Funded Research Projects (since 2010)

Dr Cheng is grateful for the supports from NSF, NIH, USGS, NOAA, Nissan,Air Force, ONR, Great Lake Protection Funds,Nissan, Richard Barber Foundation, Wayne State University and the University of Alabama.

  1. Novel Nanomaterials for High-Performance Lithium Batteries; 2010-2011 (Richard Barber Foundation, Role: PI)
  2. NSF CAREER: A Robust Chronic Neural Prosthesis Using High Capacity Graphene Electrodes and Biodegradable Silicon Support; 2011-2017 (NSF CBET, Role: PI) 
  3. WSU Development of a Novel Biosensor for the Detection of Human Pathogenic Bacteria in Water; 2012-2013 (Role: Co-PI)
  4. NSF MRI: Acquisition of a Dual Beam Focus Ion Beam System for Nanotechnology, Biomedical and Energy Research; 2012-2015 (NSF ECCS, Role: PI)
  5. NSF NUE: Development of an Undergraduate Certificate Program in Nanoengineering for Training the Workforce of Tomorrow 2013-2015 (NSF EEC, Role:  Co-PI)
  6. AFRL Fabrication of Graphene-Based Field Effect Transistors 2014-15
  7. In-situ Battery Testing, Nissan 2015-17 (Role: PI)
  8. Richard Barber Summer Research Program (Role:PI) 2017​
  9. NSF Parity-Time Symmetric Wireless Telemetry Systems for Implantable Microsensors 2017-2022 (NSF ECCS, Role: Co-PI)
  10. NSF MRI: Acquisition of an UV-Vis and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (UPS/XPS) for Research and Education in Electronics and Advanced Materials 2018-2020 (NSF ECCS, Role: PI)
  11. Smart Management of Microplastic Pollution in the Great Lakes 2018-2023 (GLPF, Role: Co-PI)
  12. NSF Understanding and Controlling Amine-Hybrid Perovskite Vapor-Solid Reaction at Nanoscale 2021-24 (NSF CBET, Role PI)
  13. NSF Area-Selective Atomic Layer Deposition Using Chemisorbed Carboxylate Inhibitors 2021-24 (NSF CMMI, Role Co-PI)
  14. Monitoring of Microplastic Pollution Using Integrated Sensing Technology 2023-2025 (USGS, Role:PI) 
  15. NOAA CIROH Project 2023-2024 (NOAA, Role: PI)

Students

I am fortunate to mentor many excellent and hard-working undergraduate and graduate students.
In progress
Farioz Abida (UA, ECE PhD Spring 2022- now)
Rong Fu (UA, ECE PhD Fall 2022-now)
Pratiksha Chaudhari ( UA CS PhD Fall 2022-now)
Tauhidul Haque (UA ECE PhD Fall 2022-now)
Leixing Ouyang (UA Postdoctral fellow Fall 2023-now)
Zach Feller (UA Undergradaute students Fall 2023-now)

Graduated Students
Warren Smith (UA ECE master 2020 -2022)
Drew Burjek (UA ECE master 2021- 2022)
Wyatt Brusch (UA ECE undergradaute student)
Madison Willenzier (UA CBE undergradaute student)
Madison Cantrell (UA CBE undergradaute student)
Chole Taylor (Fort Valley State University, NSF RII BEC summer program)

Students’ Honor

  • 2010  Zeng Peng, University Graduate Research Fellowship (UGRF)   
  • 2010 Xuebin Tan, Andrzej Olbrot Travel Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Research
  • 2011  Chad Huard, Undergraduate Research & Creative Projects Award
  • 2011  Wenwen Yi, University Graduate Research Fellowship (UGRF) 
  • 2011  Xuebin Tan, Best Student Paper award Finalist, IEEE NEMS 
  • 2012  Xuebin Tan, Rumble Research Fellowship
  • 2013  Xuebin Tan, Summer Dissertation Fellowship
  • 2014  Wenwen Yi, Rumble Research Fellowship
  • 2014   Jinho Yang, Best student paper award finalists, IEEE Frequency Control Conference
  • 2015   Peng Zeng, Best student paper award finalists, 2015 Joint Conference of the IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium & Europe Frequency Control and Time Forum
  • 2016  Boshen Zhang, Rumble Research Fellowship 
  • 2016  Ali Shahini, Best student paper award finalist, IEEE Sensors Conference
  • 2017  Nahida Akkary, Richard Barbor Summer Research Fellow
  • 2017  Nahida Akkary, The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
  • 2018  Maxim Dyukov, Research Opportunities for Engineering Undergraduates (ROEU)
  • 2018  Habbeb Ayantayo, Research Opportunities for Engineering Undergraduates (ROEU) 
  • 2018  Marcella Gatti, Research Opportunities for Engineering Undergraduates (ROEU) 
  • 2018  Apurva Harishchandre, Research Opportunities for Engineering Undergraduates (ROEU) 
  • 2019  Wenduo Zeng,  Ralph H. Kummler Distinguished Achievement Award in Graduate Study
  • 2019  Gui Chen, Rumble Research Fellowship
  • 2023 Tauhidul Haque, GCF fellow

Dr. Cheng is looking for self-motivated students to join his team at the University of Alabama!

