Research
Yuanwei is interested in a broad range of topics across materials science and chemical engineering. She is deeply passionate about pushing the limits of what is possible with ordered materials, and investigating their functions across a wide range of length scales.
1. Nanoparticles
Corner-, Edge-, and Facet-controlled Growth of Nanocrystals
This general strategy provides a way to expand the shape and compositional library of nanocrystals through crystal engineering via site-specific growth.
2. Colloidal Crystals by Design
2.1 Open-channel Metal Particle Superlattices
A universal approach for synthesizing open-channel superlattices with pores of 10 to 1,000 nm from DNA-modified hollow colloidal nanoparticles. Two new design rules describing this edge-bonding assembly regime emerge from these studies and are then used to synthesize 12 open-channel superlattices with control over crystal symmetry, channel geometry, and topology.
2.2 Space-tiled Colloidal Crystals
Although nanocrystals with well-defined polyhedral shapes can be assembled into ordered lattices with long DNA linkers, the large linkers often do not preserve the packing shape. We have shown that placing a flexible spacer between the rigid DNA anchor strand and the single-stranded DNA sticky end decouples the binding of sticky ends from the nanocrystal shape. This approach allows imperfect polyhedral building blocks to assemble into highly ordered space-filling structures and for non–space-filling nanocrystals to co-pack as complementary shapes.
2.3 Position- and Orientation-Controlled Growth of Wulff-Shaped Colloidal Crystals
3. Functional Metamaterials
3.1 Host-guest Encapsulation
3.2 Negative Refractive Index
3.3 Monolayer Plasmonic Nanoframes as Large-Area, Broadband Metasurface Absorbers
4. Polymers
