Welcome to our Soft Materials and Bio-Electronics (SMBE) Laboratory at the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou). We are a highly interdisciplinary research group of scientists and engineers, working on soft materials and bio-integrated electronics and dedicating to advancing the science and technology in the intersection of materials, biology, electronics, mechanics, and manufacturing. Our research interests center around creating multifunctional soft bio-materials, exploring multimodal 2D/3D device designs, and developing cost-effective, scalable manufacturing approaches for next-generation bio-integrated electronics with unprecedented characteristics to bring solutions to the grand challenges faced in human healthcare and intelligent robotics. Specifically, our current research consists of three major thrusts: (i) the development of novel soft functional materials that have built-in multifunctionality and long-term biocompatibility and can blur the biotic-abiotic dissimilarities in the structures, mechanics, electronics, and biochemistry; (ii) design, fabrication, and evaluation of customized, multimodal, and closed-loop bio-integrated electronics that can concurrently record multiple bio-signals and provide feedback-based interventions for potential applications in early diagnosis and timely treatment of heart diseases and chronic wounds, as well as old adults care and brain/neural interfacing; and (iii) exploring cost-effective and scalable manufacturing of soft bioelectronics to facilitate their disposable (one-time use) and practical applications in diverse real-life scenarios. More details can be found here.
Our SMBE lab is committed to fostering a collaborative and supportive environment where researchers are encouraged to explore new ideas and develop innovative solutions. We believe, by working together, we can achieve breakthroughs that will advance our understanding of soft materials and bio-integrated electronics and contribute to developing novel technologies with real-world applications. Our lab is a place where creativity and curiosity are valued and where every team member is empowered to contribute to our shared goals. If you are interested in working with us, please feel free to contact Prof. Zheng Yan at yanzheng@missouri.edu.