Juan Chen
Research Experience
My work focuses on liquid crystal polymers. I am experienced in using photopatterning techniques to create arbitrary topological defects. My research includes:
• Using defects to template nanofibers, and further control the growth of neural cells.
• Combining topological defects with liquid crystal elastomer kirigami to achieve complex, fast-response, untethered, reversible and programmable shape morphologies.
• Studying merging and splitting events in the active colloidal entanglements.
• Studying emerging topological structures in nematic Moiré patterns.
Publication list
1. Chen, J.; Jiang, J.; Weber, J.; Gimenez-Pinto, V.; Peng, C., Shape Morphing by Topological Patterns and Profiles in Laser-Cut Liquid Crystal Elastomer Kirigami. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2023, 15 (3), 4538-4548.
2. Chen, J.; Johnson, A. S.; Weber, J.; Akomolafe, O. I.; Jiang, J.; Peng, C., Programmable Light-Driven Liquid Crystal Elastomer Kirigami with Controlled Molecular Orientations. Advanced Intelligent Systems 2022, 4 (7), 2100233.
3. Chen, J.; Akomolafe, O. I.; Dhakal, N. P.; Pujyam, M.; Skalli, O.; Jiang, J.; Peng, C., Nematic Templated Complex Nanofiber Structures by Projection Display. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2022, 14 (5), 7230-7240.
4. Chen, J.; Akomolafe, O. I.; Jiang, J.; Peng, C., Light-Actuated Liquid Crystal Elastomer Prepared by Projection Display. Materials 2021, 14 (23), 7245.