Orlin Velev

Bio

Prof. Orlin D. Velev has established a record of innovative interdisciplinary studies, creativity and intellectual leadership in colloid science, soft materials, and nanoscience. His group is best known for its advances in the field of directed and programmed colloidal assembly by using external fields and making structures out of nanoparticles, microparticles, Janus, and patchy particles. Velev’s group has also discovered and developed new types of self-propelling microdevices, active reconfigurable structures, soft robotic components and microbot prototypes. More recently Velev’s group has also made pioneering contributions to the fields of environmentally benign and biologically derived nanocomposites and soft materials for sustainability. His key accomplishments in a path of relentless scientific innovation include:

For latest information, visit Prof. Velev’s personal academic website

Introduction of environmentally benign functionalized nanoparticles as basis of new sustainable products. Replacing the current non-sustainable, non-biodegradable synthetic materials with novel generation of environmentally friendly and naturally sourced structures is one of the most important society priorities to date. Velev and his group have pioneered a few such fields, by introducing a new class of environmentally benign nanoparticles with cores made of lignin, which can serve as highly potent microbicidal substitutes of common silver nanoparticles (Nature Nanotech. 2015). The functionalized lignin nanoparticles show how green chemistry principles can be applied to design sustainable nanomaterials with increased efficiency and decreased environmental footprint (Langmuir, 2016, 2025). The sustainable colloids platform (COCIS 2014) is presently used in new agricultural formulations based on safe natural ingredients by the NC State startup company Benanova.

Self-propelling microcircuits, novel functional motile “active” particles and microbots. Velev has been among the intellectual pioneers in the topic of “active” and self-propelling particles and microdevices that is at the forefront of high-technology research. His group has been the first to report numerous new modes of active propulsion and study their applications in microbot prototypes. Velev et al. discovered key effects of AC electrohydrodynamic motility of Janus metallo-dielectric spheres (PRL 2008), engineered particles (Adv. Funct. Mater. 2018, COCIS 2022) and more recently – any colloidal species (JCIS 2024). They have also demonstrated how miniature semiconductor diode circuits propel electroosmotically (Nature Mater. 2007, Nature Comm. 2018). Velev’s group also showed how magnetically reconfigurable structures from metallodielectric particles can be dynamically programmed (Science Adv. 2017) and used in new types of self-propelling microrobot prototypes (Langmuir 2020).

Directed and programmed electric and magnetic field assembly. Velev has performed extensive work in using electric and magnetic fields as a tool for on-chip assembly and manipulation of nanoparticles, microparticles, live cells and droplets. His has been among the first to report field-assembled microwires (Science 2001), Janus and patchy microspheres (Langmuir 2008). Velev et al. discovered a new class of ultraflexible materials (Nature Mater. 2015) and 3D printing pastes (Adv. Mater. 2017) assembled from magnetic nanoparticles bound by capillarity. They also showed how metallodielectric colloid particles assemble in two-dimensional percolated networks and lattices of unusual symmetry (Langmuir 2015) that can form the basis of novel photonic and responsive soft materials (Soft Matter 2023). Their latest studies reveal the principles for magnetic assembly and manipulation of nanoparticles in droplet-confined geometries and soft microrollers (ACS Nano 2025).

Discovery and introduction of manufacturing methods for making novel polymer and biopolymer materials with advanced morphology. Velev has invented and developed several scalable, rapid and cost-effective processes for the synthesis of functional nanomaterials by biphasic precipitation under shear (Adv. Mater. 2023). The technique first opened the way to massively scalable manufacture of nanofibers in continuously sheared liquid medium (Adv. Mater. 2015). Velev et al. later discovered a unique material called soft dendritic colloids (SDCs). The SDCs are highly branched polymeric particles surrounded by a nanofibrillar corona that result from polymer precipitation in a turbulently sheared nonsolvent medium (Nature Mater. 2019). The SDCs exhibit excellent interparticle adhesion and binding due to their nanofiber corona. This new type of soft matter is finding wide and numerous applications as rheology modifiers, non-woven sheets, coatings, filters and battery separators (MRC 2022). The Velev group recently demonstrated how biopolymer SDCs can be used as “microcleaners” for collecting microplastic particle contamination (Langmuir 2023).

