Research Interests
Dr. He’s research focuses on the physical chemistry of polymer materials and polymer nano-composites, and their applications. His current research interests are Polymer nanocomposites /Organic-inorganic Hybrids and Self-assembly of block-copolymers.
Polymer nanocomposites/Organic-inorganic Hybrids are multi-phase materials comprising discrete constituents of less than 100 nanometers in at least one dimension. At such small length scale, the interaction between fillers and matrix is dominated by molecular interaction, which gives rise to many interesting properties. Moreover, the property improvements achieved with nanocomposites are not limited to modulus. Nanocomposites also promise a wide range of other interesting functional properties such as optical properties, conductivity, barrier and anti-scratch properties and many new applications.
Self-assembly of block-copolymers present another alternative approach to achieve multi-phase nano-structured materials, not only in condensed state but also in diluted (solution) conditions. Self-assembled block copolymers consist of hard/soft or hydrophobic/hydrophilic domains in a length scale of a few tens of nanometers to sub-micrometer, which open up many potential applications, such as functional coating, rheology modifier for cosmetic, vehicle for controlled release and photonic crystals.
Selected Publications:
- Hou XN, Huang BT, Zhou LL, Liu Sq, Kong JH, He CB* “An Amphiphilic Entangled Network Design Towards Ultratough Hydrogels”, Adv. Mater., 2023, 2301532
- Chen HM, Sun ZZ, Liu JM, He CB*, Mao DS* “Negative Enthalpy Variation Drives Rapid Recovery in Thermoplastic Elastomer”, Adv. Mater., 2023, 2311332
- Wang H, Wu Z, Tao J, Wang B, He CB* “Bamboo-Inspired Crack-Face Bridging Fiber Reinforced Composites Simultaneously Attain High Strength and Toughness”, Adv. Sci., 2023, 202308070.
- Fan XT, Li Km Liu SQ, Wang TT, Ma YD, Li ZB, He CB* “Protein Nanotubes Assembled from Imidazole-Grafted Horseradish Peroxidase Nanogels” ACS Macro Lett, 2023, 12, 1031.
- Liu SQ, Yeo JCC, Kong JH, Anukunwit P, He CB* “Solvent-optimized monolithic SWCNT-based thermoelectric generator for efficient electricity harvesting from body heat and sunlight” Carbon, 2023, 203, 111.
- Liu SQ, Zhang MX, Kong JH, Li Hui, He CB* “Flexible, durable, green thermoelectric composite fabrics for textile-based wearable energy harvesting and self-powered sensing” Composite Sci. & Technol., 2023, 243, 110245.
- Hou XN, Sun W, Liu ZB, Yeo JCC, Lu XH, He CB* “Tailoring crystalline morphology via entropy-driven miscibility: toward ultratough, biodegradable, and durable polyhydroxybutyrate” Macromolecules, 2022, 55, 5527
- Anukunmithaya P, Koh JJ, Yeo KCC, Liu SQ, Hou XN, Liu NX, He CB* “A self-regenerating 3D sponge evaporator with a tunable porous structure for efficient solar desalination” Mater. Chem. A, 2022, 10, 15743.
- Hou XN, Liu SQ, He CB* “Designing ultratough, malleable and foldable biocomposites for robust green electronic devices” J Mater. Chem. A, 2022, 10, 1497.
- Zhou LL, Koh JJ, Hou XN, Kong JH, Liu SQ, Fan XT, Qiao Z, Lu XH, Li ZB, He CB* “The crystallization of decanoic acid/dopamine supramolecular self-assemblies in the presence of coacervates” Colloid and Interface Science, 2022, 615, 759
- Liu SQ, Li Hui, Fan XT, He CB* “Enhanced thermoelectric performance of conducting polymer composites by constructing sequential energy-filtering interfaces and energy barriers” Composite Sci. & Technol., 2022, 221, 109347.
- Fan XT, Luo Z, Chen Y, Yeo JCC, Li ZB, Wu YL*, He CB* “Oxygen self-supplied enzyme nanogels for tumor targeting with amplified synergistic starvation and photodynamic therapy” Acta Biomaterialia, 2022, 142, 274.
Teaching
- MLE3104, Polymers and Composites
- MLE4203, Polymeric Materials for Biomedical Applications