26 Feb 2021
CQ and Ian's paper on the "Influence of Microstructure Topology on the Mechanical Properties of Powder Compacted Materials", has been published in the International Journal of Mechanical Sciences! Check out #30 in "Publications"!
19 Feb 2021
Ian's paper on the "Strength and Energy Absorption Characteristics of Ti6Al4V Auxetic 3D Anti-Tetrachiral Metamaterials", has been published in the journal, Mechanics of Materials! Check out #31 in "Publications"!
19 Feb 2021
Congratulations to Pawan for winning the Temasek Labs Research Award (Bronze)! Keep up the good work!
22 Jan 2021
Ian's collaborative paper with Prof. Gan (NTU, MSE) and Dr. Du (NTU, Temasek Labs), "Mechanical properties and failure behaviour of architected alumina microlattices fabricated by stereolithography 3D printing", has been published in the International Journal of Mechanical Sciences! Check out #29 in "Publications"!
15 Nov 2020
CQ and Kalai's paper, "Viscoelastic and High Strain Rate Response of Anisotropic Graphene-Polymer Nanocomposites Fabricated with Stereolithography 3D Printing", has been accepted in Additive Manufacturing! Check out #28 in "Publications"!
7 Oct 2020
CQ and Kalai's paper, "Anomalous Elastic Response of a 3D Anti - Tetrachiral Metamaterial", has been accepted in the International Journal of Mechanical Sciences! Check out #27 in "Publications"!
31 March 2020
Congratulations to Liuxian on the acceptance of his paper, "Modified structural Luneburg lens for broadband focusing and collimation" in Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing! Check out #26 in "Publications"!
7 Mar 2020
Congratulations to Pawan and our undergraduate intern, Jie Cheng, on the acceptance of their paper, "Precise Dynamic Control of the Mechanical and Self-Healing Properties of an Electrolytic Cell with Soluble Porous Anode", in Advanced Engineering Materials! Check out #25 in "Publications"!
15 Dec 2019
Congratulations to Kalaimani and co-workers on the acceptance of their paper, "Additive Manufacturing of Composite Materials and Functionally Graded Structures Using Selective Heat Melting", in Journal of Materials Science and Technology! Check out #24 in "Publications"!
8 Dec 2019
Congratulations to Kalaimani on the acceptance of her paper, "Enhanced Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Graphene-Polymer Composite Lattices at Very Low Graphene Concentrations", in Composites A: Applied Science and Manufacturing! Check out #23 in "Publications"!
28 Nov 2019
CQ's paper, "The Effects of Subcellular Nanograting Geometry on the Formation and Growth of Bacterial Biofilms", has been accepted in IEEE Transactions of NanoBioscience. Check out #22 in "Publications"!
16 Aug 2019
Congratulations to Pawan and co-workers on the acceptance of their paper, "Mechanical Response of Lightweight Hollow Truss Metal Oxide Lattices", in Materialia! Check out #21 in "Publications"!
28 June 2019
Congratulations to Pawan for receiving the best poster award at the 10th International Conference on Materials for Advanced Technologies (ICMAT)! Hope you enjoyed the handshake with Nobel Laureate, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart!
31 May 2019
Congratulations to Ian on the acceptance of his paper, "Effect of reinforcement bending on the elastic properties of interpenetrating phase composites", in Mechanics of Materials! Check out #20 in "Publications"!
3 Apr 2019
Congratulations to Liuxian on the acceptance of his paper, "Interaction of Ultrasound with Microporous Polyethylene Scaffolds", in Applied Acoustics! Check out #19 in "Publications"!
30 Mar 2019
Congratulations to Liuxian on the acceptance of his paper, "Asymmetric Lamb Wave Propagation and Mode Isolation in Thin Plate with Spatiotemporal Periodic Stiffness", in Journal of Vibration and Acoustics! Check out #18 in "Publications"!
18 Mar 2019
CQ's work on the impact absorption properties of microlattices has been reported by an independent news outlet, Advances in Engineering. Read it here!
