Engineering

Dr Yaan Liu

Dr Yaan Liu

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Engineering

I am a Research Fellow at the Centre for Additive Layer Manufacturing (CALM) & Exeter Technologies Group (ETG) (http://engineering.exeter.ac.uk/research/etg/) in the Department of Engineering. A self-motivated researcher and project leader, my current research interests are in additive manufacturing (AM) of advanced polymers, ceramics, and composite materials. With a strong background in Materials Science and a PhD in AM, I bring over 9 years of experience in developing advanced materials - such as resins, powders, and filaments for AM - alongside growing expertise in managing large research grants and generating impactful research outputs. I work at CALM has fostered collaborations across academia and industry, driving innovations that enhance real-world applications of AM technology.

 

Since 2015, I have been working on materials and AM research with projects spanning across wide range of thermoplastic polymers, nano-composite materials, and AM processes including two-photon lithography (TPL), powder bed fusion (PBF) and material extrusion (MEX). 

 

Research Projects

  • PI - Royal Society Short Industry Fellowship (SIF_R1_241007) - £23,352 -  11.2024 to 11.2025
  • PI - Innovate UK Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT) project (AKT 108) - £ 38,500 - 11.2022 to 03.2023
  • Lead researcher - Multifunctional PAEK nanocomposites for Additive Manufacturing (F4 PAEK) (ref.104051) – £900k project, collaborating with 7 industry partners - 09.2018 to 04. 2021
  • Lead researcher - Case study: AM of cranial implants with Kumovis - 03.2021 – 10.2023
  • Industrial funding/contract research over £40k
  • Co-researcher - Innovate UK: Carbon Forest Products: 3D heatsinks manufactured from sustainably sourced lignin carbon (ref: 10003392)
  • Co-researcher - Innovate UK: Overprinting with high-performance polymers (OverHiPP, ref.10004428)
  • Co-researcher - Joint case study with MTC and Thales under EPSRC RiR (EP/T517240/1) program
  • Co-researcher - EPSRC (EP/N034627/1) Novel high performance polymeric composite materials for additive manufacturing of multifunctional components

 

Conference presentations:

  • Y. Liu, Y. Chen, R. Davies, O.Ghita, Fabrication of 3D printed surface - porous PAEK structures: potential applications. High Performance Polymeric Additive Manufacturing. November 11-12, 2024.
  • Y. Liu, Y. Chen, R. Davies, O.Ghita, Fabrication of 3D printed surface- porous PAEK structures. 2024 Implant Polymers: UHMWPE & PEEK Conference. Jun 20-21, 2024.
  • Y. Chen, Y. Liu, C. A. Comelli, O. Ghita, Improving Overprinted PA-CF/PA6 Interface Bonding by Atmospheric Plasma Treatment, 38th Polymer Processing Society Conference. May 22-26, 2023.
  • Y. Liu, N. Yi, R. Davies, P. McCutchion, O. Ghita, Additive Manufacturing of PEEK Cranial Implants: Powder Bed Fusion or Material Extrusion? 2022 Combined UHMWPE, PEEK, and Polymer Implant Additive Manufacturing Conference. June 23-24, 2022.
  • Y. Liu, Q. Hu, F. Zhang, C. Tuck, D. Irvine, R. Hague, Y. He, M. Simoelli, G. A. Rance, E. F. Smith, R. Wildman, Additive Manufacture of 3D Metal-polymer Nanocomposites by Simultaneous Multiphoton Polymerisation and Photoreduction, IOP Institute of Physics: Printing and Graphics Science Group 2018. March 28, 2018.
  • Q. Hu, Y. Liu, F. Zhang, R. Wildman, C. Tuck, R. Hague, Fabrication of 3d Polymer Metal Nano-composites in a Single Step by Two-photon Induced Polymerisation and Metal Salt Reduction, Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium. 2015.1036-1042.

 

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