Melik Demirel

Huck Chair in Biomimetic Materials; Pearce Professor of Engineering

Melik Demirel

Research Summary

Prof. Dr. Melik Demirel holds a tenured professor position in engineering at Penn State, and has a decade of experience in biosensors and nanomaterials. Prof. Demirel’s achievements have been recognized, in part, through his receipt of a Young Investigator Award, an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, an Institute for Complex Adaptive Matter Junior Fellowship, the Pearce Development Professorship at Penn State, a Boeing Distinguished Speaker Award. Prof. Demirel received his Ph.D. from Carnegine Mellon University and B.S. and M.S. degrees from Bogazici University.

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Most Recent Publications

Biocomposites of 2D layered materials

Mert Vural, Melik C. Demirel, 2025, Nanoscale Horizons on p. 664-680

Molecular dynamics simulations of 2D-layered graphene sheets with tandem repeat proteins

Oguzhan Colak, Adrien Nicolaï, Vincent Meunier, Melik C. Demirel, 2024, Carbon

Engineering advanced cellulosics for enhanced triboelectric performance using biomanufactured proteins

Melik Demirel, Khushank Singhal, Ramiz Boy, Abu Musa Abdullah, Tarek Mazeed, 2024, Nature Materials Sustainability on p. 29

Threading the Innovation Chain: Scaling and Manufacturing Deep Tech in the United States

Melik Demirel, David Adler, 2024, American Affairs

Cephalopod inspired self-healing protein foams for oil-water separation

Khushank Singhal, Tarek Mazeed, Melik C. Demirel, 2023, iScience

Diffusive Dynamic Modes of Recombinant Squid Ring Teeth Proteins by Neutron Spectroscopy

Abdon Pena-Francesch, Huihun Jung, Madhusudan Tyagi, Melik C. Demirel, 2022, Biomacromolecules on p. 3165-3173

Bioinspired stretchable molecular composites of 2D-layered materials and tandem repeat proteins

Mert Vural, Tarek Mazeed, Dong Li, Oguzhan Colak, Reginald F. Hamilton, Huajian Gao, Melik C. Demirel, 2022, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Enhancing sustainability and elasticity of synthetic fibers by tandem repeat proteins

Burcu Dursun, Tarek El Sayed Mazeed, Oguzhan Colak, Ramiz Boy, Melik C. Demirel, 2022, Smart Materials and Structures

Dielectrophoretic separation of randomly shaped protein particles

Tae Joon Kwak, Huihun Jung, Benjamin D. Allen, Melik C. Demirel, Woo Jin Chang, 2021, Gas Separation and Purification

Hydration-Induced Structural Transitions in Biomimetic Tandem Repeat Proteins

Romeo C.A. Dubini, Huihun Jung, Chloe H. Skidmore, Melik C. Demirel, Petra Rovó, 2021, Journal of Physical Chemistry B on p. 2134-2145

Most-Cited Papers

Biosynthetic self-healing materials for soft machines

Abdon Pena-Francesch, Huihun Jung, Melik C. Demirel, Metin Sitti, 2020, Nature Materials on p. 1230-1235

3D Printing of PDMS Improves Its Mechanical and Cell Adhesion Properties

Veli Ozbolat, Madhuri Dey, Bugra Ayan, Adomas Povilianskas, Melik C. Demirel, Ibrahim T. Ozbolat, 2018, ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering on p. 682-693

Tunable thermal transport and reversible thermal conductivity switching in topologically networked bio-inspired materials

John A. Tomko, Abdon Pena-Francesch, Huihun Jung, Madhusudan Tyagi, Benjamin D. Allen, Melik C. Demirel, Patrick E. Hopkins, 2018, Nature Nanotechnology on p. 959-964

Molecular tandem repeat strategy for elucidating mechanical properties of high-strength proteins

Huihun Jung, Abdon Pena-Francesch, Alham Saadat, Aswathy Sebastian, Dong Hwan Kim, Reginald F. Hamilton, Istvan Albert, Benjamin D. Allen, Melik C. Demirel, 2016, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. 6478-83