Publication

​(Selected) ​
1. M.C.Cheng, W.S.Huang, and R.S.Huang“ A silicon microspeaker for hearing instrument”Journal of Micromechanic sand Microengineering Vol14 no7 p859-866 July 2004
2. Cheng MMC, Cuda G, BunimovichYL, GaspariM, HeathJR, NijdamAJ, Mirkin CA, Terracciano R, ThundatTG and Ferrari M” Nanotechnologies for biomolecular detection and medical diagnostics” Curr Opin Chem Biol Vol10 Iss1 p11-16 2006
3. Sharma S, AJ Nijdam, Sinha PM, Walczak RJ, LiuX, MMC Cheng, and M Ferrari” Controlled release microchip” Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery 3(3) p379-394 (2006)
4.  Gaspari, MMC Cheng, R Terracciano, XLiu, A.J.Nijdam, E di Fabrizio, E.F. Petricoin, L.A.  Liotta, G.Cuda, SVenuta, M Ferrari ”Nanoporous surfaces as harvesting agents for mass spectrometric analysis of peptides in human plasma” Journal of Proteome Research 5(5) p1261-1266 (2006)
5. Tasciotti E, Liu X, Bhavane R, Plant K, Leonard D, Price BK, Cheng MMC, Decuzzi P,Tour JM, Robertson F ,Ferrari M“ Mesoporous silicon particles as a multistate delivery system for imaging and therapeutic application” Nature Nanotechnology volume 3p151-157 March(2008)
6. Yoon HJ, JunDH, YangJH, ZhouZX, YangSS, Cheng MMC “A carbon dioxide gas sensor using a graphene sheet.”Sensors and Actuators B-Chemical 157:p310-32011
7. Tan XB, Zhou Z, Cheng MMC. “Electrowetting on dielectric experiments using graphene” Nanotechnology (23) 375501(8 pg) 2012 
8. HJ Chuang, X Tan, NJ Ghimire, MM Perera, B Chamlagain, MMC Cheng, Z Zhou “High Mobility WSe2 p-and n-Type Field-Effect Transistors Contacted by Highly Doped Graphene for Low-Resistance Contacts” Nano letters 14 (6), 3594-3601 2014 
9. Tan X, Chuang HJ, Lin MW, Zhou Z, Cheng MMC “ Edge effects on the pH sensitivity of graphene nanoriboon field effect transistor” ACS Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 117 (51) p277155-27160 2013 
10. Yi WW, Chen CY, Feng ZY, Xu Y, Zhou C, Masurkar N, Cavanaugh J, Cheng MMC: A flexible and implantable microelectrode arrays using high-temperature grown vertical carbon nanotubes and a biocompatible polymer substrate. Nanotechnology 2015, 26(12)
11. Shahini A, Xia JJ, Zhou ZX, Zhao Y, Cheng MMC: Versatile Miniature Tunable Liquid Lenses Using Transparent Graphene Electrodes. Langmuir 2016, 32(6):1658-1665. 
12.H. Huang LT, F. Liu, L. Ji, M. Ferrari, Y. Hu, M. M. C. Cheng, P. Y. Chen “Chemical-sensitive graphene modulator with memory effect for internet-of-things applications,” Nature Microsystems & Nanoengineering 2017
13.Q Cui, M Sakhdar, B Chamlagain, HJ Chuang, Y Liu, MMC Cheng, Z Zhou, PY Chen, “Ultrathin and Atomically Flat Transition-Metal Oxide: Promising Building Blocks for Metal–Insulator Electronics” ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2016, 8(50), pp 34552–34558 
14. Tian, P., Chen, C.Y., Hu, J., Qi, J., Wang, Q.H., Chen, J.C.M., Cavanaugh, J., Peng, Y.H., and Cheng, M.M.C. ‘A novel fabrication method of carbon electrodes using 3D printing and chemical modification process’, Biomedical Microdevices, 2018, 20, (1), pp. 9
15. Wenduo Zeng, Junheng Xing, Jimmy Chin-Ming Chen, KY Simon Ng, Kenzo Oshihara, Mark Ming-Cheng Cheng “Design of advanced thick anode for Li-ion battery by inserting a graphite/polymer buffer layer: An in-situ mechanical study” Electrochimica Acta vol281 10 p282-291 August 2018 
16. Pai-Yen Chen, Maryam Sakhdari, Mehdi Hajizadegan, Qingsong Cui, Mark Ming-Cheng Cheng, Ramy El-Ganainy, Andrea Alù, Generalized parity–time symmetry condition for enhanced sensor telemetry Nature Electronics 1 (5) p297 2018/5 2018