Research Overview & Publications
Tissue Engineering
Enhancing Bone Growth: The Role of TiO2 and Collagen
This research investigates how the microenvironment surrounding human cells dictates
their ability to form bone. While many studies focus on what happens inside a cell,
we examine how the presence of TiO2 nanoparticles—often used in medical and dental
applications—interacts with natural materials such as collagen to influence cell behavior.
Our findings demonstrate that when bone cells (osteoblasts) are grown on collagen
surfaces with specific nanoparticle concentrations, they show a significant increase
in mineralization and in the expression of key genetic markers for bone development.
By understanding these mechanical and chemical interactions, we can better design
the next generation of dental implants and bone-regenerative therapies.
Drug Delivery System for Endodontic Therapy
Our lab develops clinically inspired biomaterials at the intersection of polymer science, chemistry, and biology to address persistent challenges in dental and regenerative medicine. This research focuses on one of the leading causes of root canal failure: recurrent infections driven by E. faecalis biofilms that survive conventional disinfection.
A thermoreversible, micellar nanogel drug-delivery system for treating persistent and recurrent tooth infections was developed. Unlike traditional calcium hydroxide pastes or bleach-based irrigants, the gel flows easily into complex root canal geometries and dentin tubules, reaching bacteria that are often inaccessible to standard treatments. Because conventional disinfectants such as sodium hypochlorite can leak through an open apex and damage surrounding soft tissues, safety remains a major clinical concern—particularly for early-career practitioners.
Our system encapsulates calcium salicylate (CASA) within a photo-crosslinkable Pluronic F127-DMA hydrogel, producing a material with near-neutral pH, low toxicity, and non-corrosive behavior. The gel remains injectable at low temperature, solidifies under clinical conditions, and becomes transparent and light-curable once placed. This allows the medicament to be retrieved as a single intact unit, eliminating the time-consuming and incomplete removal associated with current intracanal pastes.
The project integrates materials characterization, rheology, clinically relevant root canal models, biofilm microbiology, and dental pulp stem cell studies. The nanogel achieves complete eradication of mature E. faecalis biofilms while preserving stem cell viability and showing potential to support hard tissue regeneration.
Beyond endodontics, this work establishes a modular biomaterials platform for safe, effective, and retrievable local drug delivery. Students joining the lab gain hands-on interdisciplinary training while working on technologies designed for real clinical impact.
Hydrogels
Polymers for cerebral cardiovascular repair and modeling
The research focuses on the design of next-generation liquid embolization agents for the treatment of brain aneurysms. Injectable polymeric hydrogels that behave as low-viscosity liquids outside the body, enabling minimally invasive delivery, and rapidly transform into stable solids once exposed to physiological conditions inside blood vessels, are engineered. The design is grounded in fundamental polymer physics, including micellar self-assembly, chain entanglement, and controlled crosslinking, allowing precise tuning of injectability, gelation kinetics, swelling, and mechanical strength. Part of the project focuses on developing on polymeric systems that would be suitable for implantation and utilization as study models for complicated vascular geometries.
Students joining this project gain hands-on experience across the full translational pipeline of biomaterials development. This includes polymer synthesis and characterization, rheology, and structure–property relationships, as well as cell culture studies to evaluate cytocompatibility and biological response. Advanced stages of the project involve in vivo studies, where material performance, stability, and safety are assessed in relevant animal models. Through this work, students are exposed to interdisciplinary research at the interface of materials science, bioengineering, and medicine, with opportunities to contribute to publications, presentations, and clinically motivated innovation.
Engineering Biopolymer-Enhanced Soils for Climate-Smart and Sustainable Agriculture
Our research develops and evaluates biopolymer-enhanced soils as an innovative platform for improving crop productivity, soil health, and plant-soil interactions in water-limited, nutrient-deficient, and degraded landscapes. By integrating soil mechanics, pore-scale imaging, plant phenotyping, elemental analysis, and molecular profiling, this work addresses critical challenges in climate-smart agriculture, soil degradation mitigation, regenerative farming, and land restoration.
