Hongbo Zeng, PhD

Area of Study / Keywords

Colloids and Interface Science Biomedical Engineering Materials Characterization and Processing Nanomaterials Oil Sands Energy Mineral Processing Polymers Hydrogels Surface and interfacial science

About

Dr. Hongbo Zeng received his BSc and MSc at Tsinghua University and PhD at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Alberta, a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in intermolecular forces and interfacial science, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Fellow of the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK).

Dr. Zeng’s research interests are in colloid and interface science, functional materials & nanotechnology, with a special focus on intermolecular and surface interactions in soft materials (e.g., polymers, biopolymers, surfactants, emulsions, hydrogels), complex fluids, petroleum, oil sands and mineral processing, and development of functional materials (e.g., self-healing materials). His lab has developed and applied various nanomechanical tools and methodologies to probe the intermolecular and interfacial forces at solid/water/oil/gas interfaces and between highly deformable objects such as gas bubbles and liquid emulsion drops in different engineering systems. He has published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in leading academic journals, along with one book and eleven book chapters. His work has been recognized by many awards, such as the Petro-Canada Young Innovator Award, Martha Cook Piper Research Prize, Engineering Research Award of the University of Alberta, The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering Lectureship Award, CSChE Innovation Award of The Chemical Institute of Canada, Killam Professorship, NSERC Steacie Fellowship (presented by The Governor General of Canada), and the van der Waals Prize.

Research

Dr. Zeng’s research interests are in colloid and interface science, functional materials & nanotechnology, with a special focus on intermolecular and surface interactions in soft materials (e.g., polymers, biopolymers, surfactants, emulsions, hydrogels), complex fluids, petroleum, oil sands and mineral processing, and development of functional materials (e.g., self-healing materials). His lab has developed and applied various nanomechanical tools and methodologies to probe the intermolecular and interfacial forces at solid/water/oil/gas interfaces and between highly deformable objects such as gas bubbles and liquid emulsion drops in different engineering systems. He has published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in leading academic journals, along with one book and nine book chapters.

Key areas: Colloids and Interface Science, Interfacial Phenomena in Engineering Processes (e.g., Oil Production, Mineral Processing, Wastewater treatment), Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Biomaterials