There are 3 laboratories under the Materials Technology Group:

• Materials Lab (N3.1-B2b-02) 
• Isostatic Press Room (N3.2-B4-10)
• Thermal Spray Room (HW1-01-07) 

Research Projects

Laser-Materials Interaction
Laser irradiation is a fast and clean material removal process, capable of highly selective and localized cutting with minimal effect on the bulk material. Laser can also be employed to modify the surface properties of a polymer. Femtosecond laser irradiation has been employed to modify a polymer surface into hydrophilic or superhydrophobic. The laser material interaction inducing the change of wettability is investigated. 

Principal Investigator: Professor Lam Yee Cheong

Smart Materials
Applications of smart materials in future cars.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Huang Weimin

Novel solar cells based on graphene-semiconductor heterojunction
The project aims to develop efficient graphene-based heterojunction solar cells. The photovoltaic mechanisms of the graphene/semiconductor heterojunction, which is the most basic component of the solar cell, will be studied. This research will be of significant importance for the development of future renewable energy resources

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Zhou Kun

Portable and Implantable Biofuel Cell for Insect-Machine Hybrid System

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Hirotaka Sato

Electroplating and Electroless plating for nano/micro structures and materials

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Hirotaka Sato

Materials for direct additive manufacturing of metallic implants
In this project, we aim to develop the process capabilities of selective laser melting (SLM) and electron beam melting (EBM), with focus on materials suitable for orthopedic applications. A project with a Fortune-500 company.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Yeong Wai Yee

Bi-axial Testing of Composite Laminates
A biaxial test frame with 2 actuators is designed and built as a collaborative project among ERIAN, Instron, DNV, Vestas R & D to probe the failure envelopes of cruciform type fiber reinforced composite laminates. A pre-crack will be initiated in the samples to understand the failure mode and mechanism of crack driving under mixed mode loading conditions. A mixed-mode fracture criterion for cross-ply composites based on experimental biaxial loading. Cruciform shape geometry is studied under planar biaxial test which better resembles many composite products in manufacturing industries; and, hence, more light-weight designs for such composite products is possible to achieve with proposed fracture criterion. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Sridhar Idapalapati

Design of Bilayer Ceramic Armor Materials : Computation Approaches
Using a combination of Lagrangian, smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) approaches the ballistic limit of ceramic-metal armors are analysed through commercial AUTODYN simulations. Semi-Analytical models are developed for the Ballistic limit and effect of material and geometrical parameters on BLV are explored. Currently, the effect of pre-stress and buffer plates are explored for interface defeat and dwell phenomenon. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Sridhar Idapalapati

Hybrid Superplastic Forming with Selective Heating System

Principal Investigator: Professor Tan Ming Jen

3D Printing of hierarchical composites
Controlled microstructures in highly reinforced composites and ceramics prepared via additive technologies. 

Principal Investigator: Assistant Professor Hortense Le Ferrand

3D printing of bio-inspired mechano-sensing skins for large structures
Large scale selective mechanosensors using fast change in shape strategies. In collaboration with overseas university and A*STAR. 

Principal Investigator: Assistant Professor Hortense Le Ferrand