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Li Cao

Li Cao

Associate Professor
Full-Time Faculty
School of Engineering: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
Contact 937-229-2672 Email Li Cao

Li Cao

Associate Professor
Full-Time Faculty
School of Engineering: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering

Selected Publications

(Over 100 scientific publications; h-index: 44; citation > 15,000 times)
  • Singh, B., Han, J., Meziani, M. J., Cao, L., Yerra, S., Collins, J., Dumra, S., & Sun, Y.-P. (2024). Polymeric Nanocomposites of Boron Nitride Nanosheets for Enhanced Directional or Isotropic Thermal Transport Performance, Nanomaterials, 14, 1259 (1-25).
  • Al-Ajrash, S. M. N., Browning, C., Eckerle, R., Cao, L., Bradford, R. L., & Klosterman, D. A. (2024). High temperature oxidation of additively manufactured silicon carbide/carbon fiber nanocomposites. J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 44, 3602-3609.
  • Liang, W., Cao, L., Scorzari, A., McGrath, H., Bunker, C. E., Ren, X., Wang, P., Yang, L., & Sun, Y.-P. (2023), Photoexcited state properties of N-ethylcarbazole-functionalized carbon dots in solution and in PVK polymer matrix, Chem. Phys. Lett. 833, 140964.
  • Han, J., Liu, C., Bradford, R. L., Klosterman, D. K., & Cao, L. (2023) Additive Manufacturing of Advanced Ceramics using Preceramic Polymers, Materials, 16(13), 4636 (1-27).
  • Cao, L., Bradford-Vialva, R. L., Eckerle, R. M., Herman, F., Jones, C., & Klosterman, D. A. (2022). Development of carbon nanotube-reinforced nickel-based nanocomposites using laser powder bed fusion. Adv. Eng. Mater. 2201197, 1-7.
  • Ren, X., Cao, L., Liang, W., Wang, P., Bunker, C. E., Yang, L., Teisl L. R., & Sun, Y.-P. (2022). Photoexcited state properties of poly (9-vinylcarbazole)-functionalized carbon dots in solution versus in nanocomposite films: Implications for solid-state optoelectronic devices. ACS Appl. Nano Mater. 5, 2820-2827.
  • Bradford, R., Cao, L., Klosterman, D., Herman, F., Forman, L., & Browning, C. (2021). A metal-metal powder formulation approach for laser additive manufacturing of difficult-to-print high-strength aluminum alloys. Mater. Lett. 300, 130113.
  • Cao, L., Fernando, K., Liang, W., Seilkop A., Veca, L. M., Sun, Y.-P., & Bunker, C. (2019). Carbon dots for energy conversion applications. J. Appl. Phys. 125, 220903 (1-12).
  • Anderson, A., Yang, F., Cao, L., Li, H., Meziani, M. J., & Sun, Y.-P. (2016). Tethered anthracene pair as molecular tweezers for post-production separation of single-walled carbon nanotubes. Chem. Phys. Lett., 657, 190–194.
  • Cao, L., Hou, Y., Lafdi, K., & Urmey, K. (2015). Fluorescent composite scaffolds made of nanodiamonds/polycaprolactone. Chem. Phys. Lett., 641, 123–128.
  • Liu, J., Cao, L., LeCroy, G., Wang, P., Meziani, M., Dong, Y., Liu, Y., Luo, P., & Sun, Y.-P. (2015). Carbon quantum dots for fluorescence labeling of cells. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 7, 19439–19445.
  • Sahu, S., Cao, L., Meziani, M., Bunker, C., Fernando, S., Wang, P., & Sun, Y-P. (2015). Carbon dioxide photoconversion driven by visible-light excitation of small carbon nanoparticles in various configurations. Chem. Phys. Lett., 634, 122-128.
  • Cao, L., Emami, S., & Lafdi, K. (2014). Large-scale exfoliation of hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets in liquid phase. Materials Express, 4, 165-171.
  • Hikita, M., Cao, L., & Lafdi, K. (2014). Optical properties of carbon microcoils. Appl. Phys. Lett., 104, 041905.
  • Cao, L., Meziani, M., Sahu, S., & Sun, Y.-P. (2013). Photoluminescence properties of graphene versus other carbon nanomaterials. Acc. Chem. Res., 46, 171–180.
  • Anilkumar, P., Cao, L., Yu, J.-J., Tackett II, K. N., Wang, P., Meziani, M., & Sun, Y.-P. (2013). Crosslinked carbon dots as ultra-bright fluorescence probes, Small, 9, 545-551.
  • Xu, J., Sahu, S., Cao, L., Bunker, C., Peng, G., Fernando, K. A. S., Wang, P., Guliants, E., Meziani, M., & Sun, Y.-P. (2012). Efficient fluorescence quenching in carbon dots by surface-doped metals - disruption of excited state redox processes and mechanistic implications. Langmuir, 28, 16141–16147.
  • Lu, F. S., Wang, F., Cao, L., Kong, C. Y., & Huang, X. C. (2012). Hexagonal boron nitride nanomaterials: Advances towards bioapplications. Nanosci. Nanotechnol. Lett., 4, 949–961.
  • Cao, L., Sahu, S., Anilkumar, P., Kong, C. Y., & Sun, Y.-P. (2012). Linear and nonlinear optical properties of modified graphene-based materials. MRS Bulletin, 37, 1283–1289.
  • Cao, L., Yang, S.-T., Wang, X., Luo, P., Liu, J.-H., Sahu, S., Liu, Y., & Sun, Y.-P. (2012). Competitive performance of carbon quantum dots in optical bioimaging. Theranostics, 2, 295–301.
  • Song, W.-L., Wang, P., Cao, L., Anderson, A., Meziani, M., Farr, A., & Sun, Y.-P. (2012). Polymer/boron nitride nanocomposite materials for superior thermal transport performance. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 124, 1–5.
  • Cao, L., Sahu, S., Anilkumar, P., Bunker, C., Fernando, K., Guliants, E., & Sun, Y.-P. (2011). Carbon nanoparticles as visible-light photocatalysts for efficient CO2 conversion and beyond.  J. Am. Chem. Soc., 133, 4754–4757.
  • Cao, L., Anilkumar, P., Wang, X., Liu, J.-H., Sahu, S., Meziani, M., Myers, E., & Sun, Y. (2011). Reverse Stern-Volmer behavior for fluorescence quenching in carbon nanoparticles. Can. J. Chem., 89, 104–109.
  • Wang, X., Cao, L., Yang, S., Lu, F., Meziani, M., Tian, L., Sun, K., Bloodgood, M., & Sun, Y. (2010). Bandgap-like strong fluorescence in functionalized carbon nanoparticles. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 122, 5438–5442.
  • Wang, X., Cao, L., Bunker, C., Meziani, M., Lu, F., Guliants, E., & Sun, Y.-P. (2010). Fluorescence decoration of defects in carbon nanotubes. J. Phys. Chem. C, 114, 20941–20946.
  • Liu, J., Cao, L., Luo, P., Yang, S., Lu, F., Wang, H., Meziani, M., Haque, A., Liu, Y., Lacher, S., & Sun, Y.-P. (2010). Fullerene-Conjugated Doxorubicin in Cells ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2 1384–1389.
  • Yang, S., Cao, L., Luo, G., Lu, F., Wang, X., Wang, H., Meziani M., Liu, Y., Qi, G., & Sun, Y. (2009). Carbon dots for optical imaging in vivo, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 131, 11308–11309.
  • Wang, X., Cao L., Lu, F. S., Meziani, M. J., Li, H. T., Qi, G., Zhou, B., Harruff, B., Kermarrec, F., & Sun, Y.-P. (2009). Photoinduced electron transfers with carbon dots. Chemical Communications, 25, 3774–3776.
  • Cao, L., Wang, X., Meziani, M., Lu, F., Wang, H., Luo, P., Lin, Y., Harruff, B., Veca, L., Murray, D., Xie, S., & Sun, Y.-P. (2007). Carbon dots for multiphoton bioimaging. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 129(37), 11318–11319. Highlighted in Dot to dot. Nature, 449, 263. http://npg.nature.com/nature/journal/v449/n7160/full/449262a.html and in Carbon dots illuminated with two photons. (2007). Biophotonics International, 14, 18.
  • Cao, L., Miao, Y., Zhang, Z., Xie, S., Yang, G., & Zou, B. (2005). Exciton interactions in CdS nanocrystal aggregates in reverse micelle. J. Chem. Phys., 123, 024702 (1–6).
  • Deng, Z., Cao, L., Tang, F., & Zou, B. (2005). A new route to zinc-blende CdSe nanocrystals: Mechanism and synthesis. J. Phys. Chem. B, 109, 16671–16675. Highlighted in Nanoparticles cooked up in aerosol spray. Nature Materials. http://www.nature.com/materials/nanozone/news/050915/portal/m050915-2.html

Courses Taught

  • Engineering Thermodynamics EGR 202
  • Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics CME 211
  • Principles of Material Selection MAT 508/MEE 508
  • Fundamentals of Nanotechnology & Nanomaterials MAT 550
  • Additive Manufacturing MAT 532
  • Particles and Powders in Food Engineering MAT 531/CME 441
  • Nanocharacterization Lab MAT 551

Selected Honors and Awards

  • Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Fellowship Grant Award, USA 2008

Degree

  • Ph.D. Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, 2005

Professional Activities

  • Editor-in-Chief of the Section “Nanocomposite Materials”, Nanomaterials, (2024 -)
  • Board of Director – Oversea Chinese Environmental Engineers & Scientists Association (OCEESA) (2022-2024)
  • Materials Research Society (MRS)
  • The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE)
  • Served as a peer reviewer for more than 20 scientific journals from ACS, APS, RSC, Elsevier, Wiley, etc.

Research Interests

  • Interdisciplinary research in the fields of materials engineering, additive manufacturing, physics, optics, energy science, chemistry, biology, nanoscience and nanotechnology
  • Optical, electrical, thermal, magnetic, and mechanical properties, analysis and applications of various advanced nanomaterials and their composites
  • Advanced material development and applications
    • Nanomaterials reinforced metal, ceramic, or polymer matrix composites and applications
    • Advanced metal, ceramic, or polymer matrix composites fabricated with additive manufacturing: process, material development and applications
    • Advanced nanomaterials and nanocomposites and applications