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Work

Research Projects

Spanning nanoarchitectured functional materials, mesoporous semiconductors, flexible biomedical electronics, and optoelectronic biosensing platforms.

Ongoing — 4 active projects

Ongoing

Mesoporous Chalcogenides for Optoelectronics and Biosensing

This flagship project focuses on fabricating and characterising mesoporous chalcogenide semiconductors — including CuTe, CuTe2, Bi2Se3, CdSe, and CdTe — as next-generation platforms for optoelectronics and biosensing. We employ plasma-induced nanocrystalline domain engineering to tune structural and optoelectronic properties, and develop scalable electrochemical and spin-coating deposition routes. Key targets include flexible photodetectors, infrared-active sensors, and high-sensitivity electrochemical biosensors for disease biomarker detection.

  • CollaboratorsEguchi Group, Waseda University, Motta Group, QUT, Nakagawa Group, Waseda University, Sadhanala Group, IISc Bengaluru
  • FundingUQ–IITD Joint Research Grant (270k AUD, 2026–2030)
  • Period2020 – present
chalcogenides mesoporous semiconductors biosensing optoelectronics plasma engineering
Ongoing

Flexible 3D Nanoporous Electronics for Biomedical Devices

Working at the intersection of materials science and biomedical engineering, this project engineers flexible mesoporous metals and semiconductors into 3D micro/nanoarchitectures for long-term implantable biointerfaces. Highlights include SiC nanomembrane neuromodulators (PNAS 2022), 3D buckling electrodes for organoid studies with Prof. Jeremy Crook (University of Sydney), and industry-funded collaboration with Prof. John A. Rogers (Northwestern University) on wireless cardiac pacemaker devices.

  • CollaboratorsPhan Group, UNSW, Rogers Group, Northwestern University, Jeremy Crook Group, University of Sydney
  • FundingUNSW Research Infrastructure Scheme (30k AUD, 2024)
  • Period2022 – present
flexible electronics implantable devices wide bandgap semiconductors pacemakers neuromodulation
Ongoing

Mesoporous Gold SERS Platforms for Cancer Diagnostics

Mesoporous gold offers extraordinary surface area, tunable plasmonic hotspots, and electrochemically addressable interfaces ideal for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). This project develops spin-coated mesoporous gold films and trimetallic AuAgCu alloys for detecting circulating extracellular vesicles and microRNA associated with ovarian cancer. Magnetically tunable plasmonic hotspots enable dynamic signal enhancement, dramatically lowering detection limits for clinical diagnostics.

  • CollaboratorsYamauchi Group, UQ, Salomon Group, UQ
  • FundingAustralian Research Council (CI)
  • Period2023 – present
mesoporous gold SERS cancer diagnostics plasmonic extracellular vesicles
Ongoing

Plasma Engineering of Nanocrystalline Semiconductor Thin Films

Plasma-induced nanocrystalline domain engineering is a powerful strategy to transform amorphous or poorly crystalline electrodeposited chalcogenide films into highly functional semiconductors without high-temperature annealing. This project, which led to a landmark Angewandte Chemie paper in 2021, explores how plasma chemistry controls grain boundary passivation, carrier mobility, and surface chemistry in CuTe, Bi2Se3, and related systems, enabling stable mesoporous semiconductor platforms for wearable and implantable sensor applications.

  • CollaboratorsMotta Group, QUT, Eguchi Group, Waseda University
  • FundingARC Discovery Project
  • Period2020 – present
plasma engineering thin films defect engineering surface passivation chalcogenides

Completed — 1 project

Completed

Soft Surgical Robotics with Integrated Mesoporous Sensors

This cross-disciplinary collaboration integrates advanced electrochemical sensing elements — mesoporous 3D electrodes fabricated by mechanical buckling — into soft, motor-free surgical robots. The combined platform enables real-time tumour detection and ablation monitoring during minimally invasive procedures. Published findings in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2025) demonstrated the feasibility of mesoporous electrode integration with soft surgical robotic platforms, opening a new avenue for intraoperative diagnostics.

  • CollaboratorsPhan Group, UNSW, Crook Group, University of Sydney, Yamauchi Group, UQ
  • FundingUNSW Scientia Fellowship Program
  • Period2024 – 2024
soft robotics mesoporous electrodes tumour detection surgical robotics
Collaboration

Interested in working together?

I am open to new collaborations, PhD supervision, and research partnerships in materials science, nanofabrication, and flexible biomedical engineering.

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