Ruobing Bai
Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Office
- 203 SN
- 617-373-7150
Lab
- 103 MUGAR
Research Focus
Research focus in the Bai group includes: Solid mechanics and large deformation; Damage, fracture, fatigue, debonding, strengthening, toughening, and adhesion; Stimuli-responsive actuation and instability; Soft active materials and sustainable materials; Multi-physics of materials: mechanics, thermodynamics, chemistry, optics, and electromagnetism
About
Ruobing Bai is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University. He received his BS in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at Peking University in 2012, and PhD in Engineering Sciences at Harvard University in 2018. He was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering at California Institute of Technology from 2018 to 2020. He is the recipient of the Haythornthwaite Research Initiation Award from the Applied Mechanics Division of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Extreme Mechanics Letters (EML) Young Investigator Award. Research in the Bai group aims to combine theory and experiment in areas including solid mechanics, soft active materials, fracture and toughening of materials, adhesion, and sustainable materials, for applications such as soft robotics, human-machine interfaces, and human health.
Education
- Ph.D., Engineering Sciences, Harvard University, 2018
- B.S., Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Peking University, 2012
Honors & Awards
- Extreme Mechanics Letters (EML) Young Investigator Award
- Haythornthwaite Research Initiation Award, Applied Mechanics Division of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
- Best Poster Award, NEW MECH
- Haythornthwaite Student Travel Grants, ASME-IMECE
- Chun-Tsung Scholar, Peking University
Teaching Interests
ME 2355/2356: Mechanics of Materials, Fall Semester
ME 2340/2341: Introduction to Materials Science, Spring Semester
Research Overview
Research focus in the Bai group includes: Solid mechanics and large deformation; Damage, fracture, fatigue, debonding, strengthening, toughening, and adhesion; Stimuli-responsive actuation and instability; Soft active materials and sustainable materials; Multi-physics of materials: mechanics, thermodynamics, chemistry, optics, and electromagnetism
Research in the Bai group aims to combine theory and experiment in areas including solid mechanics, soft active materials, fracture and toughening of materials, adhesion, and sustainable materials, for applications such as soft robotics, human-machine interfaces, and human health. The group have a strong background of theoretical modeling as well as modern laboratory facilities for material synthesis, fabrication, and characterization.
Bai Research Group
We constantly have various positions available in our group including undergraduate research, PhD, postdoc, and visiting student/scholar. You can find the most up-to-date information from our lab website. You are welcome to contact for further information. Please indicate your anticipated starting time.
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- Y. Xiao, Q. Li, X. Yao, R. Bai, W. Hong, C. Yang, “Fatigue of Amorphous Hydrogels with Dynamic Covalent Bonds”. Extreme Mechanics Letters, 2022.
- Z. Wei, R. Bai, “Temperature-Modulated Photomechanical Actuation of Photoactive Liquid Crystal Elastomers”. Extreme Mechanics Letters, 2022.
- R. Bai, E. Ocegueda, K. Bhattacharya, “Photochemical-Induced Phase Transitions in Photoactive Semicrystalline Polymers”. Physical Review E, 2021.
- M. Hua, C. Kim, Y. Du, D. Wu, R. Bai, X. He, “Swaying Gel: Chemo-mechanical Self-Oscillation Based on Dynamic Buckling”. Matter, 2021.
- R. Bai, Y. S. Teh, K. Bhattacharya, “Collective Behavior in the Kinetics and Equilibrium of Solid-State Photoreaction”. Extreme Mechanics Letters, 2021.
- R. Bai, K. Bhattacharya, “Photomechanical Coupling in Photoactive Nematic Elastomers”. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2020.
- J. Yang, J. Steck, R. Bai, Z. Suo, “Topological Adhesion II. Stretchable Adhesion”. Extreme Mechanics Letters, 2020.
- B. Chen, J. Yang, R. Bai, Z. Suo, “Molecular Staples for Tough and Stretchable Adhesion in Integrated Soft Materials”. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2019.
- J. Yang, R. Bai, J. Li, C. Yang, X. Yao, Q. Liu, J. Vlassak, D. J. Mooney, Z. Suo, “Design Molecular Topology for Wet-Dry Adhesion”. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2019.