Introduction of novel biopolymer composites as replacements for synthetic polymers for packaging and soft electronic applications. Prof. Velev has recently pioneered a novel technology of making sustainable packaging alternatives for petroleum-based packaging. His group synthesized soft dendritic colloids from chitosan and used them as fillers in agarose matrix, leading to the formation of tough, transparent, antibacterial, and biodegradable composite films (Cell Rep. Phys. Sci. 2025). The nanocomposite biopolymer films demonstrate superior performance compared to many commercial plastics in terms of mechanical, optical, and antibacterial properties. Velev et al. also developed new biopolymer substrates for sustainable and biodegradable soft electronics (ACS AMI 2025).

Ionotronic, skin-interfacing and soft robotic devices based on aqueous soft matter. Velev is a pioneer in the emerging research area of constructing biomimetic circuits, solar cells and soft robotic prototypes from hydrogels. The group earlier described how new classes of ionic devices can be formed by interfacing water-based gels doped with polyelectrolytes hydrogel ionic diodes (JACS 2007), memory devices, soft robotic components (Nature Comm. 2013) and even organic photovoltaic cells (Biomicrofluidics 2013). More recently, Velev and colleagues have designed new classes of skin-interfacing hydrogel microfluidic sensors (ACS Sensors 2022). Velev is among the first to demonstrate microscopic electronically readable biosensors interfacing colloidal assemblies with on-chip electronic circuits (Langmuir 1999), and novel types of nanoparticle/live cell composites (Langmuir 2010).

Free droplet microfluidics, synthesis of responsive capsules and foam superstabilization. Velev developed a new microfluidic chip based on dielectrophoretic manipulation and materials synthesis inside microdroplets suspended on the surface of fluorinated liquid (Nature Mater. 2005, Nature 2003, Science 2000). Later, the group reported a simple and efficient method for templated assembly of supraparticles inside droplets suspended on superhydrophobic surfaces (Adv. Mater. 2008). These assemblies can be anisotropic, layered, patchy, magnetic or biologically active. The group has engineered a few new classes of ultra-stable (Adv. Mater. 2004), magnetically, thermally and light-responsive Pickering foams (JACS 2011, Chem. Sci. 2013). Historically, Velev is the first to report formation of the (later named) “colloidosome” assemblies from particles around emulsion droplets (Langmuir 1996).

First to synthesize “inverse opals” and Au nanoparticle inverse opals.  Historically, Velev was the first to report the use of colloidal crystals as templates for the preparation of “inverse opals,” which are now one of the most widely studied classes of photonic materials today (Adv. Mater. 2000). The original report was on “inverse opal” silica (Nature 1997). Velev and collaborators later synthesized a unique new type of material, hierarchically porous structured gold (Nature 1999) that can be integrated into chemical sensors (Adv. Mater. 2001).

Discovery and engineering of the convective assembly process. As a graduate student Velev was the key experimental investigator in the team that discovered the method of “convective assembly” of microparticles in the meniscus of drying water films (Nature 1993). This method has been widely used by numerous researchers in the fabrication of photonic coatings. The Velev group at NCSU has engineered a convenient and controllable convective assembly apparatus and used it in the deposition of antireflective and conductive coatings, biofilms from live cells, biomacromolecules, aligned Tobacco Mosaic Viruses and other functional nanocoatings (Adv. Mater. 2009).

Publications

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Honors and Awards

• Braskem Award for Excellence in Materials Engineering and Science (AIChE)
• NC State Research Leadership Academy (NCSU)
• Langmuir Lecture Award (ACS)
• Rockwell Series Lecturer (Univ. of Houston)
• S. Frank and Doris Culberson Distinguished Professor
• Andreas Acrivos Award for Professional Progress in Chemical Engineering (AIChE)
• R.J. Reynolds Award for Excellence in Teaching, Research and Extension (NCSU)
• Fellow of the Materials Research Society (MRS)
• Dinesh O. Shah Annual Lecture in Surface Science (UFL)
• Alcoa Foundation Distinguished Engineering Research Award (NCSU)
• Chancellors’ Innovation Fund Award (NCSU)
• Springer 1st Colloid and Polymer Science Lecture Award
• NC ACS 2013 Distinguished Speaker Award (NC ACS Section)
• Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor (NCSU)
• Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS)
• Alumni Association Outstanding Research Award (NCSU)
• Innovator of the Year Award (NC State University)
• Mercator Visiting Professor Fellowship (DFG – Germany & TU-Berlin)
• INVISTA named professorship (NC State University)
• Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation)
• NC State University Academy of Outstanding Teachers
• 3M Nontenured Faculty Award (3M Company)
• Sigma Xi Faculty Research Award (Sigma Xi NCSU Chapter)
• CAREER award (The National Science Foundation)
• Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award (Oak Ridge Associated Universities)
• Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Faculty Award (Camille and Henry Dreyfus Found.)