Dr. He Chaobin obtained his Ph.D. degree from Dept of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge. After graduation, he worked as a postdoc fellow at Cavendish Lab in Cambridge and later at USM, USA, before he joined the Institute Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A-star in 1999. In 2010, he joined the Dept of Materials Science & Engineering, National University of Singapore as an associate professor, and hold a joint appointment as a Principal Scientist III at IMRE, A-star.
Research Interests
His research centres in polymer nanocomposite/composites, organic-inorganic hybrids, and functional polymers. He leads a Polymer Matrix Composite Programme (PMCP) in building up the local capability in thermoplastic fibre reinforced composites development and a Low Carbon Energy Research (LCER II) programme to develop fibre reinforced composites for hydrogen/ammonia storage and transportation. His group is also working on new approaches in toughening green plastics. In area of functional nanocomposites, his group is developing functional nanocomposites for applications such as high refractive index polymer/composites for meta-optic, electrolyte for solid state battery, and thermoelectric materials for waste heat harvesting.
Selected Publications:
Polymer Composites
- Wang H, Chen XF, Yan PY, Liu SQ, Yan BBm Kong JH, Teo SL, Jin K, Zhang J, Lam PK, He CB* “Machine Learning–Assisted Bio‐Interfacial Engineering Resolves Structural–Functional Conflicts in Nanocomposites” Advanced Materials 38 (24), e18806, 2026
- Wang H, Cheng J, Wu ZY, Chen ZF, Liu SQ, Niu DY, Zhang J, Jin K, He CB* “Machine learning guided resolution of mechanical trade-off in polymer composites via stress adaptive interface” Nature Communications 17 (1), 3105, 2026
- Wang H, Wu ZY, Zhu ZC, Yang PY, Zhang J, Chen XF, Niu DY, Tao J, Jin K, He CB* “Biomimetic cellular face-bridging fiber composites with exceptional strength and toughness” Composite Part B, 306, 112800, 2025
High Refractive Index Polymers and Nanocomposites
- Chen HB, Guo JR, Ma KQ, Liu SQ, Huang BT, Jafe Self T, Vinod K, Abderaouf OAM, Long GK, He TF, Meng LX, Zhang YY, He CB* “All-Organic Polymer with Competitive Refractive Index Over Inorganic Chalcogenide Glasses for Infrared Imaging” Nature Photonic, 2026, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-026-02000-3
- Chen HB, Guo JR, Fu JC, Wang ZY, Liu YD, Hu J, Vinod K, Abderaouf OAM, Liu SQ, Huang BT, Huang FF, Wu HW, Adams S, Teng JH, He CB* “Processable Inverse-vulcanized Polymers with Silicon-like High Refractive Index and Transmittance for Infrared Optics”, Angewandte Chemie, e4976163, 2026
- Guo JR. Chen HB, Wang ZY, Cheng YY, Fu JC, Liu SQ, Hu J, Huang BT, Liu YD, Hang FF, He CB* “A Transparent, High Refractive Index and Abbe Number Polymer for Visible Metalens by High Fidelity Nanoimprinting”, Advanced Materials, https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.74791, 2026
Hydrogels Toughening
- Hou XN, Zhu ZC, Wen YT, Zhang YX, Thedrattanawong C, Andreeva DV, Li J, He CB* “Melt Densification Enables Fracture‐Resistant Blend Hydrogels” Advanced Materials 38 (7), e17395, 2026
- Hou XN, Huang BT, Zhou LL, Liu Sq, Kong JH, He CB* “An Amphiphilic Entangled Network Design Towards Ultratough Hydrogels”, Advanced Materials, 2023, 2301532
