specifically, at present we seek to develop first-row late transition metal complexes able to (1) activate O2 for catalytic oxidation of unactivated C-H bonds, thereby allowing more straightforward synthesis of a wide range of organic molecules; (2) promote efficient and selective reduction of O2 to water (ORR), which is key to the function of fuel cells; and (3) electrocatalytically oxidize H2O to O2 in an efficient manner, which is pivotal to the development of photovoltaic cells designed to harvest and store solar energy in chemical form. Nature is able to catalyze all of the aforementioned chemical transformations in a highly efficient manner, and does so under ambient conditions using enzymes containing highly abundant first-row transition metals. Being able to reproduce the general function of these enzymes using small molecules would be highly desirable, and that is what our research aims to achieve. |
| Asst Prof Jason Xu Zhichuan | • Electrocatalysis
• Electrochemical energy storage
• Electrochemical interfaces
• Electrochemical sensors
• Magnetic nanomaterials
• Chemistry for materials recycle |
| Assoc Prof K Radhakrishnan | Epitaxial growth and characterization of compound semiconductor materials including III-Nitrides. Development of advanced nanostructures and metamorphic growths. Surface and interface analysis. Device fabrication and characterization for low-noise, power and MMIC applications. |
| Assoc Prof (Adj) Kang Kok Hin | Strategic management of facilities & projects
Whole life performance of buildings
Key performance indicators
Energy management & green audit
Wind induced dynamic response of tall buildings
Fluid dynamic
Township planning & management |
| Asst Prof (Adj) Kedar Hippalgaonkar | Understanding fundamental heat and energy transport at the nanoscale, in nanowires and two-dimensional materials. In particular, he is interested in interactions between electrons, phonons and photons in nanoscale materials and how these can be manipulated to design and create novel functional devices, specifically for renewable energy technologies such as thermoelectrics, PV and thermo-photovoltaics. |
| Prof Lalit Kumar Goel | Power system reliability. Cost/benefit considerations. Deregulated power markets. Renewable energy. Power system analysis. |
| Assoc Prof Lam Yeng Ming | Yeng Ming’s research interests are in the understanding and the application of self-organization of peptides and polymers. She has studied a wide range of self-assembled systems in selective solvents and thin films. Her research also includes the application of self-assembly on the synthesis of nanostructures/nanoparticles, nanotemplating, organic memory, photovoltaics, etc.
Yeng Ming has also demonstrated through the use of both experiments and calculations, that it is possible to accurately parameterize copolymer systems. The mesoscale morphology of the copolymer system can be predicted accurately through simulation making use of the dynamic mean field density method. This allows for a simple approach in the design of copolymer for self-assembly and to understand the conditions for self-assembly. This work resulted in the publication of numerous papers and 2 book chapters. She has also obtained research funding for self-assembly work in other applications such as surface modifications and development of nanoreactors for controlled synthesis of nanomaterials. Her most recent funding obtained through the Competitive Research Programme funding from National Research Foundation as a Project PI under a S$10 million programme on Nanonets: New Materials, Devices for Integrated Energy Harvesting. |
| Prof (Adj) Lau Joo Ming | Building Technology , Energy , Environment, Material Science, Materials,Civil and Structural Engineering |
| Assoc Prof Lau Wai Man | Dr Lau's areas of expertise are Fluidization, Multiphase Flow, and Reactor Design. His current research works focus on the kinetic and hydrodynamic study of Fisher-Tropsch Synthesis process, particle formulation and inhaler design in dry powder inhalation, and process engineering study of microalgae cultivation. For more information, please visit his research homepage at: http://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/WMLau/ |
| Assoc Prof Lee Jong-Min | Prof Lee's research interest is in analysis and design of electrochemical systems and development of ionic liquid as a green solvent for chemical and biomedical reactions and of nanomaterials and of their assemblies for applications in biomedical, optical, and electronic fields.
Currently, his research interests focus on:
i) the electrodeposition of mesoporous materials in a dual template utilizing porous anodic alumina and lyotropic liquid crystal for electrochemical energy systems,
ii) the development of ionic liquids as media for chemical and biomedical reactions,
iii) the extraction of metal ions using ionic liquids,
iv) and the deconstruction of biomass feedstock using ionic liquids for production of fermentable sugars. |
| Assoc Prof Lee Peng Hin | Reliable control with performance.
Assistive technology.
Energy Managements |
| Asst Prof Lee Seok Woo | 1. High density material for lithium-ion batteries
- Mechanics of battery materials
- Thermal behavior of battery materials
- Manufacturing of high performance electrode for LIB
- Beyond lithium
2. Electrochemical systems for thermal energy harvesting
- Materials of highly efficient thermal energy conversion
- Electrochemical devices for body heat conversion
- Grid-scale waste heat harvesting system |
| Assoc Prof Leong Kai Choong | Heat transfer in nanofluids. Thermal management of electronic packages. Hybrid fuel cell based power and cooling systems. Adsorption refrigeration. |
| Asst Prof Leong Wei Lin | - Organic and Molecular Electronics
- Interfaces and Surface Science
- Printing processes for large-area and flexible electronics
We are always looking for highly motivated PhD students and postdocs in the related fields. Please enquire independently. |
| Assoc Prof Li Lin | (i) polymeric gels & hydrogels, (ii) controlled drug release from hydrogels, (iii) synthesis of nanoparticles for gene delivery, (iv) development of conductive polymers for fuel cells, (v) fabrication of micro- to nano-sized drug particles, (vi) polymer rheology & processing, etc. |
| Assoc Prof Ling Xing Yi | The research programs in our laboratory combine chemistry, nanotechnology, and materials science approaches to develop functional nanostructures with novel catalysis, plasmonic and sensing applications. Our research activities involve nanoparticle synthesis, surface chemistry, self-assembly, nanopatterning, nanofabrication, and materials and device characterization.
