Advancing Piezoionics: From fundamental discovery to intelligent applications
- Atoms-to-Systems Lab
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Mission:
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The Atoms-to-Systems Lab, led by Prof. Derek Ho, advances the frontier of piezoionics. We develop the scientific principles and engineering applications of this unique coupling between mechanical stress and ionic transport in soft materials, enabling new capabilities in sensing, energy harvesting, and bio-integration.
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Vision:
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We pioneer soft intelligent systems that integrate with the human body. By specializing in soft bio-integrated sensors and soft energy harvesters, we create materials and devices that operate at the intersection of materials science, electronics, and biomedical engineering. Our goal is to use fundamental materials innovation to address critical challenges in personalized healthcare and sustainable energy.
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Research:
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​Technologies:
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Materials include ionic hydrogels, organogels, elastomers, and polymer composites. Our projects typically involve three aspects:
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Materials synthesis using chemistry
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Soft electronic device fabrication
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Mechanistic investigations
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Applications:
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Wearable sensors and energy devices for healthcare, robotics, electronics, garment, and safety.
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Openings (view details):
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Postdoc fellows: Available year round
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PhD students: Dec 1 deadline yearly (contact PI early Nov)
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Affiliations:
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Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong
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Institute of Digital Medicine, City University of Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Centre for Cerebro-Cardiovascular Health Engineering