Self-Healing Textile: Enzyme Encapsulated Layer-by-Layer Structural Proteins

David Gaddes, Huihun Jung, Abdon Pena-Francesch, Genevieve Dion, Srinivas Tadigadapa, Walter J. Dressick, Melik C. Demirel, 2016, ACS applied materials & interfaces on p. 20371-20378

Recent advances in nanoscale bioinspired materials

Melik C. Demirel, Murat Cetinkaya, Abdon Pena-Francesch, Huihun Jung, 2015, Macromolecular Bioscience on p. 300-311

Squid-inspired tandem repeat proteins: Functional fibers and films

Abdon Pena-Francesch, Melik C. Demirel, 2019, Frontiers in Chemistry

Programmable Proton Conduction in Stretchable and Self-Healing Proteins

Abdon Pena-Francesch, Huihun Jung, Michael A. Hickner, Madhusudan Tyagi, Benjamin D. Allen, Melik C. Demirel, 2018, Chemistry of Materials on p. 898-905

Composites of Proteins and 2D Nanomaterials

Melik C. Demirel, Mert Vural, Mauricio Terrones, 2018, Advanced Functional Materials

Segmented molecular design of self-healing proteinaceous materials

Veikko Sariola, Abdon Pena-Francesch, Huihun Jung, Murat Çetinkaya, Carlos Pacheco, Metin Sitti, Melik C. Demirel, 2015, Scientific Reports

News Articles Featuring Melik Demirel

May 14, 2024

'Research Art Collection' showcase in Old Main

The Office of the Senior Vice President for Research at Penn State hosted an open house for the “Research Art Collection” on April 25. The collection showcases the fine balance between art and research through various displays. From cassowary bird scans to bio-manufactured fashion to sustainable architecture, these works are featured in several different dimensional formats, including digital, print and 3D.

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Sep 07, 2023

The Impact Of Biomanufacturing On Construction Technologies

Using sustainable construction technologies can greatly lessen the negative impact of buildings on the environment.

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Jul 10, 2023

Tandem Repeat Is Revolutionizing Sustainable Fashion With AI-Designed Squid Proteins To Reduce Plastic Harm

Tandem Repeat, formed in 2017, by co-founders, Dr. Gozde Senel Ayaz, Dr. Benjamin Allen, and Dr. Melik Demirel are challenging current practices of the fabric industry by offering unparalleled strength, durability and sustainability.

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May 19, 2023

The Impact Of Climate Technologies On The Fashion Industry

Economic growth and sustainability have become intertwined in our current world, influencing business operations from consumer preferences to government regulations. This relationship between economic prosperity and environmental health must be examined holistically to ensure a healthier future for all.

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May 02, 2023

Energy, environmental seed grants awarded to interdisciplinary research teams

Nineteen interdisciplinary research teams received funding through the Institutes of Energy and the Environment’s (IEE) Seed Grant Program for 2023.

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Apr 20, 2023

Biomanufacturing: Present And Future

Our planet faces an urgent environmental and social crisis, but hope could be on the horizon. Biomanufacturing offers a revolutionary solution for improving the sustainability and responsibility of our current economy.

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Jul 25, 2022

Nature-inspired protein creates stretchable, composite layered materials

Using biomimetic proteins patterned on squid ring teeth, circular appendages on the tentacles of squid that are used to grasp prey, researchers have created composite, layered 2D materials that are resistant to breaking and extremely stretchable.

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Jul 26, 2021

From waste to wear: How squid may be key to material revolution

With elongated bodies, large eyes and a combination of arms and tentacles, squid appear alien. In reality, they are one of the oldest classes of animals on the planet. Squid evolved during the Jurassic period and now appear in every ocean around the world. Now, nearly two and a half millennia later, squid may be the answer to a modern dilemma — plastic pollution.

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Jul 28, 2020

Scientists Develop Material that Repairs Itself

Inspired by the pandemic-induced need for durable, clean face masks and other personal protection equipment to prevent the spread of COVID-19, researchers may have developed a biosynthetic polymer material that repairs itself by synthesizing a protein found in squids.