7 Mar 2019
CQ has been invited to speak in Symposium U: "Materials and Devices for Harsh Environments" at ICMAT Conference 2019.
7 Mar 2019
Abstracts by Ian, Kalai and Pawan have been accepted for presentation at ICMAT Conference 2019. Congratulations!
2 Jan 2019
CQ's poster has been selected for display at the Global Young Scientist Summit 2019. He will be presenting on 22 Jan (Tue).
19 Dec 2018
Pawan's work on hollow-truss lattices and Kalaimani's work on graphene-polymer composite lattices have been accepted for oral presentation at MRS Spring Conference 2019. Congratulations!
5 Dec 2018
We bid a bittersweet farewell to Dr. Zhao, Liuxian, who was the first postdoc to join Dr. Lai. His contributions were instrumental in the transformation of AMDS Lab from humble beginnings to the current thriving innovation hub. We will miss you, Dr. Zhao. Congratulations for being accepted into the University of Maryland and we wish you the very best for your future endeavors!
17 Oct 2018
CQ will be attending the upcoming Global Young Scientist Summit 2019 as 1 of 6 delegates selected to represent NTU's Engineering Department.
25 Aug 2018
CQ will be giving an invited talk at the 1st International Workshop on Kinetics Phenomena and Nanoscale Materials on 28 Aug 2018.
18 Aug 2018
Congratulations to Pawan on the successful defense of his Ph.D. thesis in the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi!
7 May 2018
Welcome to the team, Dr. Ian Seetoh!
30 Mar 2018
Congratulations to Liuxian on the successful defense of his Ph.D. thesis in the University of Notre Dame!
1 Mar 2018
We warmly welcome Dr. Kalaimani Markandan and Mr. Pawan Kanaujia to the team!
14 Aug 2017
Welcome to the lab, Mr. Zhao Liuxian!
10 Jan 2017
CQ will be presenting his latest work at the APS March Meeting 2017 on March 15.
13 Oct 2016
CQ will be presenting his work at MRS Fall Conference 2016 on December 1.
30 Jun 2016
CQ gave an invited presentation on "The Motion of Fluid on Nanostructured Surfaces" at the Jean Mandel Symposium 2016 held at Ecole Polytechnique.
Principal Investigator
Lai, Chang Quan
Dr. Lai received his B. Eng in Mechanical Engineering (NUS) in 2009, and was awarded the LKY, IES and
PEB gold medals for graduating top of his class. He then accepted the Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA) Fellowship and
earned the M.Eng in Materials Science and Engineering (MIT) in 2010 for his study on the technical
and financial feasibility of incorporating biomimetic shock absorbent designs into motorcycle helmets. He
received his Ph.D. in Advanced Materials for Micro- and Nano- Systems (NUS-SMA) under the same SMA Fellowship in 2014.
His doctoral dissertation, which examined the interaction dynamics between liquid droplets and nanostructures,
was jointly supervised by Prof. Wee Kiong Choi (NUS) and
Prof. Carl V. Thompson (MIT)
Following this, Dr. Lai completed a year of postdoctoral studies in the Biomedical Engineering department in NUS under Asst. Prof. Choon Hwai Yap,
researching on the fluid dynamics of fetal heart chambers, as well as the interfacial
mechanics between red blood cells and superhydrophobic surfaces. In 2015, he received the SMART Postdoctoral Fellowship
to investigate the effects that nanostructures have on bacterial behaviour under Prof. Patrick Doyle (MIT). In 2015/2016, Dr. Lai was awarded the Temasek
Research Fellowship to conduct independent research as a Principal Investigator in the field of Protective Mechanical Metamaterials.
For this project, he was mentored by Prof. Chiara Daraio (Caltech) in ETH Zurich and Caltech.
Dr. Lai has since returned to NTU to continue this work with his group.
