Research

By 2050, the world’s population is projected to reach 9.8 billion, with the number of individuals aged 60 years and older doubling to 2.1 billion. (Bio)polymers and composites, characterized by their lightweight nature, ease of synthesis/fabrication, and versatile multifunctionality, tissue-matching physicochemical properties, have become the preferred choice in numerous cutting-edge technologies, such as soft robots, flexible (bio)electronics, medical devices, drug delivery systems, and tissue engineering, to meet the societal demands for production, living, and healthcare. However, conventional polymer composites face substantial challenges, including limitations in multifunctionality due to their simplistic geometries and inert properties and the environmental concern arising from the extensive use of plastics-based products and devices.

Natural materials and systems have the synergistic beauty of energy/material efficiency in life-cycle, superior physical properties, and intriguing functionalities for service. These materials owe their remarkable properties to multiscale heterogeneity, encompassing weak/strong bonds, soft/hard building blocks, and intricate geometries/multimaterial compositions. Inspired by the integrated form-function relationship observed in natural materials/systems, advanced manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing, have been extensively investigated for producing engineered functional materials. These multifunctional materials, characterized by heterogeneous structures and adaptive functions (such as self-healing, shape-changing, degradation, growth), hold promise in addressing the above challenges.

A fundamental understanding of multiscale stimuli-material interactions is pivotal in guiding the molecular design and advanced manufacturing of functional materials and devices. Among various stimuli, ultrasound emerges as an up-and-coming option due to its ability to penetrate deep regions (up to 200 mm) with precision focusing (up to 0.15 mm). In addition to its well-known capability in non-invasive imaging/detection, ultrasound can convert into various energy forms (such as heat, light, and electricity) to drive diverse chemical, physical, and biological processes. Leveraging stimuli-responsive polymers, ultrasound technology, advanced manufacturing methodologies, and  modeling/machine-learning techniques, our research aims to accelerate the rational design and sustainable and digital manufacturing of multifunctional soft materials/systems. This endeavor targets advancing material/energy sustainability and enhancing precision healthcare with higher safety, accuracy, and efficacy in medical applications.