2009 Winner :: Yuehua Yu

Yuehua Yu
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Yuehua "Tony" Yu's new binary G-gels could enable a new generation of targeted drug delivery technologies and implantable medical devices. His gels are inexpensive, nontoxic, biocompatible, and present a solution to one of the most pressing challenges preventing more widespread use of nanomaterials in areas as diverse as medicine, electronics, and energy efficiency.

Yu was the first researcher to investigate and develop a guanosine gel comprised of more than one guanosine compound. He discovered that some of his new binary G-gels were liquid at low temperature, but formed firm gels when heated to room or body temperature. Further study showed that binary G-gels were highly tunable. Yu's discovery, in the words of his adviser, "cracked the problem of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) wide open."

Nanomaterials hold far-reaching potential for use in any number of important applications, but progress on many fronts has been impeded by the materials' tendency to aggregate, or clump together, in liquids — the materials simply don't go where researchers need them to go. Current solutions for properly dispersing nanomaterials in liquid often impact the materials' properties, cause irreversible damage, or result in a low loading capacity.

Yu's G-gels, however, present an inexpensive and scalable means to gently, nondestructively disperse SWNT and other nanoparticles at a high concentration. By simply controlling the temperature of the mixture or part of the mixture, the G-gel can selectively solubilize, or activate, specific SWNTs, and then be easily removed from the site after the SWNTs are in place. The gel can be tuned to selectively solubilize SWNTs based on different properties, including conductivity and structure.

Another key application of G-gels is their ability to preserve, and even restore, enzyme activity. Because they begin as liquids and form gels at body temperature, the G-gels could be used to encapsulate live cells, enzymes, or other materials for delivery into the human body, with potential applications in drug and gene delivery, as well as implantable devices. Yu has also demonstrated the ability of G-gels to keep certain enzymes stable for months at room temperature, which has captured the attention of cosmetics and sunscreen companies.

In his time at Rensselaer, Yu has filed for two patents related to his G-gel research, co-authored two journal papers, and delivered 10 presentations. He received the prestigious Rensselaer 2008 Founders Award for of Excellence, as well as the 2008 Slezak Memorial Fellowship and Baruch '60 Award for Excellence in Energy-Related Research from Rensselaer.

Yu hails from the scenic city of Jiujiang, China, near the foot of Lushan Mountain. His parents are both employees of the nearby petroleum factory, which employs more than 60 percent of the local population. Yu is the first in his family to earn a doctorate, and he enjoys continued support from his parents, older brother, and older sister.

His wife, Yuexi Wang, is a graduate student in chemistry at Rensselaer. Their daughter, Grace, is 8 months old.

Yu received his master's degree in polymer science and bachelor's degree in chemistry from Nankai University in China. He expects to earn his doctorate in analytical chemistry from Rensselaer this spring.