Office: N3 02C-114
Phone: (+65) 6790 4962
Email: cqlai (at) ntu.edu.sg
Education
B.Eng. (Mechanical Engineering), National University of Singapore, 2009
M.Eng. (Materials Science and Engineering), Massachussetts Institute of Technology, 2010
Ph.D. (Advanced Materials for Micro- and Nano- Systems), National University of Singapore, 2014
Postdoctoral Experience
Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 2014-2015
Biosystems & Micromechanics, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology, 2015-2016
Materials & Mechanics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), 2016
Mechanical Engineering & Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology, 2016-2017
Awards
Temasek Research Fellowship, 2015/16
SMART Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2015
Singapore-MIT Alliance Fellowship, 2009
LKY, IES & PEB gold medals, 2009
Dr. Markandan received her Masters and PhD degree (Chemical Engineering) from the University of Nottingham in 2013 and 2017 respectively. She has worked on processing and characterization of graphene based ceramic composites for use in micropropulsion devices. Dr. Markandan’s current research focuses on fabrication and characterization of light-weight, ultra-stiff 3D ceramic microlattices.
kmarkandan@ntu.edu.sg
Pawan Kanaujia obtained his Ph.D. and master’s degree in Solid State Materials from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India in 2013. He joined as a Research Associate in Advanced Materials group at Temasek Labs@NTU in March 2018. His current research work is focused towards fabrication and characterization of nanostructured materials and laser-matter interactions.
kkpawan@ntu.edu.sg
Dr. Seetoh received his PhD degree in 2014 from the National University of Singapore under the Singapore-MIT Alliance program (Advanced Materials for Micro- and Nano- Systems), where he investigated growth and optical properties of group-III nitride materials and how they interact with nanostructures. He also obtained a M.Eng in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2010 and a B.Eng in Chemical Engineering (1st Class) from the National University of Singapore in 2009. Dr. Seetoh is currently researching on the mechanical properties of cellular materials (i.e. foams, micro-lattices, colloids) and how they can be optimized for various applications. Previously, he was a product engineer with GLOBALFOUNDRIES from 2014 to 2018, engaged in MEMS prototype development and manufacturing.
iseetoh@ntu.edu.sgComing Soon!
Journals
31. Seetoh, I. P., Liu, X., Markandan, K., Zhen, L. & *Lai, C. Q. Strength and Energy Absorption Characteristics of Ti6Al4V Auxetic 3D Anti-Tetrachiral Metamaterials. Mech. Mater. 156, 103811 (2021).
30. *Lai, C. Q. & Seetoh, I., Influence of Microstructure Topology on the Mechanical Properties of Powder Compacted Materials. Int. J. Mech. Sci. 198, 106353 (2021).
29. Yap, X. Y., Seetoh, I., Goh, W.L., Ye, P., Zhao, Y., *Du, Z. *Lai, C.Q., *Gan, C.L., Mechanical properties and failure behaviour of architected alumina microlattices fabricated by stereolithography 3D printing. Int. J. Mech. Sci. 196, 106285 (2021).
28. *Lai, C. Q., Markandan, K., Luo, B. Y., Lam, Y.C., Chung, W.C. & Chidambaram, A. Viscoelastic and high strain rate response of anisotropic graphene-polymer nanocomposites fabricated with stereolithographic 3D printing. Addit. Manuf. 37, 101721 (2021).
27. *Lai, C. Q., Markandan, K. & Lu, Z. Anomalous elastic response of a 3D anti - tetrachiral metamaterial. Int. J. Mech. Sci. 192, 106142 (2021).
26. Zhao, L., Lai, C. & Yu, M. Modified structural Luneburg lens for broadband focusing and collimation. Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 144, 106868 (2020).
25. *Lai, C. Q., Chay, J. C. & Kanaujia, P. K. Precise Dynamic Control of the Mechanical and Self-Healing Properties of an Electrolytic Cell with Soluble Porous Anode. Advanced Engineering Materials, 1900833 (2020).
24. *Lai, C. Q. The Effects of Subcellular Nanograting Geometry on the Formation and Growth of Bacterial Biofilms. IEEE Transactions on NanoBioscience 19, 203–212 (2020).
