Assistant Professor
Biography
August 2020 - Present
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
August 2019 - July 2020
Postdoctoral Research Scholar, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University
May 2014 - August 2019
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University
Research
Developing novel functional surfaces to address some of the key challenges in the areas of membrane separation, droplet manipulation, icephobicity, hemocompatibility and microfluidics. Particular areas of interest include liquid-repellent surfaces, omniphobic membranes, patterned surfaces, stimuli-responsive surfaces, and anti/de-icing coatings.
Education
PhD, 2014, Binghamton University
M.S., 2009, South Dakota State University
B.E., 2006, Tianjin University
Professional Service
Reviewer for Advanced Materials, ACS Nano, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Small, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Lab on a Chip
Publications
Cha, H. Vahabi, A. Wu, S. Chavan, M. K. Kim, S. Sett, S. A. Bosch, W. Wang, A. K. Kota, and N. Miljkovic. “Dropwise Condensation on Solid Hydrophilic Surfaces”, Science Advances, 6, eaax0746, 2020.
Wang, X. Du, H. Vahabi, Y. Yin, A. K. Kota, and T. Tong. “Trade-off in Membrane Distillation with Monolithic Omniphobic Membranes”, Nature Communications, 10, 3220, 2019.
Wang, H. Vahabi, S. Movafaghi, and A. K. Kota. “Superomniphobic Surfaces with Improved Mechanical Durability: Synergy of Hierarchical Texture and Mechanical Interlocking”, Advanced Materials Interfaces, 6, 1900538, 2019.
Vahabi, W. Wang, J. M. Mabry, and A. K. Kota. “Coalescence-Induced Jumping of Droplets on Superomniphobic Surfaces with Macrotexture”, Science Advances, 4, eaau3488, 2018.
Wang, J. Salazar, H. Vahabi, A. Joshi-Imre, W. E. Voit, and A. K. Kota. “Metamorphic Superomniphobic Surfaces”, Advanced Materials, 29, 1700295, 2017.
Wang, K. Lockwood, L. M. Boyd, M. D. Davidson, S. Movafaghi, H. Vahabi, S. R. Khetani, and A. K. Kota. “Superhydrophobic Coatings with Edible Materials”, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 8, 18664, 2016.
Movafaghi, W. Wang, A. Metzger, D. D. Williams, J. D. Williams, and A. K. Kota. “Tunable Superomniphobic Surfaces for Sorting Droplets by Surface Tension”, Lab on a Chip, 16, 3204, 2016.
Beemer, W. Wang, and A. K. Kota. “Durable Gels with Ultra-low Adhesion to Ice”, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 4, 18253, 2016.
Movafaghi, V. Leszczak, W. Wang, J. A. Sorkin, L. P. Dasi, K. C. Popat, and A. K. Kota. “Hemocompatibility of Superhemophobic Titania Surfaces”, Advanced Healthcare Materials, 6, 1600717, 2016.