Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Case School of Engineering
Study the mechanics, designs, and manufacturing of smart multifunctional materials, soft robotics, soft electronics, and self-powered sensing systems.
Research Information
Research Interests
- Soft (active) Materials, Smart materials & structures, Metamaterials, Bioinspired materials, Multifunctional composites, Programmable materials
- Soft robotics, Sensors & actuators, Biomedical devices, 3D & 4D printing of multifunctional materials and machines
- Printed/Flexible/Stretchable/Wearable/Bio-integrated electronics, Internet of Things (IoTs), Energy harvesting & storage devices (supercapacitors, batteries, triboelectric nanogenerators, and wave energy converters), Smart/Precision Agriculture
- Solid mechanics, Biomechanics, Computational mechanics, Multiscale and multiphysics modeling of advanced multifunctional materials, Fluid-structure-interaction (FSI)
Awards and Honors
Nanoscale Emerging Investigator Award
2025
Royal Society of Chemistry (Nanoscale)
Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship
2024
AFOSR
Tanner Award for the most-cited paper
2023
Journal of Food Science
Veale Faculty Fellow
2023
Case Western Reserve University
iCANX Young Scientist Award
2022
iCANX
CWRU Faculty Innovator (Discovery) Award
2022
Case Western Reserve University
Professional Memberships
Editorial Board Member, Smart Materials and Methods
Editorial Board Member, Micromachines
President, Electronic Materials Technical Committee, ASME Material Division
Associate Editor, Frontiers in Robotics and AI
Editorial Board Member, Advanced Electronic Materials (Wiley)
Associate Editor, Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering
Editorial Board Member, Soft Science
Associate Editor, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
Publications
- Y. Guo, X. Zhu, J. Zhang, T. Zhang, Z. Wang, M. Shan, F. Wang, C. Chase Cao*, G. Xu*, M. Zhu. Engineering Electrolyte Network Structure for Improved Kinetics and Dendrite Suppression in Zn-S Batteries. Angewandte Chemie (International Edition), e202422047, 2024.
- X. Song, X. Wang, W. Liu, X. Chen, S. Li, Md S. Islam, L. Li*, X. Zhao, C. Redshaw, Y. Zhao, C. Chase Cao*, X. Feng*. Organic Photo-Responsive Piezoelectric Materials Based on Pyrene Molecules for Flexible Sensors, Advanced Electronic Materials, 202400933, 2024.
- M. Shan, S. Xu, Y. Cao, B. Han, X. Zhu, T. Zhang, C. Dang, J. Zhu, Q. Zhou, Z. Xue, Y. Xu, Q. Zhu, Md S. Islam, B. Yin, X. Chang, C. Chase Cao*, G. Xu*, M. Zhu. Rapid Regeneration of Graphite Anodes via Self-Induced Microwave Plasma, Advanced Functional Materials, 2411834, 2024. (Invited paper)
- Y. Zhao, H. Huang, H. Wang, X. Liu*, M. Song, C. Chase Cao*. Worm-Inspired, Untethered, Soft Crawling Robots for Pipe Inspections, Soft Robotics, 11(4), 639-649, 2024.
- X. Yue, X. Yin, Z. Sun, L. Liu, Y. Wang, G. Xu, C. Chase Cao, L. Zhang*, Flexible, Lightweight, Tuneable Robotic Arms Enabled by X-Tensegrity inspired structures, Composite Structures, 344(15), 118331, 2024.
- S. K. Biswas, Md S. Islam, F. Jia, Y. Cao, Y. Li*, C. Chase Cao*. Flexible Biosensors for Pathogen Detection, Advanced Electronic Materials, 2300898, 2024. (Invited paper)
- Y. Pang, Z. Huang, Y.Fang, X. Xu, C. Chase Cao*. Toward Self-Powered Integrated Smart Packaging System - Desiccant-based Triboelectric Nanogenerators, Nano Energy, 114, 108659, 2023. (Invited Paper)
- Z. Chen, H. Wang, Y. Cao, Y. Chen*, O. Arkkus, H. Liu, C. Chase Cao*. Bio-inspired anisotropic hydrogels for soft actuators and robots. Matter, 6(11), 3803-3837, 2023.
- H. Wang, X. Liu, Y. Fang, X. Zeng, C. Chase Cao*. Printed, Flexible, Ionic-Liquid-based Hydrogen Sensor via Aerosol Jet Printing of Nanomaterials. IEEE Sensors Letters, 7(6), 2023.
- X. Xu, Q. Wu, Y. Pang, Y. Cao, Y. Fang, G. Huang*, C. Cao*. Multifunctional Metamaterials for Energy Harvesting and Vibration Control. Advanced Functional Materials, 2107896, 2021.