Nanostructures for optimal solar energy conversion
The amount of solar energy striking the earth’s surface in one hour is enough to power human activity for one year. Hence, solar energy provides one of the best options to sustain human civilization. An efficient photosystem is able (1) to absorb a large amount of broadband solar energy at full solar spectrum, (2) convert photons into electron-hole pairs efficiently, and (3) perform catalysis reaction to produce fuel at high yield. Currently, most photocatalysts suffer from low reaction efficiency. The main goal in this project is to design nanostructures with artificial photosynthesis properties to achieve high solar fuel conversion. Our strategy is focused on fabricating well-defined nanostructures by combining bottom-up self-assembly and top-down nanofabrication techniques. Important information will be gained to drive the solar-to-fuel photocatalysis towards commercialization and to reduce human’s dependence on non-renewable fossil fuel. |
| Assoc Prof Liu Bin | Architected nanomaterials for solar-to-fuel and solar-to-electric conversion.
Photocatalysis for air and water treatment.
Nanocomposites.
Electrocatalysis. |
| Asst Prof Liu Zheng | Synthesis of large-scale and high-quality two-dimensional (2D) materials, e.g. graphene, hexagonal boron nitrides (h-BN), transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs); Synthesis of ternary 2D materials such as h-BNC and doped TMDs; Hybridized architectures of 2D materials; Applications of 2D materials on high-performance optical and electronic devices. |
| Prof Lou Xiong Wen | Nanomaterials for High-performance Lithium-ion Batteries and supercapacitors, Hollow nanostructures, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis |
| Prof Lua Aik Chong | Professor Lua's areas of expertise are the development of activated carbons for adsorbing gaseous and aqueous pollutants and measurement of flow rates. His current research activities are the preparation and characterization of activated carbons, adsorption technology for air pollution and water filtration, development of polymeric membranes for gas separation, measurement of flow rates using fluidic flowmeters and measurements of particulates and gas emissions from diesel engines. |
| Assoc Prof Lydia Helena Wong | 1. Novel materials for organic photovoltaic: molecular/structural modification for improved charge separation and transport, integration of organic/inorganic nanomaterials for improved carrier conductivity, mobility enhancement of organic molecules,
2. Organic photovoltaic devices: architectural design by bulk heterojunction, tandem cells, organic/inorganic hybrid cells; fabrication integration techniques of nanomaterials.
3. Synthesis and characterizations of nanomaterials: Group IV (Si, SiGe, Ge) nanowires, metal-oxide nanowires and nanoparticles (ZnO, TiO2), nanoparticle-decorated nanowires
4. Materials for nanoelectronic devices: growth, thermal stability and relaxation mechanisms of semiconductor heteroepitaxy structures , fabrication and electrical behavior of advanced gate stack for Si-based CMOS, nanomaterials for advanced electronic devices. |
| Prof Markus Kraft | Professor Kraft has a strong interest in the area of computational modelling and optimisation targeted towards developing carbon abatement and emissions reduction technologies for the automotive, power and chemical industries. Together with his research team he has also contributed significantly towards the detailed modelling of combustion synthesis of organic and inorganic nanoparticles and worked on spray drying and granulation of fine powders. |
| Asst Prof (Adj) Markus Schlapfer | - Smart Cities
- Urban Informatics
- Data Analysis and Mining
- Network Theory/Complexity Science |
| Assoc Prof Massimo Pica Ciamarra | We are interested in understanding the physics of disordered many-particle systems via statistical mechanics tools and numerical simulations, which is arguably one of the most pressing needs in material science. Such an understanding is crucial to 1) design atomic or polymeric disordered materials with specific mechanical and rheological properties; 2) rationalize natural catastrophic events, such as earthquakes and avalanches; 3) improve the many industrial products and processes handling particulate media, from the food to the pharmaceutical and the electronic industry. The main difficulty is the developing of a theoretical framework connecting the macroscopic and the microscopic scales in the presence of disorder. Some topics of specific interest are:
1. glass transition
2. suspensions of soft deformable particles, e.g. microgels
3. liquid with density anomalies
4. rheological properties of disordered particulate systems, with applications to earthquakes
5. pattern formation in driven particulate systems, e.g. segregation
6. transport properties in disordered media |
| Asst Prof Ng Bing Feng | Aeroelasticity
Wind energy systems
Tidal energy systems
Acoustics agglomeration |
| Assoc Prof Ng Heong Wah | His early research interests have been in analysis and design of high temperature structures and pressure systems components including pressure vessels and piping design and analysis, fracture mechanics and defect assessment. Currently, his research focused on experimental, diagnostics, CFD modeling and simulation of plasma sprayed deposition of coatings for thermal barrier, SOFC fuel cells and other industrial applications. |
| Prof Ng Wun Jern | NG WUN JERN's research interests are largely in the area of water and wastewater management. The focus of his efforts has been on investigations into water quality, treatment science, and development of treatment technologies. These investigations span the water quality spectrum - ranging from ultra-pure water to high strength and potentially inhibitory wastewaters.
