MAE Seminar: “New Frontiers for Materials and Mechanics: From Health to Energy and the Environment”

Abstract:

This talk presents some materials and mechanics approaches to the design of solutions to selected problems in health, energy, and the environment. In the first part of the talk, we explore the use of adhesion and receptor-mediated endocytosis concepts in the bio-inspired design of targeted nanoparticles and drugs for the detection and treatment of breast cancer.  Micro-fluidic shear assay and nanoindentation techniques are used to develop mechanical biomarkers for the detection of breast cancer cells.  In the second part of the presentation, we present pressure-assisted methods for the fabrication of next generation solar cells and batteries.  These are used to develop low cost perovskite solar cells with photoconversion efficiencies as high 23.5% (close to the world record for perovskite solar cells) and all solid-state Li-ion batteries with remarkable ionic conductivities and energy storage characteristics.  Finally, in the third part of the talk, we explore the development of robust sustainable materials for applications in water purification and green buildings. Case studies are also presented to show the applications of materials and mechanics concepts to the design of robust materials and structures for rural/urban contexts.

Bio:

Wole Soboyejo was educated in England, where he received a BSc in mechanical engineering from King’s College London in 1985, and a PhD in materials science and metallurgy from Cambridge University in 1988.  He worked as a Research Scientist at the McDonnell Douglas Research Labs (1988-1992) and Edison Welding Institute (1992) before joining the faculty at The Ohio State University (1992-1999).  Soboyejo spent a year (1997-1998) as a Visiting Martin Luther King Associate Professor at MIT before moving to Princeton University as a Professor (1999-2016).  He served as President and Provost of the African University of Science and Technology (AUST) between 2012 and 2014.  Soboyejo moved to WPI in 2016 as the Bernard M. Gordon Dean of Engineering (2016-2018) and was later appointed as Senior Vice President and Provost (2018-present).  He is the author of 4 text books and more than 400 peer-reviewed journal papers.  Soboyejo is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.