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Jun 04, 2020

Self-assembling, biomimetic composites possess unusual electrical properties

Sometimes, breaking rules is not a bad thing. Especially when the rules are apparent laws of nature that apply in bulk material, but other forces appear in the nanoscale.

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Aug 22, 2019

Engineering faculty named senior members of the National Academy of Inventors

Two professors in the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics honored for work as inventors.

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Mar 27, 2019

Scientists working with squid take a bite out of microplastic pollution

A protein found in the ringed teeth of squid could be processed into fibers and films with applications ranging from smart clothing to self-healing and recyclable fabrics that reduce microplastic pollution.

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Mar 03, 2019

Smart material made from squid teeth a potential plastic alternative

A newly-discovered material made from squid teeth could one day replace man-made fibres like nylon and polyester, according to a review by scientists at Pennsylvania State University.

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Feb 27, 2019

Lab: Material made from squid teeth could cut plastic pollution in seas

A NEW material made from squid suckers could one day replace man-made fibres such as nylon and polyester. This would help to reduce microplastic pollution in the oceans, as well as paving the way for new possibilities such as self-repairing safety clothing, or garments with built-in, flexible screens.

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Feb 22, 2019

Squid may help curb micro-plastic pollution

A recently discovered protein, found in squids, could revolutionise materials in a way that would be unattainable with conventional plastic. The study was published in Frontiers in Chemistry.

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Feb 22, 2019

Protein found in squid forms fibres of sustainable materials

Protein found in ring teeth of squid could be used to make biodegradable materials for ‘smart’ clothes that monitor health, or self-healing recyclable fabrics that reduce microplastic pollution.

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Feb 22, 2019

Squid Is the New Eco-Friendly Plastic, Study Says

Plastic pollution is devastating the oceans by poisoning animals and contaminating marine environments, but scientists think that the seas may also have a solution to the problem—the tentacles of squid.

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Feb 22, 2019

Squid tentacles offer pollution solution

Until now squid tentacles have been bad news for other sealife but scientists believe that they could offer a replacement for plastic — and save more fish than they kill.

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Feb 21, 2019

Squid’s ‘teeth’ offer hope of smart eco-clothes

Until now, feeling the sudden sharp grip of a squid’s tentacles has been bad news for fish. But the array of keratin-like teeth that the animal uses to pull prey towards its mouth might ultimately save more fish than they kill — because scientists think that they could offer a replacement for plastic.

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Feb 21, 2019

Squid teeth could help make bioplastics and self-repairing clothes

To seize prey, squid rely on a battery of tough, serrated suckers at the end of their tentacles known as squid ring teeth (SRT). Now, researchers are finding that a protein in SRTs can be turned into fibres and films for making tough, flexible and biodegradable plastics.

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Feb 21, 2019

Squid could provide an eco-friendly alternative to plastics

The remarkable properties of a recently-discovered squid protein could revolutionize materials in a way that would be unattainable with conventional plastic.

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Feb 21, 2019

Could squid protein be an eco-friendly answer to our plastic problem?

More than 8 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans each year, killing marine life and damaging ecosystems. But the same seas might also hold the key to reducing plastic pollution.

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Feb 21, 2019

Razor-sharp teeth inside a squid's tentacle suckers could be used to replace plastics and make clothes that repair themselves

Plastics may be replaced with a material made from the razor-sharp circular teeth found on a squid's tentacle sucker pad.

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Feb 10, 2019

Countryside fleeces are killing the environment: National Trust launches urgent hunt for new non-polluting tops amid fears the current ones are shedding plastic microfibres

The National Trust is seeking alternatives to the fleeces worn by its 10,000 employees, amid rising concerns over the shedding of plastic microfibres and their harm to the environment.

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Sep 14, 2018

The Environment’s New Clothes: Biodegradable Textiles Grown from Live Organisms

To combat the ill effects of “fast fashion,” designers look for more sustainable methods.

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