A Greener, Photochemical, Route to Polymer-grade Ethylene
A visible light-powered cobalt porphyrin catalyzes near 100% conversion of acetylene to ethylene with >99% selectivity.
Research Highlights
Photocatalytic Aqueous CO2 Reduction to CO and CH4 Sensitized by Ullazine Supramolecular Polymers
Self-assembled organic molecules photosensitize a cobalt molecular catalyst to reduce CO2 to CO and CH4 in water.
Emergence of Valency in Colloidal Crystals through Electron Equivalents
A new route to symmetry breaking in lattices of programmable atom equivalents (PAEs) was uncovered using nanoconstructs with particle cores and highly oriented DNA shells.
Record Photoreduction of CO2 in Water Sensitized by Quantum Dots
CuInS2 quantum dots (QDs) photosensitize a Co-porphyrin catalyst to reduce CO2 to CO in pure water at pH 6-7 with turnover number (TONCO) >80,000, quantum yield (QYCO) >5.2%, and selectivity (SCO) >99%.
![Quantum dots/porphyrin system effectively converts CO2 with respect to all three key metrics (TONCO, QYCO and SCO). The performance of the QD system greatly exceeds that of the benchmark [Ru(bpy)3]2+-CoTPPS aqueous system due primarily to electrostatic attraction of the QD to the catalyst, which promotes fast multielectron delivery, and termination of the QD’s ligand shell with free amines, which pre-activate CO2 as carbamic acid.](quantum-dots.png)
Micromechanical Devices Using DNA Hybridization
We demonstrate that DNA and RNA can be used as a fuel and for energy storage in nano/microscale machines.
Using Magnetic Fields to Control Elastic Sheets
Shape-Directed Micromotors via Catalytic Self-Electrophoresis
Transitional Bonding in Colloidal Systems
Shape-Directed Dynamics of Active Colloids
A Silicon Ratchet to Produce Power from Below-Bandgap Photons
A Light-Responsive Organic Electron Flashing Ratchet
Contractile Actuation and Dynamical Gel Assembly of Paramagnetic Filaments in Fast Precessing Fields
Self-Replication with Dipolar Colloids
"Soft" Amplifier Circuits Based on Field-Effect Ionic Transistors
Interactions Between Polyelectrolyte-Gel Surfaces
Identification of Two Mechanisms for Current Production in a Biharmonic Flashing Electron Ratchet
Transmutable Nanoparticles with Reconfigurable Surface Ligands
Enzymatic Reactions Convectively Aggregate Microcapsules Modeling Self-Assembly of Protocells
Coarsening Dynamics of Binary Liquids with Active Rotation
Controlling Shape and Pattern in Active Colloidal Cells
Morphological Phases in Ionic Liquids Induce High Conductivities at Low Temperatures
Energy Landscapes and Functions of Self-Assembling Peptide Amphiphile Nanofibers
Salt Pumping by Voltage-Gated Nanochannels
Energy Conversion in Polyelectrolyte Hydrogels
Plasmonic Photonic Crystals Realized through DNA Programmable Assembly
Harnessing Self-Assembly to Make Photonic Nanowires
Dissipative Self-Assembly of Particles Interacting through Time-Oscillatory Potentials