Celebrating UNC Charlotte Faculty Awarded NCInnovation Pipeline Development Grants

Written By: The Division of Research

NCInnovation’s Pipeline Development Initiative is designed to nurture promising research at its earliest stages.  By providing targeted, milestone-driven microgrants, the program gives faculty resources to advance promising foundational ideas toward a definitive proof of concept. The program also positions research teams to pursue larger NCInnovation grants and other external funding opportunities. 

Funded UNC Charlotte NCInnovation Pipeline Development Projects:

Project Name: Digital Light Processing 3D Printing of Polymer Composites Based on Tunable Curing Resins with Photoswitchable Molecules

Principal Investigator: Erina Joyee, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science

Department: Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science

This project advances Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D printing with a dual-wavelength light control system that improves precision by reducing unintended light scattering, especially in particle-filled composite resins. One wavelength initiates curing while the other inhibits it, enabling micron-scale control over solidification and the fabrication of complex structures with tailored porosity, surface features, and material composition. Compatible with biocompatible polymers, ceramic-filled resins, and functional composites, the low-cost, modular platform has applications in biomedical implants, sensors, energy devices, and small-scale manufacturing.

---

Project Name: Combating Bio-film Associated Pathogens with Voltage-Dependent Thiazolothiazole Photosensitizers

Principal Investigators/Co-Investigators: Michael Walter, Professor of Chemistry and Director of Nanoscale Science Ph.D. Program and Kirill Afonin, Professor of Chemistry

Department: Chemistry

Antibiotic resistance in biofilm-associated infections is a major unmet need because biofilms shield pathogens from antibiotics and immune clearance, contributing to chronic wounds, device contamination, Candida auris outbreaks, and hospital-acquired infections. Our technology addresses this with voltage-responsive photodynamic antimicrobials based on asymmetrically substituted thiazolothiazole (asym-TTz) dyes that embed in cell membranes and remain mostly inactive until triggered by visible to near-infrared light, generating reactive oxygen species that selectively kill microbes. Unlike conventional photodynamic agents, asym-TTz dyes exploit membrane potential differences to enhance activity in microbial membranes while sparing mammalian cells, offering a promising approach for surface, wound, device-associated, and biofilm infections where antibiotics often fail.

---

Project Name: Electromagneto Self-Sensing Concrete (ESSC) – The quantum-based, multi-functional building material for wireless energy transfer

Principal Investigator: Shen-En Chen, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering

Electromagneto Self Sensing Concrete (ESSC) combines magnetic concrete and self-sensing concrete to enable wireless power transfer (WPT) while monitoring structural and environmental conditions through changes in electrical resistivity. Using ferromagnetic aggregates such as magnetite or ferrites, it improves magnetic flux control and shielding to boost power transfer efficiency for electric vehicles, turning WPT infrastructure into a real-time diagnostic system for electrification and grid resilience. Dr. Chen’s team has established a partnership with Belmont Trolley Inc, which will help develop the first pilot wireless power charging train station for battery trains.

---

Project Name: BRANE – BioReactor AI for Networked Enclosures Regenerative Infrastructure for AI Data Centers

Principal Investigator: Kyoung-Hee Kim, Professor of Architecture & Director of the Integrated Design Research Lab (IDRL)

Department: College of Arts + Architecture

BRANE, BioReactor AI for Networked Enclosures, is a building-integrated algae bioreactor system that combines Bio-Blade hardware, sensors/controls, and digital twin analytics. BRANE aims to transform building envelopes into active bio-economic infrastructure that can reduce cooling demand, capture carbon, and generate biomass value. The Pipeline grant will support the proof of concept for integrating the physical bioreactor hardware with sensors and controls toward digital twin controls.

---

Project Name: High-Throughput Technique for Qualification of Optomechanical Systems in Production Laser Power Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing Machines

Principal Investigator: Jaime Berez, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science

Department: Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science

Metal additive manufacturing, especially laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), is increasingly used for critical aerospace, medical, and energy parts, yet laser focus remains poorly characterized and often uncalibrated on commercial systems. Variations in focus across the build area can introduce defects and part failures, while existing measurement methods are costly, slow, and limited in coverage. This project develops a low-cost, high-throughput alternative using small aluminum test artifacts, automated microscopy, and image analysis to rapidly and accurately assess focus offset with minimal downtime and material.

---

About NCInnovation: NCInnovation, Inc. is a NC-based 501(c)(3) public-private partnership designed to accelerate commercialized innovation from North Carolina’s research universities. Backed by more than $25 million in private philanthropic commitments, NCInnovation uses the interest and income from a $500 million State-funded endowment to provide non-dilutive grant funding, mentors, and support services so that North Carolina university proofs-of-concept return value to the regional communities that created them.  Learn more at NCInnovation.org.