Hongbo Zeng

Hongbo Zeng
Professor
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
University of Alberta

Title: Probing Reversible Noncovalent Interactions to Engineer Multifunctional Soft Materials and Surfaces

Abstract: Intermolecular interactions and surface characteristics play a critical role in determining the physicochemical properties and functionalities of soft materials and biological systems. Considerable efforts have therefore been devoted to characterizing intermolecular and surface interactions, particularly reversible noncovalent interactions, in surfactants, polymers, biopolymers, and biointerfaces. In this talk, I will briefly introduce the fundamentals of intermolecular and surface forces, as well as commonly used nanomechanical techniques for quantifying these interactions. Recent progress from our group will then be presented, with a focus on the application of nanomechanical tools to probe polymer and biopolymer interfaces and biological systems, such as the wet adhesion of marine mussels. Our studies have systematically elucidated the molecular mechanisms underlying mussel adhesive interactions in aqueous environments, including biopolymer–metal-ion coordination, cation–π, anion–π, hydrophobic, and hydrogen bonding interactions. For example, cooperative anion–π and cation–π interactions have recently been used to develop an injectable, self-healing, ultrasoft, low-salinity piezoionic hydrogel for biomechanical sensing and potential bioelectrical stimulation. These fundamental insights have further guided the design and development of multifunctional soft materials, including self-healing polymers, hydrogels, coatings, and wet adhesives, for bioengineering and related applications. Overall, this work provides fundamental insights into biological self-assembly and offers new strategies for developing multifunctional soft materials and surfaces through tunable reversible noncovalent interactions.

Bio: Hongbo Zeng is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Alberta, where he holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Intermolecular Forces and Interfacial Science and a Senior University of Alberta Engineering Research Chair. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. He received his BSc and MSc degrees from Tsinghua University and his PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara, under the supervision of Professors Jacob Israelachvili and Matthew Tirrell. His research focuses on colloid and interface science, intermolecular and surface forces, and soft materials. He has published a book and more than 500 peer-reviewed articles. His honours include the NSERC Steacie Fellowship, a Killam Professorship, the van der Waals Prize, the CSChE Innovation Award, and the CSChE John R. Grace Award from the Chemical Institute of Canada. He also serves as an Editor of Advances in Colloid and Interface Science and an Editorial Advisory Board member of Langmuir.