Mason Zadan

Mason Zadan is a postdoctoral associate at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, working with Dr. Ana Jaklenec and Professor Bob Langer on novel drug delivery methods. He completed his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University with Professor Carmel Majidi, focusing on soft robotics and liquid metal-based materials for wearable energy harvesting applications. Dr. Zadan has interned at Meta Reality Labs and the Air Force Research Lab and previously graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Physics from the University of Richmond.

Talk Title: Liquid Metals and Soft Active Matter for Stretchable Thermoelectrics and Soft Robotics

As continuous wearable physiological monitoring systems become more ubiquitous in healthcare, there is an increasing need for power sources that can sustainably power wireless sensors and electronics for long durations. To accomplish this, wearable energy harvesting devices must be conformable and stretchable to operate on the human body without impeding comfort or movement.

In this talk, I will introduce stretchable thermoelectric devices (TEDs) as a solution for both wearable health monitoring and soft robotic actuation applications. I will present liquid metal material architectures that replace traditionally rigid components in TEDs such as copper and ceramics. A novel approach to soft robotic actuation using liquid crystal elastomer shape memory polymers combined with 3D printed TEDs will be discussed, along with recent work on wireless beamforming of liquid metal patch antennas for non-line-of-sight soft robotic actuation.

Design improvements for increasing TED power density to enable PPG monitoring systems will be explored, demonstrating the first pulse oximetry sensor powered entirely by body heat. Work will also be presented on introducing 2D Ti3C2Tx MXene sheets to functionalize LM nano-droplet surface oxide layers creating "sticky" interfaces that dramatically improve thermal conductivity for electronics cooling applications.

Location: Etcheverry Hall 3110, 2521 Hearst Ave, Berkeley, CA

Live stream online: no online option