报告题目：Nanocrystal Science: from Self-assemblyto Metastable Condense Matter Phases and to Artificial Cellular Machinery

报告人：Yunwei Charles Cao

Department ofChemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA

Abstract: Thesurface of nanoparticles plays a major role on their physical, chemical andbiological properties, which is of great importance to their use inapplications from energy conversion to medicine. This talk primarily focuses onthe science of organic ligands in the control of nanoparticle self-assembly andin creation of artificial cellular machinery. First, we shall discuss theformation of superparticles with supercrystalline structures. We shall showthat the self-assembly of nanospheres, nanorods, and nanocubes, mediated byshape and structural anisotropy, produces mesoscopic colloidal superparticleshaving single or multiple well-defined supercrystalline domains. In addition,we shall show that colloidal superparticles are important building blocks forcreating new types of functional materials.For example, superparticle solids, with high-pressure treatments, canform crystalline phases which are not stable at ambient pressure andtemperature. Second, we shall discussthe synthesis of nanoparticles with ligands displaying a cooperative behavior,called nanozymes, which can effectively mimic the function of RNA-inducedsilencing complex—a cellular machine for innateimmunity. We shall show that thisnanozyme approach has the potential to become a useful tool for functionalgenomics, as well as for combating protein expression-related diseases such asviral infections and cancers.

Bio: Dr. Yunwei Cao is a full professor in the Department ofChemistry at the University of Florida. He received his BSc (1990), MSc (1993),and PhD degrees (1996) from Jilin University in Changchun. He then worked as a postdoctorial fellow inthe Institute of Photographic Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, theHebrew University of Jerusalem, and the Northwestern University at Evanston,before he joined the faculty of the Department of Chemistry at the Universityof Florida in 2003. His research interests have been focusing on the science ofnanomaterials. His work seeks to develop methodologies for controlling thesurface and interior structures of materials at the nanometer scale, for betterunderstanding the thermodynamic and quantum mechanical properties of thesematerials and for using them in technology applications. His research hasfocused on (1) developing methods for making high quality nanoparticles at theindustrial scale at low cost; (2) developing synthetic approaches for makingnanoparticles with complex structures such as nanoparticle oligomers ornanoparticles with position-controlled dopants; (3) developing novel approachesfor creating superparticles—nanoparticleassemblies in the formation of colloidal particles, and evaluating their use inenergy conversion, catalysis, and drug delivery; and (4) developing a newsurface functionalization concept for creating a new class ofnanoparticle-based intracellular machineries known as nanozymes, which can beused as powerful tools for functional genomics, as well as for combatingprotein expression-related diseases such as viral infections and cancers. Recently,his research interest moves to an area of systems chemistry, specificallyfocuses on a project of“synthesizing lifefrom non-living mater”, which aims tobreak the border between chemistry and biology, and challenging the thirdpostulate of the cell theory: All cells arise only from pre-existing cells (“Omnis cellula ecellula”by Rudolf Virchowin 1855). Dr. Cao has published over 70 papers in highly regarded researchjournals, including Nature, Science, the Proceeding of National Academy ofSciences, the Journal of the American Chemical Society, and Angewandte Chemie. Hisaccomplishments have been recognized with an NSF Career Award and covered inseveral highlight articles in Chemical Engineering News, Science, and manypopular magazines, newspapers and trade journals. His research program is sponsored by theNational Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, and Department ofEnergy.

时间：2019年6月4日（周二）下午3:00

地点：前卫南区唐敖庆楼C区603报告厅

举办单位：超硬材料国家重点实验室

物理学院

尊龙凯时省物理学会

中国物理学会高压物理专业委员会