In collaboration with Myant Inc., a Toronto-based facemask manufacturer, Dr. Jian Liu’s team aims at developing self-disinfecting and reusable fabric facemasks that are suitable for everyday use by the public. The team will apply a new atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique to achieve uniform and strong-adhesive antimicrobial copper coating on the fabric facemasks. The copper coating can not only kill the infectious agents, but also survive laundry washing without compromising functionality. Within 6 months of the completion of this project, Myant will incorporate an industrial-scale roll-to-roll ALD into its facemask manufacturing facility in Toronto.
Jian Liu
Wall Associate
Jian Liu is a leading expert in atomic and molecular layer deposition techniques and has developed functional thin films to improve the performance and durability of energy storage and conversion technologies. In response to the pandemic, Dr. Liu directed his expertise to create antimicrobial coatings for self-disinfecting and reusable personal protective equipment suitable for everyday use by the public, helping protect and care for those at risk in our society.
Dr. Liu received his Ph.D. in materials science in 2013 from the University of Western Ontario and had the privilege to work as an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (USA) before joining UBC in January 2017. Dr. Liu is leading the Advanced Materials for Energy Storage Laboratory at UBC. His current research interests focus on advanced nanofabrication techniques, materials design for Li-ion batteries and beyond, and interfacial control and understanding in complex energy storage systems.
Primary Recipient Awards
Jian Liu – Wall Solutions – 2020
