Alumni Faculty

Biography

Dr. Avinash Baji obtained his Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering in 2004 and PhD in Mechanical Engineering under the supervision of Professor Shing-Chung Wong in 2008, both from the University of Akron. His PhD research focussed on the development of high toughness and high strength bioactive composites using electrospinning techniques. Prior to joining SUTD as an Assistant Professor, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Centre for Advanced Materials Technology (CAMT), University of Sydney and under the supervision of Professor Yiu-Wing Mai on electrospinning and polymer fibers for functional applications. Dr. Baji has conducted extensive research on polymer nanocomposites, multifunctional composites, including electrospun polymer fibers for tissue engineering applications.

Education

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Mechanical Engineering
  University of Akron, Akron, Ohio.
• Master of Science (M.S) in Biomedical Engineering
  Universityof Akron, Akron, Ohio.

Fellowship

• Postdoctoral Fellow (Oct 2008-Jan 2013)
  Centre for Advanced Materials Technology (CAMT), University of Sydney, Australia.
• Research Fellow (Jun 2011-Aug 2011)
  Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.

Research Interests

Dr. Baji’s research interest focuses on the use of electrospinning and electrospun fibers for bio-mimicking and bio-duplication. In summary his research can be categorised as follows:

1. Electrospun fibers and composites for tissue engineering applications.
2. Polymer fibers for multifunctional applications.
3. Stimuli responsive polymer fibers
4. Polymer nanocomposites
5. Self-cleaning, superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic materials

Research Opportunities & Collaborations

We welcome inter-disciplinary collaborations from colleagues and researchers who are interested in working on polymer fibers or polymer nanocomposites for functional applications.

Enquiries for student research, research assistant and postdoctoral fellow openings are welcomed.

Key Publications

1. Baji A, Abtahi M, Ramakrishna S. “Bio-inspired electrospun micro/nanofibers with special wettability” Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology,Vol. 14 (2014) 1-18.
2. Baji A, Mai Y-W, Abtahi M, Wong SC, Liu Y, Li Q. “Microstructure development in electrospun carbon nanotube reinforced polyvinylidene fluoride fibres and its influence on tensile strength and dielectric permittivity” Composites Science and Technology, (2013) Vol. 22 (2013) 1-8.
3. Huang YL, Baji A, Tien HW, Yang YK, Yang SY, Wu SY, Ma CCM, Liu HY, Mai Y-W, Wang NH. “Self-assembly of silver–graphene hybrid on electrospun polyurethane nanofibers as flexible transparent conductive thin films” Carbon, Vol. 50 (2012) 3473-3481.
4. Baji A, Mai Y-W, Du XS, Wong SC.“Improved tensile strength and ferroelectric phase content of self-assembled polyvinylidene fluoride fiber yarns using electrospinning technique” Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, Vol. 297 (2012) 209-213.
5. Baji A, Mai Y-W, Li Q, Liu Y. “Electrospinning induced ferroelectricity in poly(vinylidene fluoride) fibers” Nanoscale, Vol. 3 (2011) 3068-3071.
6. Huang YL, Baji A, Tien HW, Yang YK, Yang SY, Ma CCM, Liu HY, Mai Y-W, Wang NH. “Self-assembly ofgraphene onto electrospun nylon 66 nanofibers as transparent conductive thin film” Nanotechnology, Vol. 22 (2011) 475603.
7. Baji A, Mai Y-W, Li Q, Liu Y. “Nanoscale investigation of ferroelectric properties in electrospun barium titanate/polyvinylidenefluoride composite fibers using piezoresponse force microscopy” Composites Science and Technology, Vol. 71 (2011) 1435-1440.
8. Baji A, Mai Y-W, Wong SC. “Effect of fiber diameter on the deformation behavior of self-assembled carbon nanotube reinforced electrospun polyamide 6,6, fibers” Materials Science and Engineering A, Vol. 528 (2011) 6565-6572.
9. Baji A, Mai Y-W, Li Q, Wong SC, Liu Y. “One-dimensional multiferroic bismuth ferrite fibers obtained by electrospinning techniques” Nanotechnology, Vol. 22 (2011) 235702.
10. Baji A, Mai Y-W, Wong SC, Abtahi M, Du X. “Mechanical behavior of self-assembled carbon nanotube reinforced nylon 6,6 fibers” Composites Science and Technology, Vol. 70 (2010) 1401-1409.
11. Baji A, Mai Y-W, Wong SC, Abtahi M, Chen P.“Electrospinning of polymer nanofibers: effects on oriented morphology, structures and tensile properties” Composites Science and Technology, Vol. 70 (2010) 703-718.
12. Wong SC, Baji A, Leng S. “Effect of fiber diameter on tensile properties of electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone)” Polymer, Vol. 49 (2008) 4713-4722.