His research output may be found in some 400 publications. These include journal papers, conference presentations, book chapters and monographs, reports, and patents. His latest book publications are titled "Industrial Wastewater Treatment" (Imperial College Press) and "Wetlands for Tropical Applications" (Imperial College Press).
Current R&D interests revolve around effluent treatment and include dehalogenation under bioreductive conditions. Of particular interest are the chloro-compounds and dehalogenation under acidic conditions with biomass sculptured into granules.
The interest in bioreductive (instead of bio-oxidative) processes stems from concern over energy costs and carbon footprints of treatment processes. Anaerobic processes are therefore of interest when used to manage strong wastewaters from industrial and agro-industrial sources. Current R&D interest focuses on thermophilic anaerobic processes and gas productivities and quality. Conceptually there is a shift from viewing the anaerobic process as a wastewater pretreatment device to one which is intended to recover energy from the wastewater.
Extending this interest is the work on biosorption where sorption is used to concentrate carbonaceous material from low strength wastewaters prior to anaerobic degradation of the sorbent with gas recovery. This approach deviates from the conventional approach of using anaerobic processes such as the UASB or anaerobic filter to address low strength wastewaters. Laboratory studies typically use the cyclic process configuration although larger scale studies can be with the cyclic or continuous flow configuration.
In aerobic treatment, there is interest in the MBR applied with granulated biomass. The interest is on biofouling mitigation using this modified biomass morphology. There is also interest in using the MBR and the concept of "back seeding" to achieve better nutrients removal and degradation of resistant organics (eg textile dyes). |
| Assoc Prof Ng Yin Kwee | His main area of research is thermal imaging, biomedical engineering; computational turbomachinery aerodynamics; marine sustainable energy problems; computational fluid dynamics & computational heat transfer such as laser modelling, bioheat transfer analysis. He is the: Adjunct National University Hospital Scientist; Editor-in-Chief for the J. of Mechanics in Medicine and Biology; J. Med. Imaging and Health Informatics (Founding EiC); and strategy Assoc. Editor-in-Chief for World J. of Clinical Oncology;
Assoc. Editor for Int. J. of Rotating Machinery; Computational Fluid Dynamics J. (CFDJ); Int. J. of Breast Cancer, Chinese J. of Medicine, Open Medical Informatics J., Open Numerical Methods J., J. of Healthcare Engg, J. of Scientific Conf. Proceedings, and J. of Bionano Science & many more; co-chairman for 15th Int. Conf. on Mechanics in Medicine and Biology (2006); co-chair of the working group on thermal imagers under Medical Technology Standards Committee by SPRING, Singapore (handling the international standardisation aspects for thermal imagers for ISO-IEC) etc. |
| Asst Prof Oh Seungdae | Biotransformation of emerging contaminants
Bioenergy and biofuel production from organic waste streams
Biological treatment and microbial quality of drinking water
Metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and metabolomics
Microbial ecology in natural and engineered biological systems |
| Asst Prof Oliver Martin Mueller-Cajar | Photosynthetic organisms provide us with food and other materials by using light energy from the sun to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to make usable sugars. Almost all CO2 enters the biosphere via the enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase (Rubisco). In spite of the crucial importance of this process Rubisco is non-specific and slow, which has forced nature to hugely overexpress the protein, or to use tricks such as biochemical or biophysical carbon concentrating mechanisms to saturate the enzyme with substrate.
Genomic studies have uncovered that Nature possesses a great diversity of Rubiscos and associated protein machinery to perform the task of CO2 capture, much of it poorly characterized. Research in my laboratory aims to mechanistically describe the biochemistry of CO2-fixation related machinery. By increasing our understanding of the sophisticated mechanisms that have evolved in remote branches of the tree of life, we hope to provide knowledge that can later be applied to improving the photosynthetic efficiency of crop species.
An emerging interest concerns the use of cyanobacteria as a synthetic biology platform. This involves both the utilization and implementation of heterologous CO2 fixation machinery, as well as the potential to channel the photosynthate towards compounds of scientific and commercial interest. |
| Prof Ooi Kim Tiow | Flow and heat transfer study of refrigeration system and cooling system, in particular the refrigeration compressor. Detail mathematical simualtion and measurement of compressor performance. Novel compressor designs and performance improvement. Microchannel flow and heat transfer. Optimisation design of refrigeration components and systems. Recently he also researches into enhanced microchannel heat transfer in macro geometry. |
| Prof Peter Julian Nixon | The newly established Cyanobacterial Synthetic Biology Lab at NTU (CyanoSynBio@NTU) is exploring the use of synthetic biology approaches to develop cyanobacteria as suitable platforms for the production of high-value products especially excretable carbon-based molecules. The advantage of cyanobacteria (as well as microalgae) is that they use solar energy to drive the process and at the same time capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
We are currently working on several related projects, some in collaboration with other research groups at NTU:
1. Identification and characterization of novel Singaporean cyanobacterial strains (with Prof Stephan Schuster in SCELSE)
2. Development of novel genome editing tools (with Prof Peter Droege in SBS)
3. Rewiring of metabolism to promote the production of isoprenoid-derived molecules, sugars and fatty acids
4. Improving photosynthetic growth (with Prof Oliver Mueller-Cajar, SBS)
5. Improving resistance of cyanobacteria to bright light and extremes of temperature |
| Asst Prof Ranjan Singh | Dr. Singh’s research interests lie at the intersection of electromagnetics, materials, photonics and micro-nanotechnology, with special focus on studying light-matter interaction at the micro-nanoscale. Broadly his research interests are in the areas of nanophotonics, semiconductors, metals, superconductors, plasmonics, metamaterials and nanofabrication. He has been working on design, simulations and fabrication of novel electromagnetic devices including metamaterials, plasmonic resonators and complex oxide transition materials, while simultaneously exploring their applications in information, sensing and energy.
