Photo of Melik Demirel

Melik Demirel

Lloyd and Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair in Biomimetic Materials
Director, Center for Research on Advanced Fiber Technologies

Affiliation(s):

  • Engineering Science and Mechanics

302B Earth and Engineering Sciences Building

mcd18@psu.edu

814-863-2270

Personal or Departmental Website

Research Areas:

Emerging Manufacturing Processes for Materials, Tissues, and Devices; Multiscale and Multiphysics Modeling, Computational Analysis; Nanoscience, Bionanoscience and Engineering

Interest Areas:

Bio-molecular materials, biosensors, protein physics, molecular modeling, computatonal materials science.

 
 

 

Education

  • BS, Engineering (Focus in Polymers), Bogaziçi University, 1996
  • MS, Engineering (Focus in Proteins), Bogaziçi University, 1998
  • Ph D, Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 2002

Publications

Journal Articles

  • Melik C Demirel, 2023, "Cephalopod inspired self-healing protein foams for oil-water separation", Iscience, 26, (12)
  • Burcu Dursun, Tarek El-Sayed Mazeed, Oguzhan Colak, Ramiz Boy and Melik C Demirel, 2022, "Enhancing sustainability and elasticity of synthetic fibers by tandem repeat proteins", Smart Material Structures, 31, (4), pp. 044001
  • Abdon Pena-Francesch, Huihun Jung, Madhusudan Tyagi and Melik C Demirel, 2022, "Diffusive Dynamic Modes of Recombinant Squid Ring Teeth Proteins by Neutron Spectroscopy", Biomacromolecules, 23, (8), pp. 3165-3173
  • Vurul Mert, Tarek Mazeed, Dong Li, Reginald Hamilton, Huajian Gao and Melik C Demirel, 2022, "Bioinspired stretchable molecular composites of 2D-layered materials and tandem repeat proteins", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119, (31)
  • R. Dubini, H. Jung, Melik C Demirel and P. Rovo, 2021, "Hydration-induced structural transitions in biomimetic tandem repeat proteins", Journal of Physical Chemistry, 125, (8), pp. 2134-2145
  • T. J. Kwak, H. Jung, Benjamin D Allen, Melik C Demirel and W-J Chin, 2021, "Dielectrophoretic separation of randomly shaped protein particles", Separation and Purification Technology, 262, pp. 118280
  • Y. Kikuchi, A. Pena Francesch, M. Vural and Melik C Demirel, 2020, "Highly Conductive Self-Healing Biocomposites Based on Protein Mediated Self-Assembly of PEDOT: PSS Films", ACS Applied Bio Materials, 3, (4), pp. 2507-2515
  • A. Pena-Francesch, H. Jung, Melik C Demirel and M. Sitti, 2020, "Biosynthetic self-healing materials for soft machines", Nature Materials, 19, (11), pp. 1230-1235
  • M Vural, H. Zhu, A. Pena Francesch, H. Jung, Benjamin D Allen and Melik C Demirel, 2020, "Self-Assembly of Topologically Networked Protein–Ti3C2T x MXene Composites", ACS Nano, 14, (6), pp. 6956-6967
  • T. J. Kwak, H. Huihun, Benjamin D Allen, Melik C Demirel and W-J Chin, 2020, "Dielectrophoretic separation of randomly shaped protein particles", Separation and Purification Technology, 262, pp. 118280
  • A. P. Francesh and Melik C Demirel, 2019, "Squid-Inspired Tandem Repeat Proteins: Functional Fibers and Films", Frontiers in Chemistry, 7, pp. 29
  • J A Tomko, A Pena-Francesch, H Jung, M Tyagi, Benjamin D Allen, Melik C Demirel and P E Hopkins, 2018, "Tunable thermal transport and reversible thermal conductivity switching in topologically networked bio-inspired materials", Nature nanotechnology, 13, pp. 959–964
  • A Pena-Francesch, H Jung , Michael A Hickner, M Tyagi, Ralph Colby and Melik C Demirel, 2018, "Mechanical Properties of Tandem-Repeat Proteins Are Governed by Network Defects", ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, 4, (3), pp. 884–891
  • A Pena-Francesch, H Jung, Michael A Hickner, M Tyagi, Benjamin D Allen and Melik C Demirel, 2018, "Programmable Proton Conduction in Stretchable and Self-Healing Proteins", Chemistry of Materials, 20, (3), pp. 898-905
  • V Ozbolat, M Dey, B Ayan, A Povilianskas, Melik C Demirel and Ibrahim Ozbolat, 2018, "3D printing of PDMS improves its mechanical and cell adhesion properties", ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, 4, (2), pp. 682-93
