(4au) Hybrid Materials for Catalysis and Sensing

Precise engineering of plasmonic materials across different length scales has long been utilized to boost their efficiency in processes involving energy conversion. So far, through the manipulation of thermodynamics and kinetics, a set of successful designs were developed ranging from individual particles to large assemblies. Under some conditions, however, controlling the thermodynamics and kinetics of the particles alone are not enough to perform the formation of more complicated structures. Here I want to leverage my expertise in both inorganic crystal synthesis and DNA nanotechnology to assemble more complicated plasmonic superstructures with undiscovered properties. The ultimate goal is to develop hybrid material platforms with applications for as catalysis and sensing.

Research Interests

My research interests lie in the combination of engineering of solid inorganic materials with soft nucleic acid for advanced catalysis and sensing applications. The goal will be achieved by arranging mainly plasmonic nanocrystals (e.g., gold and silver) using DNA as a soft and reconfigurable linker that can actively respond to the change in the surrounding chemical environment. This goal will be separated in to three sub-directions: i) synthesis of novel plasmonic materials through precise shape control and surface engineering, where DNA nanostructures can be incorporated as a template for metal growth; ii) generation of reconfigurable and stable DNA-based nanostructures; and iii) development of new ways of interaction between DNA nanostructures and inorganic materials for a broader range of applications.

Teaching Interests

I believe teaching is an essential part of an academic career as it reflects one's ability to conduct effective communication. Through teaching, I wish to empower my students to have a clear, overall picture of what they learn and to find out the best learning styles that suit them. As such, the two core values of my teaching philosophy are clarity and multimodal learning. Working in the field of nanotechnology for both my PhD and postdoc research, I am particularly interested in teaching courses that involve the following two topics: i) introduction to nanomaterials and their structure-property relationship and ii) characterization of nanomaterials and data analysis. With my experience as a teaching assistant and a graduate researcher, I am also prepared to teach classes related to statistical thermodynamics and advanced mass transfer.