Dr. Singh’s research interests are focused on the development of terahertz, infrared, and optical metamaterial based active and passive plasmonic devices. Metamaterials have been found to possess exotic properties and effects that are beyond the realms of materials that exist in nature. His contributions in the field so far has been in the terahertz region where he demonstrated classical active and passive analogues of electromagnetically induced transparency through near field coupled metamaterial resonators, sensing with metamaterials, chiral metamaterials, ultra-high quality factor Fano resonances, and ultrafast superconductor metamaterials.
Dr. Singh’s recent research focuses on addressing the issue of losses in subwavelength plasmonic metamaterials and investigates new dynamic materials that could be integrated with metamaterial resonators to achieve the active control of the photonic devices with exotic properties. |
| Prof Sam Zhang Shanyong | 1. Nanocomposite coating of superior hardness in combination of superior toughness
2. Sol-Gel synthesis of hydroxyapatite coating on titanium alloys for biomedical applications.
3. Coatings for Clean Energy |
| Asst Prof Samir Hemant Mushrif | Continuously depleting petroleum resources, energy shortage due to ever increasing demands, and environmental concerns are driving the research towards finding novel, low cost, functional materials, catalysts and processes, capable of being commercialized for sustainable energy in the future. Hydrogen production and storage, fuel cells, biomass conversion to fuels and chemicals are some of the high potential areas that are currently being explored. Microscopic understanding of the governing physico–chemical interactions in materials and processes is crucial in developing these technologies. Gleaning fundamental insights into the mechanistic details of a process or into aspects that determine how a material is formed and it functions can help optimize the process operating conditions and material properties.
The general focus of the research in the group is to characterize (i) the synthesis and behavior of catalytic and energy storage materials, particularly carbon based and active metal doped materials, and (ii) the chemistry of lignocellulosic biomass conversion, in the presence of these materials, using a multiscale modeling and simulation approach. The hierarchical multiscale approach, developed on the foundation of first principles/quantum mechanical laws and in synergy with experimental findings are implemented for materials and process design.
Advanced multiscale molecular modeling methods like density functional theory, first–principles molecular dynamics, metadynamics and reactive force–fields are gaining increasing attention from researchers in chemistry, catalysis and materials community for the advancement of knowledge in these fields. Given the important role that chemical engineers play in developing novel materials, catalysts and processes, a paradigm shift in modeling and simulation in chemical engineering is now occurring and a strong workforce skilled in employing these molecular modeling techniques in chemical engineering research needs to be developed. Samir strongly believes that the students and post-docs working in his group will be trained to spearhead this emerging area in chemical engineering. Additionally, they will also gain international exposure through collaborations with experimental and theoretical researchers abroad.
If you want to know more about the research in the group, or if you are interested in joining the group, please visit our website (http://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/shmushrif/). We are currently looking for motivated PhD and post-doc candidates with background in chemical engineering/chemistry/materials. Post-doc applicants are expected to have prior experience in molecular modeling and quantum mechanical calculations. |
| Assoc Prof See Kye Yak | Electomagnetic Compatibility, Signal Integrity, Electromagnetic Shielding and Railway Condition Monitoring. |
| Asst Prof (Adj) Seh Zhi Wei | - |
| Prof Shen Zexiang | Raman spectroscopy and microscopy
Graphene and graphene composite materials for electric energy storage - Li & Na ion batteries, supercapacitors
flexible battery for bendable electronics
Nano Science and Nano Technology
Plasmonics
Optical and electronic properties of 2D materials
Optical study of perovskite materials
Ultra low wavenember Raman spectroscopy
High pressure study
Theoretical simulation of graphene, 2D materials, and perovskites
Industrial collaborators:
Johnson Matthey, UK
Elbit Systems, Israel
Thales, France
Akzo Nobel, Netherlands
Globalfoundries
Wintech Nano |
| Assoc Prof Shirley Ho Soo Yee | Media effects and public opinion in the context of science, health, and environmental issues
Impacts of new media and social-psychological factors on attitudinal and behavioral outcomes
Mass communication theory and quantitative research methods |
| Assoc Prof Siek Liter | Research interests are in the design of analog/mixed signal ICs especially in the areas of low-voltage low-power circuits, Power Management ICs, PLLs and Data Converters. |
| Assoc Prof So Ping Lam | Dr So's areas of expertise are power system stability and control, FACTS, active power filters, and power line communications. His current research works focus on distributed generation, clean and renewable energy, microgrids and smart grids. |
| Prof Soh Yeng Chai | Robust system theory and applications; Estimation and filtering; Signal and information processing; Hybrid systems and applications; Optical signal processing. |
| Asst Prof Soo Han Sen | Innovated photosynthesis: A different way to perform artificial photosynthesis
Hybrid materials
Inorganic and organometallic chemistry
Heterogeneous catalysis
Photocatalysis
Nanoarchitecture and applications of nanomaterials in renewable energy research
Green chemistry
Environmental remediation with photocatalysis heterogeneous membranes |
| Assoc Prof Soong Boon Hee | Research interests in the area of Ad Hoc and Wireless Sensors Networks, Mobility Management, Network Planning and Capacity Optimisation, and Adaptive Video Rate Control. |
| Prof Srinivasan Madhavi | Asst.Prof. Madhavi Srinivasan areas of expertise are in Energy storage devices (lithium ion batteries,zinc-air batteries/fuel cells, supercapacitors), Ecomaterials (photocatalysts, ion-exchange ceramic membranes) and synthesis/characterization (XPS, XRD, SEM/TEM and spectroscopy) of nanostructured materials. Her current research works focus on employing functionalized carbon nanotubes SWNT/MWNT)and decorated CNTs as electrodes in batteries/supercapacitors. Her ongoing work involves fabrication of nanostructures of transtion metal oxide and metal nanoparticles and optimization of their adhesion on to carbon-based materials.She is also working on visible light photocatalysts such as perovskite and nitrogen doped titania along with activated carbon. |