- J. Yang, R. Bai, B. Chen, Z. Suo, “Hydrogel Adhesion: A Supramolecular Synergy of Chemistry, Topology, and Mechanics”. Advanced Functional Materials, 2019.
- R. Bai, J. Yang, X. P. Morelle, Z. Suo, “Flaw-Insensitive Hydrogels under Static and Cyclic Loads”. Macromolecular Rapid Communications, 2019.
- R. Bai, B. Chen, J. Yang, Z. Suo, “Tearing a Hydrogel of Complex Rheology”. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2019.
- R. Bai, J. Yang, Z. Suo, “Fatigue of Hydrogels”. European Journal of Mechanics – A/Solids, 2019.
- M. Sun, R. Bai, X. Yang, J. Song, Z. Suo, X. He, “Hydrogel Interferometry for Ultrasensitive and Highly Selective Chemical Detection”. Advanced Materials, 2018.
- X. P. Morelle, W. R. Illeperuma, K. Tian, R. Bai, Z. Suo, J. Vlassak, “Highly Stretchable and Tough Hydrogels Below Water Freezing Temperature”. Advanced Materials, 2018.
- Z. Wang, J. Tang, R. Bai, W. Zhang, T. Lian, T. Lu, T. Wang, “A Phenomenological Model for Shakedown of Tough Hydrogels under Cyclic Loads”. Journal of Applied Mechanics, 2018.
- J. Yang, R. Bai, Z. Suo, “Topological Adhesion of Wet Materials”. Advanced Materials, 2018.
- E. Zhang, R. Bai, X. P. Morelle, Z. Suo, “Fatigue Fracture of Nearly Elastic Hydrogels”. Soft Matter, 2018.
- M. Qin, M. Sun, R. Bai, Y. Mao, X. Qian, D. Sikka, Y. Zhao, H. J. Qi, Z. Suo, X. He, “Bioinspired Hydrogel Interferometer for Adaptive Coloration and Chemical Sensing”. Advanced Materials, 2018.
- R. Bai, J. Yang, X. P. Morelle, C. Yang, Z. Suo, “Fatigue Fracture of Self-Recovery Hydrogels”. ACS Macro Letters, 2018.
- X. P. Morelle, R. Bai, Z. Suo, “Localized Deformation in Plastic Liquids on Elastomers”. Journal of Applied Mechanics, 2017.
- R. Bai, Q. Yang, J. Tang, X. P. Morelle, J. Vlassak, Z. Suo, “Fatigue Fracture of Tough Hydrogels”. Extreme Mechanics Letters, 2017.
Dec 22, 2022
Inaugural AJC Merit Research Scholars
Several engineering students and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of the inaugural AJC Merit Research Scholars.
Nov 18, 2022
Bai Receives EML Young Investigator Award
MIE Assistant Professor Ruobing Bai is a recipient of the 2022 Extreme Mechanics Letters (EML) Young Investigator Award for his paper “Temperature-modulated photomechanical actuation of photoactive liquid crystal elastomers.”
Oct 11, 2022
Bai and Zhu Awarded Haythornthwaite Foundation Research Initiation Grants
MIE Assistant Professors Ruobing Bai and Juner Zhu were awarded the 2022 Haythornthwaite Foundation Research Initiation Grant from the Applied Mechanics Division of the ASME. The intent of the grant, which supports research in the field of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, is to assist with the purchase of equipment or instrumentation, fabrication of a unique […]
Apr 28, 2022
FY23 TIER 1 Award Recipients
Congratulations to the 15 COE faculty and affiliates who were recipients of FY23 TIER 1 Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grants for 13 different projects.
Feb 04, 2022
Announcing Spring 2022 PEAK Experiences Awardees
Several engineering students and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Spring 2022 PEAK Experiences Awards.
Jan 18, 2022
Understanding the Mechanics of Mesoscale Photomechanical Coupling
MIE Assistant Professor Ruobing Bai was awarded a $340K NSF grant for “Mesoscale Photomechanical Coupling in Photoactive Liquid Crystal Elastomers.”
Jan 08, 2021
New Faculty Spotlight: Ruobing Bai
Ruobing Bai joins the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering department in January 2021 as an Assistant Professor.