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Jianguo Fan

Graduate Student Excellence-in-Research Award 2008

Jianguo Fan, a recent doctoral graduate in physics and astronomy, investigates the properties of nanostructures. In his research on wetting nanostructured surfaces, Fan identified a clustering phenomenon, called the nano-carpet effect, that can be used to evaluate the capillary force between nanorod arrays—assemblies of small cylindrical objects on a surface. An understanding of the nano-carpet effect can help researchers in developing improved nanodevices or sensors used in liquid environments. Fan has already published 13 papers in refereed journals, nine as first author, and five more await review. He has also filed for two patent applications. He recently received the Dorothy M. and Earl S. Hoffman Scholarship, presented by the American Vacuum Society to recognize outstanding graduate students.