| Assoc Prof Su Haibin | Dr. Su is an expert in computational materials science. His current research programs focus on the
development and application of theoretical and computational materials science; Quantum-mechanical, classical simulations and modeling of the electronic, structural, energetic and dynamical properties of functional materials; Emergent collective properties of condensed matter systems, in particular, at nanometer scales. |
| Asst Prof Su Pei-Chen | Energy Thin Films
Nano Ionics
Low Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
Silicon-based Micro-SOFCs
Atomic Layer Deposition
Multi-scale 3D Printing |
| Prof Subodh Gautam Mhaisalkar | Prof Subodh’s main areas of research comprise semiconductor nanomaterials, photovoltaics, optoelectronics devices, and printed electronics. Common to these projects are methods of processing of semiconductors (perovskites, organic, nanocarbons, or oxide nanowires), fundamental device physics studies, and device integration. |
| Assoc Prof Sum Tze Chien | My current research focuses on investigating light matter interactions; energy and charge transfer mechanisms; and probing carrier and quasi-particle dynamics in a broad range of emergent nanoscale light emitting and light harvesting systems using Femtosecond time-resolved spectroscopy. These can be categorized under two main research themes: (1) nanophotonics and lasing and (2) photovoltaics. Specifically, I seek to address the following three questions in these systems:
(i) Where did the energy go? That is the interplay of carrier/quasi-particle dynamics between the host energy levels, defect energy levels and the dopant energy levels.
(ii) What are the underlying photo-physics and light-matter interactions that give this system its unique characteristics? That is the various processes such as carrier-carrier scattering, carrier-phonon scattering, radiative recombination and auger recombination etc.
(iii) How can these properties/technologies be improved for practical applications? That is how the knowledge gained be used for the development of novel optoelectronic devices; nanolasers; and photovoltaic devices.
1. Nanophotonics and Lasing: We seek to understand the interplay of carrier/quasi-particle dynamics between the host energy levels, defect energy levels and the dopant energy levels and the factors affecting amplified spontaneous emission or lasing in these II-VI nanostructures such as ZnO nanowires, CdS nanowires and even the mixed dimension CdSe dot/ CdS nanorod heterostructures and organic-inorganic halide perovskites (CH3NH3PBI3). My most outstanding research work in Nanophotonics and Lasing to date is my Nature Materials (Mar 2014) paper on the discovery of CH3NH3PbI3 as an excellent optical gain medium for lasing (80 cites - Google Scholar - 03 Apr 2014).
2. Photovoltaics: Ultrafast optical spectroscopy allows us to trace the fate of the carriers and quasi-particles in photovoltaic devices from genesis to the end with timescales spanning over ten orders of magnitude. Correlated with electrical characterization techniques, new insights into the mechanisms of charge generation, transfer, trapping, recombination and transport in novel PV materials can be gained through these studies. My most outstanding research works in photovoltaics to date are (i) the Nature Communications (June 2013) paper on uncovering the loss mechanisms in Ag-nanoparticle blended bulk heterojunction plasmonic organic solar cells using ultrafast optical spectroscopy (25 cites - Google Scholar - 03 Apr 2014); and (ii) the Science paper (Sep 2013) on discovering the long-range balanced electron and hole transport lengths in organic-inorganic CH3NH3PbI3 (456 cites - Google Scholar - 03 Apr 2014).
3. Miscellaneous Works: Carrier dynamics in Graphene and 2-D Materials: An earlier featured work published in Optics Express (2010) is on the study of strong light-matter interactions in graphene. Tze-Chien Sum and his co-workers developed a new optical characterization approach (based on the simple z-scan method) for the study of ultrafast carrier dynamics in graphene. Importantly, this work uncovered evidence of an ultrafast carrier-carrier scattering process of ~8 fs in atomic layer graphene and provided a deep insight into the physics of ultrafast saturable absorption of graphene that allows it to function as passive mode-lockers and pulse shapers. This article was highlighted by Optical Society of America’s Spotlight on Optics and has since garnered a total of 118 cites (Google Scholar-03 Apr 2014). |
| Assoc Prof Sun Delai, Darren | - TiO2 nanofibe/tube membrane for water and energy (H2 and solar cell) production
- Membrane fouling mechanism, control and prevention
- Multifunctional membrane module design
- Membrane bioreactor design
- Composite membranes and membrane modules for environmental applications
- Biofilms grown on liquid-permeable membranes
- Reutilization of waste into value-added product. |
| Assoc Prof Suresh Sundaram | Cognitive Computation
Guidance and Control of Aerospace Vehicles
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Design
Machine Learning
Applied Game Theory
Optimization
Distributed Computing
Computer Vision |
| Assoc Prof Sze Siu Kwan | Our research is devoted to develop and apply advanced proteomic technologies to decipher human diseases through a rational search for novel disease targets and medicines. As proteomics is still in the infancy stage, technology development is the key to advance the field to address more sophisticated biomedical questions. During the past few years, we have successfully developed a few novel proteomic techniques and applied to study proteins that are important to transcriptional and translational regulatory networks, DNA repair, and apoptotic pathway. More importantly, we have established a biological and biomarker discovery pipeline to study clinically important proteome systems relevant to host-pathogen response, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases |
| Assoc Prof Tan Soon Keat | Dr Tan's research interests include application of geographical information system (GIS) in water resources, numerical simulation of flow for hydraulics and coastal engineering applications. His current research projects include hydrodynamic consideration of mega underwater structures and application of wetland technologies in the removal of pharmaceutical products from wastewater streams.
