Bin Zhao Assistant Professor Polymer Chemistry Polymer surface chemistry; stimuli-responsive materials; microfluidics B.S., University of Science and Technology       of China (1992) M.S., University of Science and Technology       of China (1995) Ph.D., University of Akron (2000)
E-mail: zhao@ion.chem.utk.edu 567 Buehler Hall   ·   Telephone: 865-974-3399 Representative publications   ·   Biographical sketch   ·

Research

My research interests are in polymer thin films and microfluidics. Specifically, we are interested in the synthesis of novel polymer brushes from initiator-immobilized substrates via living polymerization techniques. Their behavior in response to environmental changes such as solvents and temperatures will be investigated, and applications in controlling surface properties and interfacial interactions will be explored. In the field of microfluidics, we take advantage of surface effects on submillimeter scales to manipulate liquid flow within networks of microchannels. Photolithography and other novel microfabrication methods will be employed to fabricate surface patterns inside microchannels.

Representative publications

Environmentally responsive "hairy" nanoparticles: mixed homopolymer brushes on silica nanoparticles synthesized by living polymerization techniques. D.J. Li, X. Sheng, and B. Zhao, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 127, 6248 (2005).

A combinatorial approach to study solvent-induced self-assembly of mixed poly(methyl methacrylate)/polystyrene brushes on planar silica substrates: effect of relative grafting density. B. Zhao, Langmuir 20, 11748 (2004).

Self-reorganization of mixed poly(methyl methacrylate)/polystyrene brushes on planar silica substrates in response to combined selective solvent treatments and thermal annealing. B. Zhao, R.T. Haasch, and S. MacLaren, Polymer 45, 7979 (2004).

Solvent-induced self-assembly of mixed poly(methyl methacrylate)/polystyrene brushes on planar silica substrates: molecular weight effect. B. Zhao, R.T. Haasch, and S. MacLaren, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 126, 6124 (2004).

Synthesis of ABC 3-miktoarm star terpolymers from a trifunctional initiator by combining ring-opening polymerization, atom transfer radical polymerization, and nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization. T. He, D. J. Li, X. Sheng, and B. Zhao, Macromolecules 37, 3128 (2004).

Synthesis of well-defined mixed poly(methyl methacrylate)/polystyrene brushes from an asymmetric difunctional initiator-terminated self-assembled monolayer. B. Zhao and T. He, Macromolecules 36, 8599 (2003).

Synthesis of binary mixed homopolymer brushes by combining atom transfer radical polymerization and nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization. B. Zhao, Polymer 44, 4079 (2003).

Pressure-sensitive microfluidic gates fabricated by patterning surface free energies inside microchannels. B. Zhao, J.S. Moore, and D.J. Beebe, Langmuir 19, 1873 (2003).

Control and applications of immiscible liquids in microchannels. B. Zhao, N.O.L. Viernes, J.S. Moore, and D.J. Beebe, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 124, 5284 (2002).

Principles of surface-directed liquid flow in microfluidic channels. B. Zhao, J.S. Moore, and D.J. Beebe, Anal. Chem. 74, 4259 (2002).

Surface-directed liquid flow inside microchannels. B. Zhao, J.S. Moore, and D. J. Beebe, Science 291, 1023 (2001).

Biographical sketch

Dr. Zhao received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in polymer chemistry from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in 1992 and 1995, and his Ph.D. degree in polymer science from the University of Akron in 2000. After completing his postdoctoral research in Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he joined the chemistry faculty of the University of Tennessee as an assistant professor in August, 2002.