Events

Biomolecule-based Piezoelectric Nanomaterials and Their Energy applications

Date: Wednesday 3 July 2024 15:00 - 16:00

Location: Graduate Centre GC601

Multifunctional materials have received increasing attention in recent years. Owing to their inherent biological nature as well as piezoelectric properties, piezoelectric biomaterials are considered as promising candidates for application in fields ranging from electrochemical energy storage to biological systems. Rational material design is important to enhance their piezoelectric and biological activity. Herein, recent advancements to piezoelectric biomaterials like peptide-based micro/nanostructures are provided. Synthetic methods, morphological features, and piezoelectric performance of piezoelectric biomaterials are presented. The effect of growth direction, phase and structure of piezoelectric biomaterials on their piezoelectric activity are discussed. The applications of piezoelectric biomaterials in the field of nanogenerators are provided at the end.

Dr Rusen Yang is a professor and vice dean of the School of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology in Xidian University in China. He obtained his M.S. and B.S. in Condensed Matter Physics from Jilin University, China. In 2007, he received his PhD degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, where he continued as Post-Doctoral Associate till 2010. From 2010 to 2018 he worked as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota where he was elected as a McKnight Land Grant Professor in 2013. He has focused his research on bio-inspired functional materials and energy harvesting technology. He has developed new processes to achieve nanowires with controlled orientation and post-growth approaches to align nanostructures. He has created piezoelectric biomaterials with controlled polarization and applied them for energy harvesting. He has published over 160 papers in peer-reviewed journals. His transformative work won him NSF Career Award, 3M NFTA Award, and Nano Energy Award.