Dr Tan specilaises in urban water management, rainfall-runoff modeling as well as water quality modeling, flooding, drainage, urban response, climate change and future scenarios analysis. Managing surface water in terms of quantitative distribution, storage and transport, removal of water-borne contaminant, particularly trace quantity of drugs and pharmaceutical products from waste-water streams are challenges in the management of water resources, and in particular, supply of raw water in the face of climate change and rapid urbanisation. A viable and feasible solution is to employ wetland technology as a means to remove contaminants and management of peak runoff. Under the supervision of Dr Tan, a research team is carrying out a series of constructed wetlands experiments with raw water spiked with selected contaminants. The research work has produced meaningful results and highly cited publications since its inception in 2009.
Currently Dr Tan is leading research work on strategic development of coastal, urban scape and water resources, in response to climate change as well as developmental scenarios. |
| Asst Prof Tegoeh Tjahjowidodo | dynamics, vibration, (nonlinear) identification and modelling |
| Assoc Prof Tiong Lee Kong, Robert | Areas of research interests:
1. catastrophe risk assessment and management
2. alternative risk transfer mechanisms and financing
3. catastrophe micro-insurance
4. sustainable development and systems,
5. impact of climate change, carbon finance and carbon emission reductions
6. integrated risk analysis |
| Asst Prof Tran Anh Tuan | * Drop-surface interactions
* Thermal management using surface modification
* Boiling at microscales
* Microfluidics |
| Dr Tuti Mariana Lim | Dr. Lim's areas of expertise include resources recovery particularly for rare earth elements separation by solvent extraction which was her PhD research topic. She was also involved in clean energy research during her undergraduate study and her final year project was on the development of Vanadium Battery technology. She was the recipient of Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) summer vacation scholarship in 1990-1991 to investigate the effect of pressure and temperature on the solubility of natural gas in LPG.
Dr. Lim's current research interests include advanced oxidation technologies, hybrid membrane technologies and renewable energy technologies. She has done significant research work and published over 25 top quality international conferences and journal papers. |
| Assoc Prof Wan Man Pun | Prof Wan's areas of expertise are aerosol sciences, building environmental quality and catalytic combustion. His current research works focus on transport of expiratory aerosols in indoor environments and infectious disease transmission, ultrafine particle dynamics, mass transfer and chemical kinetics in catalytic oxidation systems. |
| Asst Prof Wang Mingfeng | Biological systems are featured by emergent properties in many processes such as energy and chemical transduction, communication, adaptation, self-repair and reproduction. They provide the proof-of-concept for what can physically be achieved with nanotechnology. For example, the ways in which biological systems transform and store energy, as well as their capabilities to perform self-repair and to adapt to external conditions inspire materials scientists and engineers how to manipulate energy, entropy and information in synthetic nano/micro systems.
The mission of my research group is to develop novel polymeric and supramolecular materials with bioinspired hierarchical structures and advanced functions, broadly defined, for energy sustainability and human health. We enable this goal through a highly interdisciplinary research program across chemistry, materials science, biology and engineering. Our specific aims include:
1) To develop bioinspired light-harvesting complexes by design, synthesis and assembly of functional molecules, polymers and nanoparticles.
2) To understand interfacial transport of energy, charge and mass in hierarchically assembled structures with integrated functions.
3) To explore new materials and device structures for sustainable energy conversion and storage.
4) To develop multifunctional nanoscale vectors for smart biodiagnostics and nanomedicines.
Students and postdocs in Dr. Wang's research group will be trained with knowledge and skills in polymers and materials chemistry, supramolecular science, nanomaterials, and colloids & interfaces. They will also gain opportunities of cross-boundary collaboration in ultrafast spectroscopy, optoelectronic devices and biomedical sciences. Please contact Dr. Wang if you would like to learn more information about our research, or if you are interested to join our group. |
| Prof Wang Peng | Power system planning and operation; Renewable energy planning; Solar/electricity convesion system; Power market; Power system reliability analysis. |
| Prof Wang Xin | Prof Wang Xin's areas of expertise are electrochemistry and electrocatalysis. His current research works focus on fuel cell, energy storage and electrochemical reactor with co-generation of electricity and valuable chemicals. |
| Prof Wang Youyi | Dr. Wang Youyi's main research interests are in the area of applications of nonlinear control, robust control to power and energy systems, electric drive systems, information storage systems, fuel cell systems, renewable energy systems and MEMS systems. Since he joined Nanyang Technological University in 1991, Dr. Wang keeps actively doing research in many areas and exploring some new research areas. Dr. Wang has made a good contribution and has a good international recognition and reputation in the established research areas of power and energy system control and analysis, hard disk drive systems, drive system control, and renewable energy system modeling and control. |
| Prof Wen Changyun | Prof Wen's areas of expertise are Adaptive Control,Switching and Impulsive Systems,Modeling and Design of Steam Ejector Based Air-Conditioning Systems,Modeling, Monitoring, Control and Optimization of Water Distribution Networks, Iterative Learning Control,Control of Nano-Systems, Control of Biomedical Systems,Optical signal Processing,Active Vision and Its Applications,Chaos-Based Secure Communication Systems,Robust Control,2-D Systems and Image Processing. Currently his current research works focus on Adaptive Control,Modeling and Design of Steam Ejector Based Air-Conditioning Systems,Modeling, Monitoring, Control and Optimization of Water Distribution Networks, Control of Nano-Systems, Control of Biomedical Systems,Chaos-Based Secure Communication Systems. |
| Assoc Prof Wong Kin Shun, Terence | Professor Wong's research focus is in:
1. Organic electronics: organic light emitting diodes; organic photovoltaic devices, printing processes for large area electronics.