23. Markandan, K., Lim, R.J., Kanaujia, P.K., Seetoh, I., bin Mohd Rosdi, M.R., Tey, Z.H., Goh, J.S., Lam, Y.C. & *Lai, C.Q. Additive Manufacturing of Composite Materials and Functionally Graded Structures Using Selective Heat Melting Journal of Materials Science and Technology 47, 243 - 252 (2020).
22. Markandan, Kalaimani & *Lai, C.Q. Enhanced Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Graphene-Polymer Composite Lattices at Very Low Graphene Concentrations. Compos. Part A - Appl. Sci. Manuf. 129, 105726 (2020).
21. Kanaujia, P. K.; bin Ramezan, M. A.; Yap, X. Y.; Song, Y.; Du, Z.; Gan, C. L.; Lam, Y. C.; *Lai, C. Q. Mechanical Response of Lightweight Hollow Truss Metal Oxide Lattices. Materialia 8, 100439 (2019).
20. Seetoh, I., Markandan, K. & *Lai, C. Q. Effect of Reinforcement Bending on the Elastic Properties of Interpenetrating Phase Composites. Mech. Mat. 136, 103071 (2019).
19. Zhao, L. & *Lai, C. Q. Asymmetric Lamb Wave Propagation and Mode Isolation in Thin Plate with Spatiotemporal Periodic Stiffness. J. Vib. Acoust. 141, 051005-051005–6 (2019).
18. Zhao, L., Lam, Y. C. & *Lai, C. Q. Interaction of ultrasound with microporous polyethylene scaffolds. Appl. Acoust. 153, 102–109 (2019).
17. *Lai, C.Q., Daraio, C. Highly Porous Microlattices as Ultrathin and Efficient Impact Absorbers. Int. J. Impact Eng. 120, 138-149 (2018).
16. *Lai, C.Q. Bacterial Attachment, Aggregation and Alignment on Subcellular Nanogratings. Langmuir 34, 4059-4070 (2018).
15. Yap, C. H., Lai, C. Q., Loh, I. G. H. & Ong, T. Z. Nonlinear Flow Rate Response to Pumping Frequency and Reduced Hemolysis in the Drastically Under-Occluded Pulsatile Roller Pump. Artif. Organs 41, 178–185 (2017).
14. Wiputra, H., Lai, C.Q., Lim, G. L., Guo, D., Seah, J., Muhammad J., Mattar, C., Biswas, A., Yap, C.H. Wiputra, H. et al. Fluid mechanics of human fetal right ventricles from image-based computational fluid dynamics using 4D clinical ultrasound scans. Am. J. Physiol. - Heart Circ. Physiol. 311, H1498–H1508 (2016).
13. *Lai, C. Q., Shen, J. C. W., Cheng, W. C. W. & Yap, C. H. A near-superhydrophobic surface reduces hemolysis of blood flow in tubes. RSC Adv. 6, 62451-62459 (2016). (Highlighted by Chemistry World, see 'In the News' above)
12. Lai, C.Q., Lim, G. L., Muhammad J., Mattar, C., Biswas, A., Yap, C.H. Fluid mechanics of flow in fetal left ventricles based on patient-specific 4D ultrasound scans. Biomech. Model Mechanobiol. 15, 1159-1172 (2015).
11. Lai, C. Q., Zheng, W., Choi, W. K. & Thompson, C. V. Metal assisted anodic etching of silicon. Nanoscale 7, 11123-11134 (2015).
10. Lai, C. Q. & Choi, W. K. Unidirectional Wetting in the Hydrophobic Wenzel Regime. Adv. Mater. Interfaces 2, 1400444 (2015).
9. *Lai, C. Q. & Cheng, H. Versatile fabrication and applications of dense, orderly arrays of polymeric nanostructures over large areas. J. Mater. Chem. B 2, 5982-5991 (2014).