  • Melik C Demirel, M Vural and Mauricio Terrones Maldonado, 2018, "Composites of proteins and 2D nanomaterials", Advanced Functional Materials, 28, (27), pp. 16
  • H Jung, C J Szwejkowski, A Pena-Francesch, J A Tomko, Benjamin D Allen, Sahin Ozdemir, P Hopkins and Melik C Demirel, 2017, "Ultrafast Laser-Probing Spectroscopy for Studying Molecular Sructure o Protein Aggregates", Analyst, 142, (9), pp. 1434-41
  • V Sariola, A Pena-Francesch, H Jung, M Cetinkaya, C Pacheco, M Sitti and Melik C Demirel, 2015, "Segmented molecular design of self-healing proteinaceous materials", Scientific Reports, 5, pp. 13482
  • A Pena-Francesch, S Florez, H Jung, A Sebastian, I Albert, H Gao and Melik C Demirel, 2014, "Materials fabrication from native and recombinant thermoplastic squid proteins", Advanced Functional Materials, 24, (47), pp. 7401-9
  • A Pena-Francesch, B Akgun, A Miserez, W Zhu, H Gao and Melik C Demirel, 2014, "Pressure sensitive adhesion of an elastomeric protein complex extracted from squid ring teeth", Advanced Functional Materials, 24, (39), pp. 6227-33
  • P A Guerette, S Hoon, Y Seow, M Raida, A Masic, F T Wong, V H Ho, K W Kong, Melik C Demirel and A Pena-Francesch, 2013, "Accelerating the design of biomimetic materials by integrating RNA-seq with proteomics and materials science", Nature biotechnology, 31, (10), pp. 908
  • M J Hancock, K Sekeroglu and Melik C Demirel, 2012, "Bioinspired directional surfaces for adhesion, wetting, and transport", Advanced Functional Materials, 22, (11), pp. 2223-34
  • N A Malvadkar, K Sekeroglu, W J Dressick and Melik C Demirel, 2010, "Noncovalent mechanism for the conformal metallization of nanostructured parylene films", Langmuir, 26, (6), pp. 4382-91
  • Melik C Demirel, P. Kao, N. Malvadkar, H. Wang, M. Poss and D. L. Allara, 2009, "Bio-Organism Sensing Via Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy on Controlled Metal/Polymer Nanostructured Substrates", BIOINTERPHASES, 4, pp. 35-41
  • M. Cetinkaya and Melik C Demirel, 2009, "Bridging Experiments and Simulations in Oblique Angle Polymerization", J. CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION, 15, pp. 1-5
  • R. Gullapalli, Melik C Demirel and P. J. Better, 2008, "Molecular dynamics simulation of long-chain carbocyanine dyes in a DPPC lipid bilayer", PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS, 10, pp. 1-13
  • M. Vural, O. Colak, TES Mazeed, Reginald Felix Hamilton, L. Dong, H. Gao and Melik C Demirel, , "Bioinspired Stretchable Molecular Composites of 2D-Layered Materials and Tandem Repeat Proteins", Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences
  • B. Dursun, TES Mazeed, O. Colak, R. Boy and Melik C Demirel, , "Enhancing Sustainability and Elasticity of Synthetic Fibers by Tandem Repeat Proteins", Smart Materials and Structures

Research Projects

Honors and Awards

  • Outstanding Research Award, Penn State Engineering Alumni Society, 2013
  • Young Investigator Award, Office of Naval Research, US Department of Defense, 2007
  • Humboldt Research Fellowship, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, 2005
  • Microfiber Innovation Challenge, Conservation X Labs, 2022
  • Member of National Academy of Inventors, National Academy of Inventors, 2019

Service

Service to Penn State:

Service to External Organizations:

 


 

About

The Penn State Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics (ESM) is an internationally distinguished department that is recognized for its globally competitive excellence in engineering and scientific accomplishments, research, and educational leadership.

Our Engineering Science program is the official undergraduate honors program of the College of Engineering, attracting the University’s brightest engineering students. We also offer graduate degrees in ESM, engineering mechanics, engineering at the nano-scale, and an integrated undergraduate/graduate program.

Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics

212 Earth and Engineering Sciences Building

The Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA 16802

Phone: 814-865-4523