2. Silicon nanoelectronics: mechanisms of local strained silicon devices; measurement of biaxial stressed silicon
3. Characterisation techniques: use of synchrotron x-ray scattering to characterize the structural properties of electronic materials
4. Interconnects: deposition of low-k dielectrics and material property characterization; sol-gel synthesis of dielectrics; high frequency measurement and modeling Cu/low-k interconnects.
His current research focus is on organic electronics and silicon nanoelectronics. |
| Assoc Prof Wong Teck Neng | Assoc Prof Wong's main research focus on two-phase flow and heat transfer, multiphase flows in microchannels, multi-fluid electroosmotic flow in microfluidic devices, liquid slug thermocapillary flows in microchannels, two-phase flow in evaporator, condenser and capillary tube expansion devices, heat driven pump and pulsating heat pipe for electronic cooling. |
| Assoc Prof Wong Yiik Diew | Dr Wong's R&D interests are in urban mobility; road safety engineering & practices; driver & traveller behaviours; pedestrian safety & accessibility; bicycle transport & infrastructure; innovative construction materials in pavement. He has also undertaken research in freight transport; maritime safety & security; maritime manpower developments.
Graduate students [graduated] (active):
PhD Thesis [Lum Kit Meng; Aine Kusumawati; Anggraini Zulkati; Ho Sze Hwee; Chai Chen; Koh Puay Ping; Yeung Jian Sheng; Chen Mengjia; Yuen Kum Fai] (Dwi Phalita Upahita; Rojas Lopez Maria Cecilia; Wang Xueqin; Shi Xiupeng; Chee Pei Nen; Hou Xiao; Che Maohao; Wang Yongcheng; Arimbi Jinca; Tharsis Teoh; Te Ron Nguyen);
M.Eng. Thesis [Ng Choon Heng; Chandrasekar, P.; Goh Pin Kai; Hau Lay Peng; Ho Jen Sim; Koh Puay Ping];
MSc (Transportation Engineering) Dissertation [Seah Haw Kuan; Tan Koon Hiau; Min Min Naing; Thu Ya Chit; Iwan Soemarjo Halim; Yap Zhee Lian; Abeyweera Herath Mudiyanselage Buddhi ; Aye Aye Htwe; Myint Myint Than; Thein Moe; Thant Zin Myo; Moe Aung Lwin];
MSc (Logistics) Dissertation [Ng Mong Choon Edwin; Goh Teck Jin; Chan Yew Kee; Tan Seng Hor; Ho Hwa Puay; Tan Tsui Hsia; Chng Siew Ling Yvonne].
Profile: http://scholar.google.com.sg/citations?sortby=pubdate&hl=en&user=1yeETc4AAAAJ&view_op=list_works
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| Asst Prof Wu Yanhua | Experimental diagnostics of complex fluid systems including smooth- and rough-wall turbulent flows, biological fluids, turbulence and flow control, unsteady aerodynamics of flapping wing flight, bio-mimic flows, multi-phase reactive flows, and fluid engineering related to renewable energy. |
| Prof Xie Lihua | Prof Xie's expertise areas include robust control and estimation theory. His current research works focus on networked control, cooperative control, sensor networks, energy efficient buildings, and unmanned systems. |
| Assoc Prof Xu Rong | - Photocatalysis for reduction of carbon dioxide and hydrogen production by splitting water using visible light.
- Heterogeneous catalysis for environmental applications.
- Organic-inorganic layered materials (LDHs) for pharmaceutical applications.
- Development of artificial cornea (nanoparticle/polymer composite).
- Antimicrobial membrane for water treatment (Silver in microfiltration membrane).
- Immobilization of enzymes on inorganic solid support as scalable and reusable biocatalysts. |
| Assoc Prof Xue Can | 1)Development of novel plasmonic nanomaterials for solar energy applications (photovoltaics and photocatalysis) using anisotropic metallic nanostructures that exhibit unique surface plasmon resonance properties in the visible and near-IR region.
2) Fabrication of novel metal-semiconductor conjugated nanocomposites for plasmon-driven photocatalysis.
3) Development of hybrid semiconductor nanomaterials for solar-driven water splitting |
| Assoc Prof Yang Chun, Charles | His current research interests include Development and characterization of Lab-on-Chip devices, electrokinetic transport phenomena, microfluidics, microscale flow, heat and mass transfer, colloidal science, surface and interfacial phenomena etc. |
| Assoc Prof Yang Yanhui | Heterogeneous catalysis on metals and metal oxides.
