Dr. Chris Li

Education

• Ph.D. (Polymer Science)
  The University of Akron, Akron, OH 12/1999
  Topic: Structure and Phase Behavior of a Series of Main-Chain Chiral Liquid Crystalline Polyesters
  Advisor: Prof. Stephen Z. D. Cheng
• B.S. (Polymer Chemistry)
  University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, P. R. China 06/1995
  Topic: Synthesis and Characterization of Dimers of Biphenyl Derivatives

Professional History

• Assistant Professor
  Drexel University
  01/2002 - present
• Visiting Assistant Professor
  Air Force Research Laboratory
  6/2004 - 8/2004
• Postdoctoral Fellow
  University of Akron, Akron, OH
  1/2000 - 12/2001

Research Interests

• Soft matter (polymers, liquid crystals) and hybrid materials: develop novel methods to synthesize polymer / low-dimensional materials complexes and study their electrical, mechanical and optical responses;
• Polymer single crystal enabled nanoparticle functionalization and patterning;
• Block copolymer hierarchical self-assembly: structure, morphology and applications;
• Multifunctional polymeric photonic crystals using hierarchical nanomanufacturing (holographic polymerization and self assembly);
• Nanotailored polyurethane: structures, morphology, properties and applications;
• Electro-spinning of polymer/nanocomposite nanofibers: nanoscale functional fibers;
• Polymer thermal analysis: sophisticated thermal analysis techniques for nanostructured materials characterization.

Honors and Awards

• ASM Bradley Stoughton Award for Young Teachers 2006
• Outstanding Research Award, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Drexel University 2006
• DuPont Young Faculty Award 2005-2007
• PERKIN ELMER - ICTAC (international confederation for thermal analysis and calorimetry) Young Scientist Award 2004
• NRC/US (National Research Council/US) AFOSR (Air Force of Scientific Research) Summer Faculty Fellowship Award 2004
• Mettler-Toledo Thermal Analysis Educational Award 2003
• NSF-CAREER Award 2003-2008
• 3-M Non-Tenured Faculty Award 2003-2005
• The Excellence Award from the North Coast Thermal Analysis Society (NCTAS), 1999
• Shenzhen Science & Technology Industrial Gardener Scholarship, 1993
• Excellent Student Award, University of Science and Technology of China, 1991-1995

Recent Publications

1. Lingyu Li, Yao Yang, Guoliang Yang, Xuming Chen, Benjamin S. Hsiao, Benjamin Chu, Jonathan E. Spanier, and Christopher Y. Li, "Patterning Polyethylene Oligomers on Carbon Nanotubes Using Physical Vapor Deposition", Nanoletters, 2006, 6 (5), 1007-1012.
2. S. L. Kodjie, L. Li, B. Li, W. Cai, C. Y. Li*, and M. Keating, “Morphology and Crystallization Behavior of HDPE/CNT Nanocomposite” J Macro. Sc., Phys, 2006, 45, 231-245
3. D. R. Dillon, K. K. Tenneti, C. Y. Li*, F. K. Ko, I. Sics, and B. Hsiao, “On the structure and morphology of PVDF/clay nanocomposites”. Polymer, 2006, 47, 1678-1688
4. L. Li, C. Y. Li*, C. Ni, “Polymer Crystallization-driven, periodic patterning on carbon nanotubes”, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, 128, 1692-1699
5. X. Chen, K. K. Tenneti, C. Y. Li*, Y. Bai, R. Zhou, X. Wan, X. Fan, Q-F Zhou,* “Design, synthesis and characterization of bent-core mesogen-jacketed liquid crystalline polymers”, Macromolecules 2006, 39, 517-527
6. K. K. Tenneti, X. F. Chen, C. Y. Li*, X. Wan, Q-F Zhou,* I. Sics, and B. Hsiao “Perforated structures in rod-coil liquid crystalline block copolymers”. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2005, 127, 15481-15490
7. C. Y. Li*, M. J. Birnkrant, L. V. Natarajan, V. P. Tondiglia, P. F. Lloyd, R. L. Sutherland, T. J. Bunning,* “Holographically patterned, thermally switchable Bragg reflectors”, Soft Matter, 2005, 1, 238-242. (Highlighted in Royal Society of Chemistry, Chemical Technology News, Sept. 2005, 2, T33)
8. C. Y. Li*, L. Li, W. Cai, S. L. Kodjie and K. K. Tenneti, “Nano-Hybrid Shish-kebab: Polymer decorated carbon Nanotubes”, Adv. Mater. 2005, 17, 1198-1202 (Cover Article, Cited by “Faraday Technology Alert-Smart Materials”)