Department of Materials Science and Engineering

• Ph. D. Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 2002
  
• M. S. Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 1999
  
• M. S. Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 1998
  
• B.S. Chemistry, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 1995

• 2004-present: Assistant Professor, Iowa State University
  
• 2002-2004: Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  

• Phase Equilibrium and Phase Separation Kinetics of Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) in nanoscopic geometries
• Evaporation-Induced Self-Assembly of Ordered Structures from a Capillary-Held Solution
• Quantum Dots Tailored With Conjugated Polymers Confined at the Nanoscale and Their Use in Solar Cells.

• MSE 553 (Dual-listed with Mat E 453) Physical and Mechanical Properties of Polymers
• Mat E 442 (Same as Ch E 442) Polymers and Polymer Engineering
• Mat E 351 Introduction to Polymeric Materials

Publications at Iowa State University (* = corresponding author)

 2008

46. K.S.K. Karuppiah, A.L. Bruck, S. Sundararajan, J. Wang, Z. Lin, Z. Xu, and X. Li, "Friction and waer behavior of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene as a function of polymer crystallinity", Acta Biomaterilia, 4, 1401 (2008). [PDF]

45. K.S. Kim, Z. Lin, P. Shrotriya, S. Sundararajan, and Q. Zou, "Iterative control approach to high-speed force-curve measurement using atomic force microscope: PDMS elastic modulus example", Ultramicroscopy, 108, 911 (2008). [PDF]

44. S.W. Hong, W. Jeong, H. Ko, M. Kessler, V.V. Tsukruk, and Z. Lin*, "Directed self-assembly of gradient concentric carbon nanotube rings", Advanced Functional Materials, 18, 2114 (2008). [PDF] (featured on Inside Front Cover of Avanced Functional Materials (issue 14); highlighted in the news "Directed Self-assembly of Ordered Structures as a Simple Nanotechnology Tool", Nanowerk, July 16 (2008); featured at the Materials Research Society (MRS) homepage as well as its Materials News page, "Self-assembled gradient concentric rings of carbon nanotubes", September 22 (2008); and listed as one of Most accessed articles in 07/2008 in Advanced Functional Materials.

43. Z. Lin*, "Organic-inorganic nanohybrids through the direct tailoring of semiconductor nanocrystals with conjugated polymers", Chemistry-A European Journal, 14, 6294 (2008). [PDF] (invited Concept article)

42. J. Wang, J. Xu, M. Goodman, Y. Chen, M. Cai, J. Shinar, and Z. Lin*, "A simple biphasic route to water soluble dithiocarbamate functionalized CdSe quantum dots", Journal of Materials Chemistry, 18, 3270 (2008). [PDF] (featured on Inside Front Cover of Journal of Materials Chemistry (issue 27).

41. D. Zimnitsky, J. Xu, Z Lin, and V. V. Tsukruk, "Domain and network aggregation of CdTe quantum rods within Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers", Nanotechnology, 19, 215606 (2008). [PDF]

40. P. Molian, Z. Lin, and Q. Zou, "Nano-holes in silicon wafers using laser-induced surface plasmon polaritons", Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 8, 2163 (2008). [PDF]

39. M. Byun, S.W. Hong, L. Zhu, and Z. Lin*, "Self-assembling semicrystalline polymer into highly ordered, microscopic concentric rings by evaporation", Langmuir, 24, 3525 (2008).  [PDF]

38. J. Wang and Z. Lin*, "Freestanding TiO₂ nanotube arrays with ultrahigh aspect ratio via electrochemical anodization", Chemistry of Materials, 20, 1257 (2008). [PDF] 

2007

37. J. Xu, J. Wang, M. Mitchell, P. Mukherjee, M. Jeffries-EL, J. W. Petrich, and Z. Lin*, "Organic-inorganic nanocomposites prepared by grafting conjugated polymers onto quantum dots", Journal of the American Chemical Society, 129, 12828 (2007).  [PDF]

36. Y. Lin, C. Jiang, J. Xu, Z. Lin*, and V. V. Tsukruk*, "Sculptured layer-by-layer films", Advanced Materials, 19,  3827 (2007). [PDF]

35. D. Zimnitsky, C. Jiang, J. Xu, Z. Lin, L. Zhang, and V. V. Tsukruk, "Photoluminescence of a freely suspended monolayer of quantum dots encapsulated into layer-by-layer films", Langmuir, 23, 10176 (2007). [PDF] (Highlighted in the news "Suspended in Film and Placed Over Microcavities, Quantum Dots Become Brighter", Photonics Spectra, November, 2007, page 98)

34. J. Wang, J. Xia, S. W. Hong, F. Qiu, Y. Yang, and Z. Lin*, "Phase separation of polymer-dispersed liquid crystals on a chemically patterned substrate", Langmuir, 23, 7411 (2007). [PDF] (feature on Cover of Langmuir (July 3, 2007 issue); featured on the ISU College of Engineering - Research Highlight, "Engineering Tomorrow’s Flat-Panel Displays", April 30 (2008).