Structured nano-materials. |
| Assoc Prof Yang Yaowen | (a) Application of smart sensor technology for structural health monitoring;
(b) Energy harvesting using smart materials;
(c) Uncertainty analysis and modeling for structural systems; and
(d) Evolutionary computation for optimization and inverse problem solving; |
| Prof Yoel Sasson | 1. Phase Transfer Catalysis: Fundamentals and Industrial Applications.
2. Multiphase Catalytic Process Development. Mainly Oxidations, Hydrogenations and Halogenations.
3. Environmental Catalysis and Photocatalysis. Water Treatment by Solar Photocatalysis.
4. Hydrogen and Energy Storage, Hydrogen Carriers.
5. Purification of Flue Gas Using Novel Ionic Liquid Scrubbers. |
| Prof Yoon Soon Fatt | III-V compound semiconductors (particularly nitrides and antimonides)
Molecular beam epitaxy
Nanophotonics and nanoelectronics: materials, physics and devices
Heterogeneous integration of III-V compound semiconductors with silicon-based technology
Microwave photonics: materials, physics and devices
Quantum dot photonics for integrated nano-systems
Low dimensional systems
III-V terrestrial PV |
| Assoc Prof Yu Ting | My research focuses on synthesis of nanostructures, assembly and manipulation of 1D nanostructure, and development of nanodevices:
1. Graphene: preparation, optical characterization, chemical/biological sensor, electrical devices
2. Substrate-friendly synthesizes of metal oxide nanostructures with controlled morphologies and patterns.
3. Wet-chemical method for fabrication of metal hydroxides and metal oxides nanostructures.
4. Field induced electron emission of individual nanowires or nanowire arrays
5. Electronic transport and mechanical properties of individual nanostructures
6. Nanowire FETs for nanoelectronics, nano-chemical sensors and nano-biological sensors |
| Prof Zhang Dao Hua | Semiconductor materials, devices and physics
Quantum well, wire and dot structures and devices
New nano-scaled materials and devices for low and high temperature infrared photodetection
Metamaterials and Naophotonics |
| Assoc Prof Zhang Qichun | My research primarily is focus on creating functional materials by the rational synthesis and processing and on their practical applications, with particular interests in the following areas: (1) novel nanostructured thermoeletric materials and device fabrication; (2) inorganic nanomaterials: shaped and size controlled synthesis, colloidal dispersion, surface chemistry directed assembly and functionalities; (3) synthesis and characterization of porous materials with controllable morphology and composition; (4) synthesis and organization of semiconducting clusters; (5) organic conjugated materials. |
| Assoc Prof Zhao Yang | Miniaturization of electronic and mechanical devices over the past century has brought immeasurable impact onto human lives. Commercial microelectromechanical systems have reached micron scales, and bona fide molecular apparatuses began to emerge setting the stage for upcoming integrated nanoelectromechanics. Dr. Zhao and coworkers systematically investigate carbon-nanotube-based oscillators, bearings and rotators via molecular dynamics simulation in order to establish their optimal operating conditions and to facilitate function-oriented designs. In addition, particular attention is paid to utilization of nanomachinery devices as nanolabs to study energy exchanges among various degrees of freedom, ergodicity on energy surfaces, and equipartition as systems relax, and to test fundamental hypotheses of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics.
The advent of ultrafast femtosecond laser spectroscopy brings about intense research interest in relaxation dynamics of photo-excited states in liquids and solids. Newly-arrived technological capabilities to control femtosecond pulse durations and down-to-one-hertz bandwidth resolutions provide novel probes on vibrational dynamics and excitation relaxation. Dr. Zhao and coworkers formulate time-dependent polaronic wave functions that facilitate microscopic modelling of photo-generated excitation relaxation and realistic computation of various third-order optical response functions, and help to achieve a satisfactory comparison between theory and experiment.
Carbon nanotubes are attractive candidates for a variety of applications thanks to their remarkable physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. Optical absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy measurements have become an important tool for structure-based characterization and DNA-assisted manipulation of carbon nanotubes. Dr. Zhao and coworkers establish visual, intuitive connections between optical absorption line shapes and their underlying nanotube structures, which are scrutinized by more sophisticated semi-empirical and DFT calculations. |
| Assoc Prof Zhao Yanli | The research programs in the Zhao group focus on organic and materials chemistry and branch out into the related fields of biological, physical, and medicinal chemistry. We utilize interdisciplinary approaches to investigate the emerging problems at the forefront of chemistry and materials, aiming to address some of the technological needs in today’s society, such as responsive nanomaterials, general approach for controlled drug delivery, and sensing devices for medical diagnostics and gene-chip technologies. The applications in cancer therapy, energy, and sensor technology are keenly investigated at the more advanced stages. |
| Asst Prof Zhou Jianrong | My research programs will be focused to devise efficient and practical ways to access important chiral building blocks from cheap, readily available feedstock chemicals. The importance of this quest is underscored by over $ 200 billion sales of chiral drugs, projected for 2008. Despite tremendous advances in asymmetric catalysis, preparation of several key building blocks still needs much improvement. My research programs will specifically target these classes of compounds, e.g., epoxides, alkyl amines, alkyl alcohols, carbocycles, and heterocycles. I am also interested in the synthesis of fluorinated arenes and heteroarenes, due to their frequent occurrence in both pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. To achieve these goals, my group will be engaged in the design and synthesis of both transition metal and organic catalysts, method development and mechanistic investigations.
My other interests include: general-purpose, organic platforms for both structural and functional modeling of metalloenzyme active sites; new designs of organic polymers and oligomers for solar energy harvesting and conversion. |
