Braun Group People
Dr. Huigang (Steven) Zhang
Post Doctoral Researcher
Ph.D. Materials Science, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences
M.S. Electrochemistry, University of Petroleum
B.S. Biochemical Engineering, Northwestern University
3D Metal Structures
My research focuses on the preparation of 3D metal structures for photonic crystals applications. Photonic crystals have opened up opportunities for controlling the absorption and radiation spectrum of man-made materials. Metal photonic crystals are expected to suppress the infrared radiation and narrow spectrum by manipulating the geometry and materials parameters. We use opal and holographic templates to fabricate 3D metal structures. Chemical vapor deposition and electrodeposition are employed to fill the void space of templates. The removal of template produces 3D metal structure with ordered void.
By using the kinetic difference of physiochemical processes, highly porous or discrete metal structures can be obtained. Through theoretical modeling and geometrical design, we expect to obtain metal structure with superior optical properties. (This part is cooperated with Xindi Yu)
Materials Architecture Design
Properties of many functional materials are determined not only by composition but also by their structures. When the periodical order in atomic scale was broken in sub-micrometer, there will be a lot attractive properties for many applications like negative refractive index materials, mesoporous catalyst, hierarchical sensors etc. Chemical reactions usually occur at the atomic scale, however, fluid mass transportation needs larger space or channel. Thus, hierarchical structures are demanded for mass transfer-related applications. My interest is to synthesize novel hierarchical structures which are assembled by functional nanomaterials. Actually, the structure evolution of nanomaterials in liquid syntheses highly relates to the process path. The process path design is the way to generate hierarchy.
Professor Paul Braun • Phone: +1.217.244.7293 • Fax: +1.217.333.2736 • Email: pbraun@illinois.edu
Department of Materials Science and Engineering • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign