Min Zou, Ph.D.        Associate Professor                     Department of Mechanical Engineering         1 University of Arkansas         Fayetteville, AR 72701-1201         Office : MEEG 102A         Phone: (479) 575-6671         Fax: (479) 575-6982         E-mail: mzou@uark.edu         Research Web Page: http://comp.uark.edu/~mzou/NMTL_index.html

 

education

• Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1999
• M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1996
• M.S., Aerospace Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, China, 1991
• B.S., Aerospace Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, China, 1988

professional experience

• 07/08 - Present, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Arkansas
• 08/03 - 06/08, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Arkansas
• 01/99 - 08/03, Senior Advisory Development Engineer / Staff Engineer, Seagate Technology, LLC.
• 09/94 - 12/98, Graduate Research Assistant, Georgia Institute of Technology
• 01/91 - 7/94, Engineer / Manager, Shanghai Aircraft Research Institute, Shanghai, China
• 09/88 - 01/91, Graduate Research Assistant, Northwestern Polytechnical University, China

professional activities

• Member of the Editorial Advisory Board, International Journal of Multidiscipline Modeling in Materials and Structures (MMMS), 2004-Present.
• Member of the Editorial Advisory Board, Open Mechanical Engineering Journal (OME), 2007-Present.
• Track Chair, 2nd Integration & Commercialization of Micro & Nanosystems International Conference & Exhibition, 2008.
• Chair/Vice Chair/Paper Solicitation Chair (PSC), Surface Engineering Technical Committee, Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE), 2007/2006/2005.
• Vice Chair/Secretary and PSC, Nanotribology Technical Committee, STLE, 2008/2007.
• Vice Chair/Vice PSC, Ceramics and Composites Technical Committee, STLE, 2006/2005.
• Session Chair, Nanotribology Program, STLE Annual Meeting, 2008.
• Session Chair, Surface Engineering Program, STLE Annual Meeting, 2006, 2007, 2008.
• Session Vice Chair, Ceramics and Composite Program, STLE Annual Meeting, 2007.
• Session Chair, Contact Mechanics, STLE/ASME International Joint Tribology Conference, 2006.
• Member, Content Committee, STLE, 2005- 2006.
• Chair, Interdisciplinary Studies Subcommittee, Nanotribology and Micro/Nano-Systems (NMNS) committee, ASME Tribology Division, 2007-Present.
• Reviewer, Tribology Letters, Tribology Transactions, Journal of Tribology, Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters, Journal of Nanoengineering and Nanosystems, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Thin Solid Films, Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology, Material Science and Engineering: A, International Journal of Multidiscipline Modeling in Materials and Structures, IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, STLE/ASME International Joint Tribology Conference, 2006 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition, 2005 ASEE Midwest Regional Conference, National Science Foundation (NSF) proposals, and American Chemical Society the Petroleum Research Fund proposals.
• Member, STLE, ASME, ASEE

honors and awards

• NSF CAREER Award, 2007.
• College of Engineering Outstanding Researcher in Mechanical Engineering Award, 2007.
• The Best Paper Award (with graduate students Y. Song and R. P. Nair), ASME International Conference on Integration and Commercialization of Micro and Nano-systems, 2007.
• Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, 2005
• NSF Summer Institute on Nanomechanics and Materials Fellowship, 2005, 2006, 2007.
• Walter D. Hodson Award (best paper), STLE, 2001
• Science and Technology Advancement Award, The Ministry of Aeronautics and Aerospace of P. R. China, 1993

Research interests

• Nano-surface-engineering
• Micro / Nanotribology
• Nanomechanics

research

Dr. Zou's current research interests are in the area of nano-surface-engineering for tribological and biomedical applications, with emphasis on fabrication and nanomechanical and tribological characterization.

Prior to joining the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University of Arkansas in Fall 2003, Dr. Zou was a Staff engineer at Seagate Technology.  At Seagate Technology, she has been focusing on cutting edge computer hard drive head-disk interface mechanical research and development with the emphasis on tribology.  Her research involved head-disk dynamic monitoring, sensing, contact detection at nano scale, and force and surface characterization of small and miniaturized structures.

Dr. Zou's doctoral research was in the area of dynamics and control which applied to a non-contacting mechanical face seal.  Specifically, her research was on the diagnostic and control of the contact between mechanical seal faces.  In this research, she performed parametric analysis and dynamic simulation of a mechanical face seal, designed and implemented a novel diagnostic and control system to detect and control contact between the seal faces.

selected publications (since 2005)

1. Kollias, K., Wang, H., Song, Y., and Zou, M., “Superhydrophilic Surface by Aluminum-induced Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon,” Nanotechnology, accepted, 2008.

2. Premachandran Nair, R. and Zou, M., “Surface-nano-texturing by Aluminum-induced Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon,” Surface Coatings and Technology, accepted, 2008. (Invited Paper)

3. Wang, H., Kim, J.-H., Zou, M., Tung, S., and Kim, J.-W., “Adhesion Study of Escherichia coli Cells on Nano-/Micro-textured Surfaces in a Microfluidic System,” IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology, Vol. 7, No. 5, pp. 573-579, 2008.

4. Wang, H., Zou, M., Larson, P.R., Sanchez, E.S., Hobbs, K.L., Curtis, M.E., Johnson, M.B., and Awitor, O. K., “Nanomechanical properties of a Ni nanodot-patterned surface,” Nanotechnology, Vol. 19, pp. 295708 (9pp), 2008.

5. Song, Y. and Zou, M.,"Superhydrophobic Surfaces by Dynamic Nanomasking and Deep Reactive Ion Etching," Proc. IMechE, Part N: J. Nanoengineering and Nanosystems, Vol. 221, No. 2, pp. 41-48, 2007.

6. Wang, H., Premachandran Nair, R., Zou, M., Larson, P.R., Hobbs, K.L., Johnson, M.B., and Awitor, O. K., “Friction Study of a Ni Nanodot-patterned Surface,” Tribology Letters, Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 183 - 189, 2007.

7. Wang, H. and Zou, M., “Amorphous Silicon Thickness Effect on Formation of Silicon Nanostructures by Aluminum-induced Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon,” Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters, Vol. 10, No. 8, pp. H224-226, 2007.

8. Zou, M. Dorey, S., Cai, D., Song, Y., Nair, R., Cai, L., Brown, W., “Self-Assembly of Si Nanoparticles Produced by Aluminum-Induced Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon Film,” Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. K7-K9, 2007.

9. Cai, L., Zou, M., Abu-Safe, H., Naseem H.,and Brown, W., "Understanding the Effects of Stress on the Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon," Journal of Electronic Materials, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 191 – 196, 2007.

10. Zou, M. and Yang, D., “Nanoindentation of Silica Nanoparticles Attached to a Silicon Substrate,” Tribology Letters, Vol. 22, No.2, pp.189-196, 2006.

11. Zou, M., Wang, H., Larson, P.R., Hobbs, K.L., Johnson, M.B., and Awitor, O. K., “Ni Nanodot-patterned Surfaces for Adhesion and Friction Reduction,” Tribology Letters, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp 137-142, 2006.

12. Zou, M., Seale, W., and Wang, H., “Comparison of Tribological Performances of Nano- and Micro-textured Surfaces,” Proc. IMechE, Part N: J. Nanoengineering and Nanosystems, Vol. 219, No. 3, pp. 103-110, 2006. (Invited Paper)

13. Zou, M., Cai, L., and Dorey, S., “Self-assembly of Aluminum-Induced Silicon Nanowires,” Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters, Vol. 9, No. 4, pp G133-135, 2006 (Selected for the February 27, 2006 issue of Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology).

14. Zou, M., Cai, L., and Wang, H., “Adhesion and Friction Studies of a Nano-textured Surface Produced by Spin Coating of Colloidal Silica Nanoparticle Solution,” Tribology Letters, Vol. 21, No.1, pp. 25-30, 2006.

15. Zou, M., Cai, L., and Yang, D., “Nanotribology of a Silica Nanoparticle-textured Surface,” Tribology Transactions, Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 66-71, 2006.

16. Zou, M., Cai, L., Wang, H., and Brown, W., “Nano-Aluminum-Induced Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon,” Materials Letters, Vol. 60, No. 11, pp. 1379-1382, 2006.

17. Zou, M., Cai, L., Wang, H., and Xu, J., “Silicon Nanowires by Aluminum-Induced Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon,” Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. G31-G33, 2006.

18. Zou, M., Cai, L., Wang, H., Yang, D., and Wyrobek, T., “Adhesion and Friction Studies of a Selectively Micro/nano-textured Surface Produced by UV Assisted Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon,” Tribology Letters, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 43 – 52, 2005.

19. Cai, L., Wang, H., Brown, W., and Zou, M., “Large Grain Polycrystalline Silicon Film Produced by Nano Aluminum-Enhanced Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon,” Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters, Vol. 8, No. 7, pp G179-181, 2005.

20. Zou, M., Cai, L., and Brown, W., “Nano-Aluminum-Induced Low Temperature Crystallization of PECVD Amorphous Silicon,” Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters, Vol. 8, No. 5, pp. G103-105, 2005.