Research areas include: graphene composites, polymer synthesis, block copolymer assembly, biomimetic materials, surface chemistry, and advanced nanomaterials processing.

Chinthani D. Liyanage

madduma.dulanthika@uconn.edu

Current: Process Engineer at Intel Corporation |

First Author Publications:

• “Synthesis of graphene oxide: effect of sonication during oxidation” Carbon 223, 119047 (2024)
• “Pristine graphene microspheres by the spreading and trapping of graphene at an interface” Langmuir 35 (44), 14310-14315 (2019)

Patents:

• “Graphene-Polyamide Composite Membranes and Microparticles” US Patent Application 20220387940A1 (2022)

Taoran (Martin) Hui

taoran.hui@uconn.edu

First Author Publications:

• “Kinetic study of surfactant-free graphene exfoliation at a solvent interface” Carbon 168, 354-361 (2020)

Elizabeth E.B. Brown

elizabeth.2.brown@uconn.edu

First Author Publications:

• “PolyHIPE foams from pristine graphene: Strong, porous, and electrically conductive materials templated by a 2D surfactant” Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 580, 700-708 (2020)

Patents:

• “Two-Dimensional Sheet Stabilized Emulsion Based Inks” US Patent Application 20230235186A1 (2023)

Feiyang Chen

feiyang.chen@uconn.edu

Current: Postdoctoral Associate at UMass Chan Medical School |

First Author Publications:

• “Interface-exfoliated graphene-based conductive screen-printing inks: low-loading, low-cost, and additive-free” Scientific Reports 10 (1), 18047 (2020)

Patents:

• “Two-Dimensional Sheet Stabilized Emulsion Based Inks” US Patent Application 20230235186A1 (2023)

Chau Reidy (Vy)

ngoc_chau.vy@uconn.edu

Current: Senior Scientist at Exponent, Inc. |

First Author Publications:

• “Surface-initiated passing-through zwitterionic polymer brushes for salt-selective and antifouling materials” Macromolecules 53 (22), 10278-10288 (2020)

Jennifer L. Frias (Bento)

bentojenn@gmail.com

Current: Advanced Technology Scientist at Nye Lubricants (FUCHS Group) |

First Author Publications:

• “Thermal and Electrical Properties of Nanocomposites Based on Self‐Assembled Pristine Graphene” Advanced Functional Materials 27 (1), 1604277 (2017)
• “Azeotrope enabled polymerization of ethylene oxide” RSC Advances 6 (97), 94459-94466 (2016)

Reihaneh Mohammadi Sejoubsari

reihaneh.mohammadi.s@gmail.com

First Author Publications:

• “Electrically conducting porous hydrogels by a self-assembled percolating pristine graphene network” Soft Matter (2025)
• “‘Grafting-through’: growing polymer brushes by supplying monomers through the surface” Macromolecules 49 (7), 2477-2483 (2016)

Kevin Y.S. Huang

khuang05@gmail.com

Current: Chemistry Teacher at Westfield High School |

First Author Publications:

• “Robust coaxial capillary microfluidic device for the high throughput formation of polymersomes” Microfluidics and Nanofluidics 18, 149-157 (2015)

Zhenhua Cui

unicuizhenhua@gmail.com

First Author Publications:

• “Boron nitride surface activity as route to composite dielectric films” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 7 (31), 16913-16916 (2015)
• “PMMA functionalized boron nitride sheets as nanofillers” Nanoscale 7 (22), 10193-10197 (2015)
• “Large scale thermal exfoliation and functionalization of boron nitride” Small 10 (12), 2352-2355 (2014)

Patents:

• “Dielectric Materials Using 2D Nanosheet Network Interlayer” US Patent 11,004,606 (2021)

Andrey P. Martinez

dremart11@gmail.com

First Author Publications:

• “Distribution of chains in polymer brushes produced by a ‘grafting from’ mechanism” Macromolecules 49 (2), 547-553 (2016)
• “Synthesis and self-assembly of toothbrush-like block copolymers” Macromolecules 48 (13), 4250-4255 (2015)

Chetan C. Hire

chetanchire@gmail.com

Current: Director of Technical Operations at ProteoWise |

First Author Publications:

• “Titania Condensation by a Bio-Inspired Synthetic Block Copolymer” Chemistry of Materials 25 (10), 2056-2063 (2013)
• “Directed formation of silica by a non-peptide block copolymer enzyme mimic” Journal of Materials Chemistry B 1 (14), 1977-1984 (2013)

Andrew J. Oyer

oyerajm@gmail.com

Current: Patent Examiner at U.S. Patent & Trademark Office |

First Author Publications:

• “Stabilization of graphene sheets by a structured benzene/hexafluorobenzene mixed solvent” Journal of the American Chemical Society 134 (11), 5018-5021 (2012)

• Andrea Duke

• Melody Gibson

Robert Williams

Undergraduate researcher

Contributing Author:

• “Surface-initiated passing-through zwitterionic polymer brushes for salt-selective and antifouling materials” Macromolecules 53(22), 10278-10288 (2020)

Thomas Xu

Undergraduate researcher

Contributing Author:

• “Electrically conducting porous hydrogels by a self-assembled percolating pristine graphene network” Soft Matter (2025) – Second author

First Author Publications:

• “Hexagonal boron nitride as a two-dimensional surfactant: low-density flame-resistant composites based on boron nitride exfoliated by an interface trapping technique” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 16 (50), 69901-69907 (2024)

Contributing Author:

• “Electrospun biomimetic catalytic polymer template for the sol-gel formation of multidimensional ceramic structures” Materials Letters 240, 242-245 (2018)

Contributing Author:

• “Robust coaxial capillary microfluidic device for the high throughput formation of polymersomes” Microfluidics and Nanofluidics 18, 149-157 (2015)

Contributing Author:

• “Directed formation of silica by a non-peptide block copolymer enzyme mimic” Journal of Materials Chemistry B 1, 1977-1984 (2013)

• Ian Jorge

• Evan Gentile

• Thomas Francis

• Alex Wood

• Adam Woomer

• Sam Weinstein

• Enrico Khu