Lihan Rong

Dr. Lihan Rong


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

6Years (2021-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
4 December 2022 in Polymer International
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
LRLihan Rong
Lihan Rong
ECEugene B Caldona
Eugene B Caldona
RARigoberto Castillo Advincula
Rigoberto Castillo Advincula

26 August 2022 in ACS Applied Polymer Materials
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
LRLihan Rong
Lihan Rong
XCXiang Cheng
Xiang Cheng
GJGe Jin
Ge Jin
OKOlivia K. Krebs
Olivia K. Krebs
JCJeffrey R. Capadona
Jeffrey R. Capadona
RARigoberto Castillo Advincula
Rigoberto Castillo Advincula

11 November 2021 in Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
PDF file
LRLihan Rong
Lihan Rong
XCXiang Cheng
Xiang Cheng
JGJin Ge
Jin Ge
ECEugene B. Caldona
Eugene B. Caldona
RARigoberto Castillo Advincula
Rigoberto Castillo Advincula

7 April 2023 in MRS Communications
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
PDF file
LRLihan Rong
Lihan Rong
ASAshok Santra
Ashok Santra
GRGeorgesha Ross
Georgesha Ross
RARigoberto Castillo Advincula
Rigoberto Castillo Advincula

30 July 2025 in Gels
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
LRLihan Rong
Lihan Rong
TGTianqi Guan
Tianqi Guan
XFXinyi Fan
Xinyi Fan
WZWenjie Zhi
Wenjie Zhi
RZRui Zhou
Rui Zhou
YLYuyan Liu
Yuyan Liu
Fe3+-incorporated hydrogels are particularly valuable for wearable devices due to their tunable mechanical properties and ionic conductivity. However, conventional immersion-based fabrication fundamentally limits hydrogel performance because of heterogeneous ion distribution, ionic leaching, and scalability limitations. To overcome these challenges, we report a novel one-pot strategy where controlled amounts of Fe3+ are directly added to polyacrylamide-sodium acrylate (PAM-SA) precursor solutions, ensuring homogeneous ion distribution. Combining this with Photoinduced Electron/Energy Transfer Reversible Addition–Fragmentation Chain Transfer (PET-RAFT) polymerization enables efficient hydrogel fabrication under open-vessel conditions, improving its scalability. Fe3+ concentration achieves unprecedented modulation of mechanical properties: Young’s modulus (10 to 150 kPa), toughness (0.26 to 2.3 MJ/m3), and strain at break (800% to 2500%). The hydrogels also exhibit excellent compressibility (90% strain recovery), energy dissipation (>90% dissipation efficiency at optimal Fe3+ levels), and universal adhesion to diverse surfaces (plastic, metal, PTFE, and cardboard). Finally, these Fe3+-incorporated hydrogels demonstrated high effectiveness as strain sensors for monitoring finger/elbow movements, with gauge factors dependent on composition. This work provides a scalable, oxygen-tolerant route to tunable hydrogels for advanced wearable devices.

24 February 2025 in Macromolecules
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
JGJin Ge
Jin Ge
LRLihan Rong
Lihan Rong
XCXiang Cheng
Xiang Cheng
YTYao Tang
Yao Tang
DPDarrin Pochan
Darrin Pochan
RARigoberto Castillo Advincula
Rigoberto Castillo Advincula