In collaborative research with Professor Guangzhao Mao in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Wayne State University, we have been investigating the potential to create nanoscale organic/inorganic hybrids by spin-coating on surfaces. We find that nanoparticles of CdSe template the formation of single-crystal rods of arachidic acid (AA), creating unique ball-and-stick fused structures (Chen et. al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2004, 226, 16290, 10.1021/ja045011x ). Presently, we are working to understand the physical phenomena underpinning the nucleation and formation of organic nanocrystalline rods so that we can vary the chemical nature of the particle and rod components and organize them on surfaces.
We are also collaborating with Professor David Oupicky (Pharmacy) and Shijie Sheng (Pathology) at Wayne State University to develop hybrid materials for drug-delivery. Drug delivery efforts are based on coupling porous silica nanoparticles to stimuli-responsive polymers for controlled uptake and release of chemical payloads as a function of temperature or pH. Finally, along with Professor Christine Chow (Chemistry) and Professor Ayad Al-Katib (Cancer Biology), we are developing quantum dot probes for selectively imaging non-Hodgekin’s lympomas.
1. Nanoparticles as Seeds for Organic Crystallization. R. Wang, I. U. Arachchige, S. L. Brock, G. Mao. ACS Symposium Series, 2007.
2. Temperature Controlled Uptake and Release in PNIPAM-modified Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles. You et. al. Chem. Mater., 2008, 20(10), 3354-2259. DOI: 10.1021/cm703363w