Nanoscale energy transport (funded by ARI, SRC, and NSF)

• Energy transport in 2D materials and nanoelectronic devices
  • This project investigates energy transport in 2D materials including MoS2 and topological insulators (from transport point of view, such materials behave as semiconductor in interior bulk and metal on their surfaces), and thermal control in devices made of these materials. The project involved developments of advanced experimental techniques to characterize thermal transport properties and thermal behavior during device operation with ultra-high spatial and temporal resolution. We also investigate the thermal electric behavior of these materials for in-situ cooling of the device.
• Thermal transport enabled by phonon polaritons
  • This project investigates thermal transport enabled by phonon polaritons in a special type of materials called hyperbolic materials. Phonon polaritons act as a thermal transport mode, in addition to conduction, convection, and radiation, which is a form of radiation inside a material. We investigate fundamentals of polariton transport using theoretical/numerical methods and tip-based scanning measurement tools. We also explore applications of phonon polariton transport for thermal management in devices.

Laser-based nano-optical engineering (funded by NSF)

• This project develops a rapid 3D printing method with a feature resolution on the order of 100 nm. We develop continuous femtosecond pulsed laser-based projection printing methods and laser-based initiation-inhibition processes to improve the printing speed and resolution. Moreover, machine learning tools are used to improve the printing accuracy. Additionally, we explore various applications that benefit from our rapid, accurate 3D printing process.