33. S. W. Hong, J.Xia, and Z. Lin*, "Spontaneous formation of mesoscale polymer patterns in an evaporating bound solution", Advanced Materials, 19, 1413 (2007). [PDF]

32. S. W. Hong, J. Xia, M. Byun, Q. Zou, and Z. Lin*, "Mesoscale patterns formed by evaporation of a polymer solution in the proximity of a sphere on a smooth substrate: molecular weight and curvature effects", Macromolecules, 40, 2831 (2007). [PDF]

31. D. Zimnitsky, C. Jiang, J. Xu, Z. Lin, and V. V. Tsukruk, "Substrate- and time-dependent photoluminescence of quantum dots inside the ultrathin polymer LbL film", Langmuir, 23, 4509 (2007). [PDF]

30. Y. H. Lin, C. Jiang, J. Xu, Z. Lin, and V. V. Tsukruk, " Robust, fluorescent, and nanoscale freestanding conjugated films", Soft Matter, 3, 432 (2007). [PDF]

29. J. Xu, J. Xia, and Z. Lin*, "Evaporation-induced self-assembly of nanoparticles from a sphere-on-flat geometry", Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 46, 1860 (2007). [PDF]

2006

28. S. W. Hong, J. Xu, and Z. Lin*, "Template-assisted formation of gradient concentric gold rings" Nano Letters, 6, 2949 (2006). [PDF]

27. S. W. Hong, S. Giri, V.S.Y. Lin, and Z. Lin*, "Simple route to gradient concentric metal and metal oxide rings" Chemistry of Materials, 18, 5164 (2006). [PDF]

26. J. Xu, J. Xia, J. Wang, J. Shinar and Z. Lin*, "Quantum dots confined in nanoporous alumina membranes" Applied Physics Letters, 89, 133110 (2006). [PDF]

25. J. Xia, J. Wang, Z. Lin*, F. Qiu and Y. Yang, "Phase separation kinetics of polymer dispersed liquid crystals confined between two parallel walls" Macromolecules, 39, 2247 (2006). [PDF]

24. J. Xu, J. Xia, S. W. Hong, Z. Lin*, F. Qiu and Y. Yang, "Self-assembly of gradient concentric rings via solvent evaporation from a capillary bridge" Physical Review Letters, 96, 066104 (2006). [PDF]

2005

23. S. W. Hong, J. Xu, J. Xia, Z. Lin*, F. Qiu and Y. Yang, "Drying mediated pattern formation in a capillary-held organometallic polymer solution", Chemistry of Materials, 17, 6223 (2005). [PDF]

Selected Publications Prior to Iowa State University (For a complete list (22 papers), click on Functional Polymeric Nanocomposites Research Group Website) 

• Z. Lin, S. Granick, "Patterns formed by droplet evaporation from a restricted geometry", Journal of the American Chemical Society, 127, 2816 (2005).
• D. Kim, X. Jia, Z. Lin, K. Guarini and T. P. Russell, "Growth of silicon oxide in thin film block copolymer scaffolds", Advanced Materials, 16, 702 (2004).
• S. Granick, Z. Lin and S. C. Bae, "Molecules squeezed and stroked", (News and Views), Nature, 425, 467 (2003).
• D. Kim, Z. Lin, H. Kim, U. Jeong and T. P. Russell, "On the replication of block copolymer templates by poly(dimethylsiloxane) elastomers", Advanced Materials, 15, 811 (2003).
• M. Morariu, N. Voicu, E. Schaffer, Z. Lin, T. P. Russell and U. Steiner, "Hierarchical structure formation and pattern replication induced by an electric field", Nature Materials, 2, 48 (2003).
• Z. Lin, D. Kim, X. Wu, L. Boosahda, L. LaRose, D. Stone and T. P. Russell, "A rapid route in preparing oriented block copolymer structures in thin films", Advanced Materials, 14, 1373 (2002).
• Z. Lin, T. Kerle, E. Schaffer, U. Steiner and T. P. Russell, "Electric field induced dewetting at polymer/polymer interface", Macromolecules, 35, 6255 (2002).
• Z. Lin, T. Kerle, T. P. Russell, E. Schaffer and U. Steiner, "Structure formation at the interface of liquid/liquid bilayer in electric field", Macromolecules, 35, 3971 (2002).
• Z. Lin, T. Kerle, S. Baker, D. Hoagland, E. Schaffer, U. Steiner and T. P. Russell, "Electric field induced instabilities at the liquid/liquid interfaces", Journal of Chemical Physics, 114, 2377 (2001).
• Z. Lin, H. Zhang and Y. Yang, "Phase diagrams of mixtures of flexible polymers and nematic liquid crystals in a field", Physical Review E, 58, 5867 (1998).
• Z. Lin, H. Zhang and Y. Yang, "Kinetics of spinodal decomposition in mixtures of low molecular weight liquid crystals and flexible polymers", Macromolecular Theory and Simulation, 6, 1153 (1997).

• 04/2007  MSE Excellence in Teaching Award
  
• 2006-2007  3M Non-tenured Faculty Award
  
• 08/2004 Chair's Travel Fund, Gordon Research Conference on "Polymer Physics"
  
• 08/2002 Chair's Travel Fund, Gordon Research Conference on "Polymer Physics"
  
• 03/2002 Frank J. Padden Jr. Award in Polymer Physics, American Physical Society
  
• 07/2001 Chair's Travel Fund, Gordon Research Conference on "Gravitational Effects in Physico-Chemical Systems: Interfacial Effects"
  
• 1996-1997 Excellent Graduate Student Award, Fudan University
  
• 07/1995 Outstanding Undergraduate Student for Graduation from Xiamen University
  
• 07/1995 Excellent Undergraduate Student Thesis Award, Xiamen University
  
• 1994-1995 Lu Jia-xi & Cai Qi-rui Award, Xiamen University
  
• 1993-1994 Ben-dong Award, Xiamen University
  
• 1992-1993 Cadacam Award, Xiamen University
  
• 1991-1995 Excellent Undergraduate Scholarship (Top 1-3 out of 120), Xiamen University
  

      Current Graduate Students

• Jun Wang, Ph.D. Student
• Myunghwan Byun, Ph.D. Student
• Lei Zhao, Ph.D. Student
• Matthew Goodman, Master Student

      Graduated Ph.D. students

• Jun Xu, Earned Ph.D., 2007
• Suck Won Hong, Earned Ph.D., 2008 

Detailed information on research can be seen at Functional Polymeric Nanocomposites Research Group Website