Puwei Wu

Professor

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

National Chiao Tung University

Electrochemical techniques for non-conventional applications

Our laboratory has been exploring the implementation of electrochemical techniques from conventional areas (fuel cells, capacitors, electroplating) to non-conventional applications. In this presentation, I will report our research progress in utilizing electrophoresis to fabricate large-area colloidal crystals (in size of 10×10 cm²) and their inverse opals. By backfilling the colloidal templates with various materials, we successfully produce a wide variety of inverse opals in both supported and free-standing forms. In particular, the free-standing inverse opaline membrane enables new application possibilities. Mechanical properties of the inverse opals and composite inverse opals will also be discussed. Lastly, I will introduce our recent activities in synthesizing IrO₂ from an unique wet chemical route to serve as the bio-stimulating electrode for artificial retinal devices.

Biography:

Professor Pu-Wei Wu graduated from the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) department in National Tsing Hua University with a B.S. degree in 1992. He obtained his Ph.D. degree from the MSE Department at UCLA in 1999, under the guidance of Professor Bruce Dunn. After a five-year stint as a research staff/technical manager for a high-tech startup in New York, he returned to Taiwan in 2005 and joined the MSE Department of National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) as an assistant professor. He was promoted to professor in 2011. Since 2014, he has been the Chair for the Accelerator Light Source Graduate Program coordinating research collaborations between NCTU and National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC). Professor Wu is an expert in electrochemistry and materials chemistry, and has published over 50 journal articles in areas of electrocatalysts, capacitors, colloidal crystals, inverse opals, and bio-stimulating electrodes.