Abstract
Effective adhesion between similar or dissimilar materials has become one of the most critical technical prerequisites for advanced manufacturing at ever-smaller scales. Biomimetic adhesion is an emerging scientific field, which learns engineering principles and acquires scientific insights from superior biological designs and applies them to develop novel adhesive materials.In this talk, I will present my recent research on the adhesion of surfaces and thin films inspired by such adhesive systems as the lotus leaves’ anti-adhesive and self-cleaning surface, the lizardgecko’s dry adhesive“hairy” toe pads, and the marine mussels’ superior wet adhesive systems.Various interfacial phenomena (e.g. wetting, adhesion, friction)and associated micromechanical properties or processes (e.g. deformation, wear, cracking, fracture) will be highlighted and discussed. I will also introduce several of our recent developments: (a)superhydro/oleophobic self-cleaning materials, (b) an underwater adhesive or superglue for bonding and construction in wet conditions, (c) the functionalization of electrically conductive polypyrrole with mussel-inspired catechols to formsingle core/shell polypyrrole nanofibers (about 50 nm in diameter and 1 μm in length)that canreadily be dispersedinaqueous solutions and form thin coating film with good surface adhesion and enhanced electrically conductivity. 

Short Biography:
Dr. Boxin Zhao is an associate professor at the department of chemical engineering in the University of Waterloo. He is also affiliated with Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology.  Dr. Zhao obtained his PhD in Chemical Engineering from McMaster University in 2004. Before joining the University of Waterloo, Dr. Zhao had worked as a NSERC postdoctoral fellow in Professor Jacob Israelachvili’s Interfacial Science Laboratory at the University of California, Santa Barbara. At Waterloo, Professor Zhao has established a research group of about 10 highly-motivated researchers, working on both fundamental and applied research. He was awarded the Early Researcher Award from the Province of Ontario in 2012.  The current research interests of his group are in the areas of biomimetic adhesion and adhesives, molecular and surface forces, nanotechnology, nanocomposite materials, colloidal and nano particles, interfacial phenomena and contact dynamics (e.g., adhesion, friction, lubrication, wear, fracture) in polymers and biological systems.