Mr. Hao Deng
Mr. Hao Deng
Dr Hao Deng is a Research Fellow in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Monash University, working within the Dynamic Micro Devices Laboratory. His research focuses on microfluidics and acoustofluidics for materials synthesis, chemical and biological analysis, and biomedical applications. He combines microengineering with optical and X-ray characterisation to develop tools to control and investigate processes at small scales.
A central theme of Hao’s research is understanding how mixing and fluid transport influence reaction dynamics and material formation. His work encompasses acoustic micromixers, tunable mixing within microdroplets, and microfluidic synthesis of nanomaterials, including perovskite nanocrystals and silver nanoparticles. He integrates these platforms with in situ spectroscopy to examine reaction kinetics and the evolution of material properties, with particular interest in how controlled reaction environments improve reproducibility and product uniformity.
Hao also develops technologies for precise droplet manipulation and sample delivery. He developed LiDIA, an acoustically triggered platform for on-demand droplet ejection and synchronised collisions in free space. This approach provides control over the timing and location of reaction initiation, supporting time-resolved measurements and precision dispensing. His research also includes microfluidic protein crystallisation, flow cells for synchrotron experiments, and microprinting.
His work in biomedical microdevices encompasses biosensing, portable diagnostics and the integration of sample handling with detection. This includes designing and prototyping microfluidic systems for nucleic acid testing and point-of-care diagnostic platforms.
Hao received his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Monash University in 2026, following a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering in 2018. He has taught subjects spanning micro- and nanotechnologies, computational analysis, renewable energy systems and mechanics of materials.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) - Mech Eng, Monash University, 2018
- Doctor of Philosophy, Monash University , 2026
Expertise
- Microfluidics
- Nanofabrication
- Point of Care diagnostic device
- Nanomaterial Synthesis and In-Situ Study
Research Interests
- Precisely Timed On-Demand Droplet Ejection and Collision in Free Space for Controlled Reaction Initiation. Small 22, no. 53 (2026): e74957. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.74957
Microfluidics
LiDIA uses pulsed surface acoustic waves and a co-flowing gas stream to eject one sub-nanoliter droplet per trigger, at rates up to 100 Hz. Triggering two ejectors to within 80 μs collides droplets in free space, setting when and where mixing begins. A probe pulse can then be fired at a known delay after mixing, opening a route to observing early reaction dynamics. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.75523
- Oscillating Microchannel-Based Atomization for High Precision Tunable Aerosol Printing. 2nd Microprinting Workshop–Emerging Trends in Microprinting: Materials, Methods and Applications 2025, 13, T7. https://microprinting.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Abstract_Booklet_Microprinting_Workshop_2025.pdf#page=13
- Vortex-Assisted Fabrication of Magneto-Optical Janus Microbeads and Their Magnetic Assembly. Advanced Photonics Research 2026, 0, e70264. https://doi.org/10.1002/adpr.70264
- Tunable Passive Chaotic Mixing in Droplet Microfluidics for Controlled Nanomaterial Synthesis. Phys. Fluids 2025, 37, 082055. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0281437
- Co-Doped Perovskite Nanocrystals for Multiplexed Anticounterfeiting Applications. Nanoscale 2025, 17, 9996–10005. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NR05313C
- High Precision Acoustofluidic Synthesis of Stable, Biocompatible Water-in-Water Emulsions. Ultrason. Sonochem. 2024, 111, 107120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2024.107120
- Soft and Flexible Photoplethysmography Based on Supercoiled Polymer Waveguides. Proc. 10th World Congr. Electr. Eng. Comput. Syst. Sci. (EECSS’24), Barcelona, Spain, August 2024; Paper No. ICBES 103. https://doi.org/10.11159/icbes24.103
- Patterning of Hybrid Metal Halide Perovskite via Printed Molecular Templates. Adv. Mater. Technol. 2024, 9, 2302043. https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202302043
- Machine Learning Enhanced High-Throughput Fabrication and Optimization of Quasi-2D Ruddlesden–Popper Perovskite Solar Cells. Adv. Energy Mater., vol. 2203859, pp. 1–13, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202203859
- An Ultra-Portable, Self-Contained Point-of-Care Nucleic Acid Amplification Test for Diagnosis of Active COVID-19 Infection. Sci. Rep. 2021, 11 (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-94652-0.
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Microfluidic Devices for Biosensing. Encyclopedia of Sensors and Biosensors 3, 474-488. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822548-6.00079-0
- Microfluidic Processing of Ligand-Engineered NiO Nanoparticles for Low-Temperature Hole-Transporting Layers in Perovskite Solar Cells. Sol. RRL 2021, 5 (8). https://doi.org/10.1002/solr.202100342.
- Synthesis of CsPbBr3 perovskite Nanocrystals with Acoustically Actuated Millisecond Mixing. J. Mater. Chem. C 2021, 9 (1). https://doi.org/10.1039/d0tc04519e.
- Ultrafast Star-Shaped Acoustic Micromixer for High Throughput Nanoparticle Synthesis. Lab Chip 2020, 20 (3). https://doi.org/10.1039/c9lc01174a.
Teaching Commitments
- MEC3456 - Engineering computational analysis
- MEC3010 - Micro and nanotechnologies
- MEC5888 - Renewable energy systems