Biopolymer soil amendments are designed to modify soil structure, porosity, and mechanical behavior while maintaining a root-permissive physical environment. Through controlled comparisons between unamended and polymer-amended substrates, this research area elucidates how engineered soil microenvironments influence root architecture, root elongation, branching patterns, and overall plant biomass. Mechanistic insights from micro-computed X-ray tomography reveal how biopolymers restructure pore networks to balance strength with aeration and water retention, conditions essential for healthy root development.
To connect soil physical properties with biological outcomes, plant growth is evaluated across diverse conditions to quantify shoot and root biomass, morphological traits, and stress adaptation. Elemental profiling and multivariate analysis (e.g., PCA) of plant tissues identify nutrient distribution trends associated with improved growth performance. Complementary genomic and transcriptomic analyses reveal coordinated plant responses at the molecular level, including activation of stress protection pathways and metabolic adaptations that support robust root and shoot development.
By linking soil structural engineering, plant growth performance, nutrient dynamics, and gene expression, this interdisciplinary research advances biopolymer-based amendment strategies to support climate-smart agriculture, soil stabilization, ecosystem restoration, and regenerative farming. The findings inform the design of scalable soil enhancement technologies that optimize plant productivity while preserving soil function and environmental sustainability.
Energy
The growing concern over climate change and the finite nature of fossil fuels has made the transition towards renewable energy sources increasingly important. Alkaline fuel cells have been considered as a strong candidate due to their highly efficient and high-power output. Previously we had figured out the degradation mechanism for the short durability in alkaline fuel cells. Our current research focused on improving the power output or enhancement of durability by applying multiple nanoparticles or thin film/materials coating on fuel cell’s part. Different coating methods like spray or two-phase method or ALD will be used in enhancement.
Optimization of Efficiency, Durability, and Recycling Potential in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs)
In the context of next-generation energy generation technologies, our research focuses on enhancing the performance, longevity, and recyclability of PEMFCs. Platinum (Pt) is used as a catalyst in PEMFCs, but it is expensive and susceptible to CO poisoning. Our research focuses on nanotechnology-driven interface design employing metal nanocatalysts, such as gold, silver, and copper, to enhance the system's performance and durability. Additionally, we are developing green membrane materials (e.g., cellulose-based filter paper) as low-cost, environmentally friendly membranes for PEMFC applications.
Flame Retardants
Polymer Nanocomposites
Nanoconfinement effect onto interfacial structure in PS/PLA bland thin film model systems
Polymer blend thin films confined to planar substrates exhibit phase behavior and mechanical responses that differ fundamentally from their bulk counterparts, yet the mechanisms linking nanoscale morphology to interfacial properties remain poorly understood. Polystyrene (PS)/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blends provide a model system to investigate how nanoconfinement and substrate interactions alter phase separation, crystallization, and energy dissipation. This project will combine controlled thin-film processing with atomic force microscopy (AFM) friction and nanomechanical mapping and grazing-incidence X-ray scattering to resolve lateral morphology and buried interfacial structure across length scales. In situ synchrotron measurements will track structural evolution during thermal annealing. The results will establish predictive process–structure–property relationships for confined polymer blends and inform the design of functional polymer coatings and sustainable composite materials.
Graphene-Enhanced Biodegradable, Non-Toxic, 3D-Printable Polymer Nanocomposites for Electrically Conductive Applications
Global electronic waste is rising rapidly, prompting the development of biodegradable alternatives for conductive components. We have developed biodegradable, non-toxic polymer/Graphene nanocomposites, balancing the tradeoff that high graphene loading embrittles polymers while low loading reduces conductivity. To achieve electrical conductivity at lower Graphene content, we have designed an immiscible two-phase blend to lower the percolation threshold by localizing graphene in the continuous phase. By combining high- and low-Tg polymers and selecting a low-Tg, low-surface-energy matrix, we have maintained flexibility and improved 3D printability.