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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Bio-oils Research » People » Zengshe Liu

Zengshe Liu (Kevin)

Research Chemist

Zengshe (Kevin) Liu, Ph.D.
Phone: (309) 681-6104
Room 3200
USDA ARS NCAUR
Bio-Oils Research
1815 N University St.
Peoria IL 61604

 ORCID:  0000-0001-6804-6556

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Green Materials from Plant Oils

Research Chemist with a PhD in polymer chemistry
   o Biopolymers, composites, biolubricants, biosurfactants, antioxidants
Modification of vegetable oils and other renewable materials for industrial applications
Experience collaborating with government, university and industrial partners
Over 90 peer-reviewed publications (ORCID: 0000-0001-6804-6556)

 

 Soybean Oil

 Developed clean processes for production of soybean oil polymers in supercritical CO2 and with 3D printing technology which are used for:
  o Hydrogels for controlled drug   release
  o Elastomers for chewing gum base materials
  o Matrix for bio-composites
  o Polymeric surfactants
  o Biolubricants 

 Produced starch graft copolymers having controlled architecture

Tung Oil and Cardanol Oil

 Have produced and evaluated modified products from tung oil and cardanol oil:
  o Biopolymers
  o PVC plasticizers
  o Diesel fuel additives
  o Antioxidants 

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3D-printing machine 3D-printed composites
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Nano-hydrogel particles loaded with anti-cancer drug for breast cancer treatment

Soy-based hydrogel ready for biomedical and surfactants

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Soybean oil-based crosslinked polymers (PESO)

Anti-cancer drug (Dox) release from hydrogels 
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CO2 pressure-reactor apparatus

Tung oil tree

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left-to-right: Cashew Apple, nut, and shell
Cardanol obtained from Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL)

 

 

BIO:

Dr. Zengshe (Kevin) Liu is a Research Chemist in the Bio-Oils Research Unit at the USDA National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, IL.  Dr. Liu earned B.S. and  M.S. degrees from Wuhan University, China in 1978 and 1981, respectively. He was an Associate Professor at Henan University from 1987 to 1989. Dr. Liu earned a Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo, Canada in 1995.  His doctoral work focused on swellable polymer supported Wilkinson's catalysts for hydrogen transfer hydrogenation reactions. 

 

Dr. Liu joined ARS in 1999 where his research primarily focuses on polymer chemistry and oleochemistry as they relate to chemical modification of lipids for industrial applications.  Over the course of his career with ARS, Dr. Liu has published over 100 manuscripts, book chapters, conference proceedings and presented numerous papers at national and international conferences, often as an invited speaker. 

Click to Access my publications.