8. Lai, C. Q., Mai, T. T., Zheng, H., Zheng, W., Lee, P. S., Leong, K. C., Lee, C. & Choi, W. K. Effects of structural and chemical anisotropy of nanostructures on droplet spreading on a two dimensional wicking surface. J. Appl. Phys. 116, 034907 (2014).
7. Lai, C. Q. & Choi, W. K. Synthesis of free-standing, curved Si nanowires through mechanical failure of catalyst during metal assisted chemical etching. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 16, 13402-13408 (2014).
6. Lai, C. Q., Mai, T. T., Zheng, H., Lee, P. S., Leong, K. C., Lee, C. & Choi, W. K. Droplet spreading on a two-dimensional wicking surface. Phys. Rev. E 88, 062406 (2013).
5. Lai, C. Q., Cheng, H., Choi, W. K. & Thompson, C. V. Mechanics of Catalyst Motion during Metal Assisted Chemical Etching of Silicon. J. Phys. Chem. C 117, 20802-20809 (2013).
4. Lai, C. Q. Mai, T. T., Zheng, H., Lee, P. S., Leong, K. C., Lee, C. & Choi, W. K. Influence of nanoscale geometry on the dynamics of wicking into a rough surface. Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 053104 (2013).
3. Mai, T. T., Lai, C. Q., Zheng, H., Balasubramanian, K., Leong, K. C., Lee, P. S., Lee, C. & Choi, W. K. et al. Dynamics of Wicking in Silicon Nanopillars Fabricated with Interference Lithography and Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching. Langmuir 28, 11465-11471 (2012).
2. Lai, C. Q., Thompson, C. V. & Choi, W. K. Uni-, Bi-, and Tri-Directional Wetting Caused by Nanostructures with Anisotropic Surface Energies. Langmuir 28, 11048-11055 (2012).
1. Zhu, M. Zhou, L., Li, B., Li, Dawood, M. K., Wan, G., Lai, C. Q., Cheng, H., Leong, K. C., Rajagopalan, R., Too, H. P., & Choi, W. K., Creation of nanostructures by interference lithography for modulation of cell behavior. Nanoscale 3, 2723-2729 (2011).
Conference Proceedings
1. Lai, C. Q., Thompson, C. V. & Choi, W. K. Manipulation of Wetting Directions Using Nanostructures with Asymmetric Surface Energies. MRS Online Proc. Libr. 1648, HH 3.04 (2014).
Open Ph.D. positions in School of MAE, Nanyang Technological University
The School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore,
is seeking highly motivated individuals to fill 2 fully funded Ph.D. positions (4 years) in the exciting field of Additively Manufactured Materials.
The candidates will have the opportunity to design, 3D print and investigate the mechanics, microstructure and functional properties of nanocomposites and
cellular materials using cutting-edge equipment and software, under the guidance of established and dedicated advisors.
Open Research Engineer position in School of MAE, Nanyang Technological University
The School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, is seeking a highly motivated individual to fill a Project Officer/ Research Engineer position. The responsibility of the candidate will include conducting finite element simulations, performing 3D printing, characterization and testing of materials, as well as handling occasional administrative tasks such as safety inspections and asset checks. The position is suitable for candidates who thrive in dynamic, creative and flexible working environments. Remuneration will be competitive.
The candidate is expected to have a B.Eng. or soon-to-be-earned B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering or
related discipline. Excellent mathematical skills, proficiency in MATLAB/ Python/Tensorflow/FEA software and/ or experience with Arduino and 3D printing are
highly valued but not mandatory. Excellent written and verbal communication in the English language is expected.
Interested candidates are requested to submit their full CV to Dr. Chang Quan (C.Q.) Lai at cqlai@ntu.edu.sg. We regret that only shortlisted candidates
will be notified.
The candidate is expected to have a B.Eng./ B.Sc. or soon-to-be-earned B.Eng./B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering or related Engineering/ Applied Science discipline. Good written and verbal communication in the English language is expected.
Interested candidates are requested to submit their full CV (please include your name in the filename) to Dr. Chang Quan (C.Q.) Lai at cqlai@ntu.edu.sg. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.