I. Mechanics of Soft Materials

Soft materials exhibit appealing mechanical properties due to their ability to endure large strains. We are particularly interested in their interfacial mechanics, including the elastocapillary effect, surface relaxations, etc.  The heart of our experiments relies on the development of various innovative optical techniques to image surface deformations of soft materials.

II. Dynamics of Complex Fluids

Different from simple Newtonian fluids, complex fluids show non-linear relations between shear stress and shear rate. Common complex fluids include dense suspensions, polymeric solutions, oxidized liquid metals, etc.  In spite of their broad industrial applications, the fundamental dynamics of such fluids remain complicated. Our group is particularly interested in studying their dynamics in various contexts.