Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit

SU chemist Luk receives NSF CAREER Award for work on molecules that self-assemble

Friday, July 31, 2009, By News Staff
Share

Judy Holmes
(315) 443-8085

Yan-Yeung Luk, assistant professor of chemistry in Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences, was recently awarded a $430,000 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award under the auspices of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Luk will use the award to expand his study of a new class of water-soluble molecules that can spontaneously self-assemble (stick together) to form new kinds of materials for use in the biomaterials and biopharmaceutical industries.

LukThe CAREER Award, the NSF’s most prestigious and competitive award for young faculty members, recognizes outstanding scientists and engineers who, early in their careers, show exceptional potential for leadership.

Until now, only soap molecules were thought to be able to self-assemble in water. However, Luk and his research team recently discovered a new kind of molecule that can also self-assemble in water using a different mechanism than soap. The discovery was recently published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Soap molecules self-assemble in water because part of a soap molecule is oily. The oily components stick together because oil and water do not mix. Luk’s new molecule does not contain an oily substance; instead, it self-assembles in a microenvironment that repels water molecules. This repelling action enables the positively and negatively charged components of the new molecule to connect.

Other kinds of molecules, such as salt, which is composed of positively charged sodium ions and negatively charged chloride ions, dissolve in water because there is nothing to prevent the water molecules from separating the ions.

In contrast, Luk’s new molecule is composed of sodium ions and negatively charged carboxylic ions as well as an aromatic component. This aromatic component repels the water molecules, allowing the new molecules to self- assemble in their own protective microenvironment.

When these molecules are assembled, they can be used to support polymer coatings and the formation of a new kind of hydrogel. Because of its unique structure, this hydrogel can function or behave like living tissues. Luk’s research team is exploring ways to use this new material as a molecular factory to make new drugs and as a biodegradable implant for tissue regeneration.

Luk has been at Syracuse University since 2004. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Polytechnic University, New York, and a Ph.D. in bioorganic chemistry from the University of Chicago. He did a postdoctoral fellowship in chemical and bioengineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • Rockell Brown Burton Joins Newhouse School as Associate Dean of Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility
    Monday, May 23, 2022, By Wendy S. Loughlin
  • Corinne Sartori Joins Libraries as Accessibility Specialist
    Monday, May 23, 2022, By Cristina Hatem
  • Eight New Recruits Begin Campus Peace Officer Academy
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Christine Weber
  • Media Tip Sheet: Consequences of China Lockdown
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Vanessa Marquette
  • Dean Rajiv ‘Raj’ Dewan to Step Down as Dean of the School of Information Studies
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By News Staff

More In Uncategorized

Syracuse Views Spring 2022

We want to know how you experience Syracuse University. Take a photo and share it with us. We select photos from a variety of sources. Submit photos of your University experience using #SyracuseU on social media, fill out a submission…

“Alexis Patterson has been missing since 2002. Odds are you don’t know her story.”

Research from Carol Liebler, professor of communications in the Newhouse School, was featured in the USA Today story “Alexis Patterson has been missing since 2002. Odds are you don’t know her story.” Liebler studies media coverage of missing children and…

“Even as COVID cases rise, mask mandates stay shelved”

David Larsen, associate professor of public health in the Falk College, was quoted in The Associated Press article “Even as COVID cases rise, mask mandates stay shelved.” Larsen, who is an expert on epidemiology, explained that intense mask mandates will…

“J.C. Penney is reinventing itself. Again.”

Ray Wimer, professor of retail practice in the Whitman School, was quoted in the Retail Dive story “J.C. Penney is reinventing itself. Again.” Wimer, who studies retail marketing and planning, explained that J.C. Penney’s current efforts to rebrand itself may…

“Can Supermarket Design Really Impact What You Buy?”

Shelley Kohan, adjunct faculty member in the Whitman School, was interviewed for the VeryWell Mind story “Can Supermarket Design Really Impact What You Buy?” Kohan, a retail executive with 25 years of experience, explained that many grocery stores are following…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2022 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.