- Zhao W, Yan PY, Dong XY, Huang BT, Zhu Q, Bathri M, Cheng SQ, Wu K, Ji CQ, Li H, Shi XS, Wang ZK, Qi HB, Li ZK, Browning ND, Zhang WW, Zhai W, He CB*, Zhao D* “In Situ Photopolymerization of Hydrogels in Radical Covalent Organic Frameworks’, JACS, 17, 17642-17650, 2026
Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications
- Ma YD, Xie CK, Liao CY, Huang BT, Liu SQ, Kong JH, Fan XT, Li ZB, Chen S*, He CB* “Zinc‐Coordinated trienzyme nanogel Cascade therapy for accelerated post‐pancreatectomy cutaneous wound healing” Advanced Materials, 2025, e08538
- Ma YD, Lai XY, Luo X, Luo Z, Mao LZ, Zhu HJ, Fan XT, Kong JH, Wu YL, Li ZB, He CB* “Multifunctional Silver-Enzyme Nanogels Assembly with Efficient Trienzyme Cascades for Synergistic Diabetic Wound Healing” Advanced Functional Materials 2024, adfm.202405644
- 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, 142, 274-283, 2022
Green Plastics
- Chen HM, Sun ZZ, Liu JM, He CB*, Mao DS* “Negative Enthalpy Variation Drives Rapid Recovery in Thermoplastic Elastomer”, Advanced Materials, 2023, 2311332
- Hou XN, Sun W, Liu ZB, Liu SQ, Yeo JCC, Lu XH, He CB* Tailoring crystalline morphology via entropy-driven miscibility: toward ultratough, biodegradable, and durable polyhydroxybutyrate, Macromolecules 55 (13), 5527-5534, 2022
- Hou XN, Chen S, Koh JJ, Kong JH, Zhang YW, Yeo JCC, Chen HM, He CB* “Entropy-driven ultratough blends from brittle polymers”, ACS Macro Letters 10 (4), 406-411, 2021
Thermoelectric Materials
- Liu SQ, Xu ZH, Koh JJ, Yu ZG, Chen HM, Huang BT, Zhou LL, He CB “
High‐Performance Self‐Assembled Amphiphilic Block Copolymer Thermoelectric Ionogel for Low‐Humidity Heat Harvesting” Adv. Energy Mater. e71397, 2026 - Liu SQ, Zhang MX, Kong JH, Li H, He CB* “Giant power output from ionic/electronic hybrid nanocomposite thermoelectric converter under constant temperature gradient” Advanced Science12, 3, 2406589, 2025
- Qin BJ, Wang WB, Guo WJ, Li H, Liu SQ, Li PC, Yang M, He CB* “Highly conductive carbon nanotubes/polyaniline composite film for efficient electromagnetic interference shielding, energy harvesting, and temperature monitoring” Carbon, 121994, 2026
Energy Materials
- Yan PY, Zhao W, Wang H, Wu L, Ma YD, Huang BT, Xu HT, Liu XY, Liu SQ, Dong XY, Zhang XY, Zhai W, Zhang WW, Xu L, Zhan D*, He CB* “Nanoscale Covalent Organic Framework Confinement Enables Ultratough and Hyperelastic Hydrogels Applied as High‐Performance Electrolytes” Advanced Science, e22523, 2026
- Deng W, Xu HT, Yu JY, Xu A, Xiao ZX, Zhang W, He CB*, Xu L* “Cation‐π Mediated Weak Solvation Chemistry Enables Dendrite‐Suppressed Gel Polymer Electrolytes” Angewandte Chemie, 65, e17516, 2026
- Li L, Liu SQ, Luo J, Kong JH, Zhang QC, Lai WY, He CB* “Three-dimensional architecture design enables hexaazatriphenylene-based polymers as high-voltage, long-lifespan cathodes for aqueous zinc–organic batteries” eScience, 5, 100379, 2025
- Xu HT, Deng W, Yu JY, Shi L, Zhang WW, Long JC, He CB*, Xu L* “Anchoring side chains to carbonate groups for reviving stable polycarbonate-based solid-state lithium metal batteries” JACS,147, 16154-16163, 2025
Teaching
- MLE3104, Polymeric and Composite Materials
- MLE4203, Polymeric Biomedical Materials
- MLE4202, Selected Advanced Topics on Polymers
- MLE5302, Polymeric Materials for Additive Manufacturing