- X. Liu, M. Song, Y. Fang, Y. Zhao* and C. Cao*. Worm-inspired Soft Robots Enable Adaptive Pipeline and Tunnel Inspection. Advanced Intelligent Systems, 2100128, 2021.
- Y. Pang, Y. Cao, M. Derakhshani, Y. Fang, Z.L. Wang, C. Cao*. Hybrid Energy Harvesting Systems Based on Triboelectric Nanogenerators. Matter, 4(1), 116-143, 2021.
- S. Chen, Y. Pang, Y. Cao, X. Tan, C. Cao*. Soft Robotic Manipulation System Capable of Stiffness Variation and Dexterous Operation for Safe Human-Machine Interactions. Advanced Materials Technologies, 2100084, 2021.
- Y. Cao, M. Derakhshani, Y. Fang, G. Huang, C. Cao*. Bistable Structures for Advanced Functional Systems. Advanced Functional Materials, 2106231, 2021.
- L. Li, J. Zhang, X. Wang, L. Huang, J. Zhang, C. Redshaw, X. Feng*, C. Cao*, N. Huo, J. Li, B. Z. Tang*. Stimuli-responsive Materials from Ferrocene-based Organic Small Molecule for Wearable Sensors. Small, 2103125, 2021.
- Y. Zhou, C. B. Parker, P. Joshi, A. K. Naskar, J. T. Glass, C. Cao*. 4D Printing of Stretchable Supercapacitors via Hybrid Composite Materials. Advanced Materials Technologies, 202001055, 2020.
- H. Yin, Y. Cao, B. Marelli, X. Zeng, A. Mason, C. Cao*. Soil Sensors and Plant Wearables for Smart and Precision Agriculture. Advanced Materials, 2007764, 2020.
- Y. Pang, S. Chen, J. An, K. Wang, Y. Deng, A. Benard, N. Lajnef, C. Cao*. Multilayered Cylindrical Triboelectric Nanogenerators to Harvest Kinetic Energy of Tree Branches for Monitoring Environment Condition and Forest Firesystem. Advanced Functional Materials, 2003598, 2020.
- X. Liu, Y. Zhao, S. Chen, X. Tan, C. Cao*. Soft Humanoid Hands with Large Grasping Force Enabled by Flexible Hybrid Pneumatic Actuators, Soft Robotics, 8(2), 175-185, 2020.
- S. Chen, Y. Pang, H. Yuan, X. Tan, C. Cao*. Smart Soft Actuators and Grippers Enabled by Self-Powered Tribo-Skins. Advanced Materials Technologies, 1901075, 2020.
- Y. Zhou, C. Cao*, Y. Cao, Q. Han, C. Parker, J. T. Glass*. Robust and High-Performance Electrodes Made by Crumpled Au-CNT Forests for Stretchable Supercapacitors, Matter, 2, 1–17, 2020.
- Y. Liu, S. Chen, X. Tan, C. Cao*. A Finite Element Framework for Magneto-Actuated Large Deformation and Instability of Slender Magneto-Active Elastomers, International Journal of Applied Mechanics, 12, 1, 2020.
- Y. Zhou, K. Maleski, B. Anasori, J. Thostenson, Y. Pang, Y. Feng, C. Parker, S. Zauscher, Y. Gogotsi, J. Glass*, C. Cao*. Ti3C2Tx MXene-Reduced Graphene Oxide Composite Electrodes for Stretchable Supercapacitors, ACS Nano, 14 (3), 3576-3586, 2020.
- Y. Zhao, X. Liu*, Y. Fang, C. Cao*. Ultra-Precision Processing of Conductive Materials via Electrorheological Fluid-Assisted Polishing. Advanced Engineering Materials, 202001109, 2020.
- Y. Pang, Y. Cao, Y. Chu, M. Liu, K. Snyder, D. MacKenzie, C. Cao*. Additive Manufacturing of Batteries, Advanced Functional Materials. 1906244, 2019.
- C. Cao*, Y. Zhou, S. Ubnoske, J. Zang, Y. Cao, P. Henry, C. Parker, J. T. Glass*. Highly Stretchable Supercapacitors via Crumpled Vertically Aligned Canbon Nanotube-Forests, Advanced Energy Materials, 1900618, 2019.
- Y. Liu, Y. Cao, X.-Q. Feng, C. Cao*. Phase Transition and Optimal Actuation of Active Bilayer Structures, Extreme Mechanics Letters, 29, 100467, 2019
- Y. Cao, Y. Feng, M. D. Ryser, K. Zhu, G. Herschlag, C. Cao, K. Marusak, S. Zauscher, L. You*. Programmed assembly of pressure sensors using pattern-forming bacteria, Nature Biotechnology, 35, 1087–1093, 2017.
Education
PhD
Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Australian National University
2014