Jin-Chong Tan BEng MA MEng PhD (Cantab)

Professor Jin-Chong Tan has a BEng in Mechanical Engineering (Malaysia, 1999) and an MEng in Materials Engineering (Singapore, 2001). In 2005, he obtained a PhD in Materials Science from Cambridge University, where he studied lightweight composite materials constructed from stainless steel fibres.

He moved to Oxford University in September 2012 to take up a University Lectureship (Associate Professorship) in Mechanical Engineering, together with a Tutorial Fellowship in Engineering Science at Balliol College. In July 2018, he became a full professor and was conferred the title of Professor of Engineering Science (Nanoscale Engineering).

Multifunctional Materials & Composites Laboratory - MMC Lab

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Professor Jin-Chong Tan leads the Multifunctional Materials & Composites (MMC) Laboratory, where his group develops porous metal-organic frameworks, multifunctional thin films, polymer membranes and bespoke nanocomposite systems targeting real-world applications. Recent research interests include nanoengineering of novel lightemitting materials and tuneable nanocomposites for disruptive sensing technologies.

Their approach involves the application of cutting-edge experimental techniques, such as atomic force microscopy, nanoindentation, vibrational spectroscopy and imaging, in combination with theoretical modelling and quantum mechanical calculations on state-of-the-art supercomputers.

The group has strong links with the Diamond Light Source and the ISIS Neutron & Muon Spallation Source in Harwell campus, which are big science facilities in the UK. They use high-intensity synchrotron and neutron irradiation to probe the structure-property relations of new functional materials and complex composite systems.

LUMIVOCS

Portable Luminescent Sensor for Volatile Organic Compounds

PROMOFS

Nanoengineering and processing of metal-organic framework composites for photonic sensors

DIAMOND

Imaging and high-resolution spectroscopy of metal-organic frameworks using synchrotron irradiation

ISIS

Uncovering the low-energy lattice dynamics in nanoporous materials via high-resolution neutron spectroscopy

MEMBRANES

Thermo-mechanical properties and engineering performance of mixed-matrix membranes integrating metal-organic frameworks

“High rate nanofluidic energy absorption in porous zeolitic frameworks”, Nature Materials, 20, 1015–1023 (2021). [DOI] Press releases / Journal cover: [Oxford University] [Ghent University] [Nature Portfolio]

"Near-field infrared nanospectroscopy reveals guest confinement in metal-organic framework single crystals", Nano Letters, 20, 7446-7454 (2020). [DOI]

"Nanomechanical Properties and Failure Mechanisms of Two‑Dimensional Metal-Organic Framework Nanosheets", Nanoscale Advances, 2, 5181-5191 (2020). [DOI] Journal cover:

"Guest-Tunable Dielectric Sensing Using a Single Crystal of HKUST‑1", Advanced Materials Interfaces, 7, 2000408 (2020). [DOI] Journal cover: 

"Guest‑Host Interactions of Nanoconfined Anti-Cancer Drug in Metal‑Organic Framework Exposed by Terahertz Dynamics", ChemComm, 55, 3868–3871 (2019). [DOI] Press Release: [ISIS Science Highlights] Journal cover:

"A sol–gel monolithic metal–organic framework with enhanced methane uptake", Nature Materials, 17, 174–179 (2018). [DOI]

"Optochemically Responsive 2D Nanosheets of a 3D Metal-Organic Framework Material", Advanced Materials, 29, 1701463 (2017). [DOI] Press Release: [Oxford University News] Journal cover:

"Detecting Molecular Rotational Dynamics Complementing the Low-Frequency Terahertz Vibrations in a Zirconium-Based Metal-Organic Framework", Physical Review Letters, 118, 255502 (2017). [DOI]

"Discovering Connections Between Terahertz Vibrations and Elasticity Underpinning the Collective Dynamics of the HKUST-1 Metal-Organic Framework", CrystEngComm, 18, 4303-4312 (2016). [DOI] Press Release: [Diamond Light Source - Science Highlights] Journal cover:

"Multifunctional Supramolecular Hybrid Materials Constructed from Hierarchical Self-Ordering of in situ Generated Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) Nanoparticles", Advanced Materials, 27(30), 4438-4446 (2015). [DOI] Press Release: [Oxford Science Blog - "Shape-shifting gels get smarter"] Journal cover:

“Identifying the Role of Terahertz Vibrations in Metal-Organic Frameworks: From Gate-Opening Phenomenon to Shear-Driven Structural Destabilization” Physical Review Letters, 113, 215502 (2014). [DOI] Press Release: [Oxford Science Blog] [ISIS Science News] [Diamond Annual Review 2014/15]

“Exceptionally Low Shear Modulus in a Prototypical Imidazole-Based Metal-Organic Framework Material”, Physical Review Letters, 108, 095502 (2012). [DOI]

“Mechanical Properties of Hybrid Inorganic-Organic Framework Materials: Establishing Fundamental Structure-Property Relationships”, Chem. Soc. Rev., 40, 1059-1080 (2011). [DOI]

A full listing of research papers is available on GoogleScholar

P3 and A3 tutorials: structures, materials and solid mechanics

B8 Composites

C4 Modelling of Polymers

C13 Production Processes

visit MMC Lab webpage for further information and contact Prof. Tan if you are interested in joining the research group.