Fan’s research involves an electromicrofluidic (EMF) platform that bridges gaps and demonstrates novel microfluidics on a single chip with electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) and dielectrophoresis (DEP) to manipulate unlike objects:
- of broad electric conductivities (water, oil and crosslinkable prepolymer droplets)
- on wide scales (mm droplets and μm particles/cells)
- in distinct phases (solid, liquid, gas and plasma)
- with adjustable geometries (deformable droplets and continuous liquid columns)
He studies in vitro diagnosis (IVD) for molecular and immunoassays with EMF mechatronic systems-integrating hardware (Si sensor/actuator dies) and embedded software as well as advanced manufacturing using crosslinkable droplets on EMF to construct heterogeneous architectures:
- for tissue engineering and soft robots with reorganized cells and Si dies in biomaterials or hydrogels
- for metamaterials with designed properties for varied applications including enhanced heat transfer
Research Interests: Droplet-based microfluidic platform facilitates cancer in vitro diaganosis, liquid biopsy and 3D microenvironment. Electromicrofluidic (EMF) platform that employs electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) and dielectrophoresis (DEP) efficiently controls droplets and (bio)particles using appropriate electric signals without sophisticated microchannels and pumps.
Another area of interest is energy harvesting on EMF with reversed effects to generate electricity from liquid movements.
We focus on electromicrofluidic (EMF) platform that integrates MEMS, sensors, actuators, and packaging techniques to explore electrokinetic manipulations, including electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) and dielectrophoresis (DEP), of objects (a) with broad electric conductivities, (b) on wide length scales, (c) in all phases of matters, and (d) in deformable fluidic geometries, for applications of advanced manufacturing, tissue engineering, soft robotics, in vitro diagnosis, energy harvesting, and enhanced heat transfer .
Research Interests:
- Electromicrofluidic (EMF) Platform
- Electrical Manipulations on Microfluids: EWOD & DEP
- Diagnosis Medical Devices and System: automated bioassay & CMOS biosensors
- Advanced Manufacturing
- 3D Planar Architectures
- 4D Stereo Heterogeneous Architectures: composite materials with environmental responses
- Energy And Heat Transfer
- Enhanced Heat Transfer with Active Surfaces
- Energy Harvesting: nanogenerators
- Renewable Energy Opportunities
- New (Meta)materials for Energy
Keywords: Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering – Liquid biopsy and 3D bioprinting to study cancer with electrically-driven droplets (picoliter-microliter) on an electromicrofluidics platform
