CEFS

Center for Electro-Optics and Functionalized Surfaces (CEFS)

A collaborative research group composed of over 30 faculty, postdocs, graduate, and undergraduate students from a diverse range of disciplines, working together towards a common vision of developing the basic science and methods necessary to generate permanent metallic functionalized surfaces.

Lab setting with equipment, glowing red light, and people standing under dim, dramatic lighting.
Directory Publications

Current Research

Surface functionalization technologies

  • Femtosecond laser surface processing (FLSP)

  • Directional structures

  • Atomic laser deposition (ALD)

  • Lithographic/chemical microfabrication

  • Femtosecond laser driven hyperdoping

  • Molding of micro/nanostructures (PDMS)

  • Tailor wetting properties (superhydrophobic, superhydrophilic, omniphobic)

  • Modeling the formation of self-organized structures from light/matter interactions

Biomedical applications

  • Anti-biofouling

  • Biosensors (GI flow rate sensor)

Heat transfer

  • Boiling

  • Leidenfrost

  • Microchannel cooling

  • Condensation

Basic engineering diagnostics

  • Ultrafast pump-probe

  • Ultrasonics for microcrack detection

  • Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)

  • Ellipsometry

Electrolysis

  • Bubble formation and release

  • Cyclicvoltometry

  • Alternating wetting zones at microscales

Femtosecond laser direct writing

  • Writing long period and Bragg gratings in optical fibers

  • Direct writing of channels in sapphire

Droplet microfluidics

  • Liedenfrost driven droplet motion on functionalized metal surfaces

  • Alternating wetting zones for droplet motion control at room temperature

Optical communications

  • Developing the enabling technology for an all optical data storage center

  • All optical switching in communication networks/architectures

Superhydrophobic lotus leaf
Superhydrophobic lotus leaf
Micro and Nano structuring combined with surface chemical changes in a single processing step
Micro and Nano structuring combined with surface chemical changes in a single processing step
Shark skin and Stainless Steel 316
Shark skin and Stainless Steel 316
Reinventing the boiling curve using functionalized surfaces
Reinventing the boiling curve using functionalized surfaces

CEFS News

  • Corey Kruse receives prestigeous NASA fellowship (link)
  • CEFS is competing for internal NSF Science and Technology Center proposal
  • Six patent disclosures related to functionalization of metallic surfaces and their applications have been submitted to NUTech Adventures, Inc.
  • Dr. Ndao and Dr. Zuhlke gave keynote invited lectures at ICNMM 2014
  • Dr. Alexander gave invited presentation at the International Conference on Spectral Line Shapes (ICSLS)
  • New collaborations have begun with IESL-FORTH (Greece) on modeling dynamic light/matter interactions with materials