The main research focus of the Fang group is conjugated ladder molecules and macromolecules, in which the entire molecular backbone is fused and π-conjugated. The structures of these ladder-type systems mimic the constitution of graphene nanoribbons, endowing them with promising electronic, optical, and mechanical properties. These unique fused-ring constitutions, however, also impose formidable synthetic and processing challenges on the development and application of ladder polymers.

A laser vaporization flow reactor (LVFR) apparatus has been developed for the synthesis of ligand-coated metal oxide nanomaterials. This method produces gas phase clusters followed by ligand coating and collection in a cold trap. Upon warming of the material, a solution is obtained for characterization by a variety of techniques including: mass spectrometry, electronic spectroscopy, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, and electron microscopy.

Abstract: Prodrug approaches are often used to solve drug delivery problems. In doing so, the chemistry needed to bioreversibly derivatize the drug molecule is the key. Along this line, bioreversible derivatization of gasotransmitters such as nitric oxide, hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide are especially challenging. Furthermore, the chemistry used to prepare antibody-drug conjugates also has much room for improvement.

Cancer is a fatal disease, affecting approximately 25% of the population worldwide¹. Given the global impact, early detection of cancer is needed to reduce morbidity and prevent mortality². Unfortunately, not all forms of cancer diagnosis such as blood tests or biopsy can detect the disease during its early stages. Medical imaging has emerged as one of the salient tools for early detection, but not all imaging modalities fit this criterion.

Approximately two-thirds of the energy utilized globally is lost as heat in the atmosphere.¹ The role of thermoelectric materials is gaining more attention to recycle this lost energy, especially in light of the increased worldwide projection for energy demand.

Nucleic acids are exquisitely adept at molecular recognition and self-assembly, enabling them to direct nearly all of the processes that make life possible. These capabilities have been fine-tuned by billions of years of evolution, and more recently, have been harnessed in the laboratory to enable the use of DNA and RNA for applications that are completely unrelated to their canonical biological roles.

In the Anthropocene humans have a global impact on the atmosphere and ecosystems. This became first visible with the discovery that man-made chlorine emissions modify stratospheric ozone (O₃) over South Pole. More recent evidence suggests that atmospheric chemistry of bromine and iodine radicals dominates the relevance of halogens in the troposphere, and may be more active today than 100 years ago.