Pengju Li

University of Chicago | UC

In the dynamic biological system, cells and tissues adapt to diverse environmental conditions and form memories, an essential aspect of training for survival and evolution. An understanding of the biological training principles will inform the design of biomimetic materials whose properties evolve with the environment and offer routes to programmab...

Homo- and heterojunctions play essential roles in semiconductor-based devices such as field-effect transistors, solar cells, photodetectors and light-emitting diodes. Semiconductor junctions have been recently used to optically trigger biological modulation via photovoltaic or photoelectrochemical mechanisms. The creation of heterojunctions typical...

Studying the formation and interactions between biological systems and artificial materials is significant for probing complex biophysical behaviors and addressing challenging biomedical problems. Bioelectrical interfaces, especially nanostructure-based, have improved compatibility with cells and tissues and enabled new approaches to biological mod...

Skin-like sensors that transduce tactile pressures and vibrations with minimal environment variation on performance are crucial in robotic sensing and prosthetic skins. However, sensor performance variations under varying environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity, are common in piezoresistive sensors because of their intrinsic mate...

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) as one of the electron-drawing materials has been widely used in triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG), which is expected to generate electron through friction and required to endure dynamic loads. However, the nature of the siloxane bond and the low interchain interaction between the methyl side groups result in low fra...

Mechanical replacement prosthetics have advanced in both esthetics and mechanical functions, but still require progress in attaining full natural functionality via tactile feedback. Through bioinspiration of the somatosensory system, recent works in the development of materials and technologies at three critical interfaces have shown great advancem...

Toxic metal ions, such as Ni2+ and Mn2+, in industrial waste streams are non-biodegradable and can cause damage to the human body. Electrochemical cleaning techniques are attractive as they offer more control and produce less sludge than chemical / biological approaches without the high pressures needed for membranes. Here nanoneedle structured α-M...