Dr. Xiaohu Xia
Assistant Professor Level
Department of Chemistry
Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
Title:
Noble-Metal Nanostructures: Controlled Synthesis and Applications in Clinical Diagnostics
Abstract
Nanostructures made of noble metals, including Au, Ag, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ir and Ru, are finding widespread use in biomedicine, energy production, photonics, and electronics. Controlled synthesis is one of the most effective strategies for tailoring their physicochemical properties and thus optimizing their performance in various applications. Although the first documented synthesis of noble-metal nanocrystals can be traced back to the fantastic work by Michael Faraday more than 160 years ago on the preparation of Au colloids with a ruby red color, only within the past few decades have the methodology been developed for generating nanostructures with controlled shapes, sizes, and chemical compositions.
In the first part of this talk, I will introduce how to rationally design and experimentally synthesize noble-metal nanocrystals with desired structures at the atomic level. In the second part, I will introduce my recent work on the applications of engineered noble-metal nanostructures in clinical diagnostics. Examples of ultrasensitive and easy-to-use diagnostic techniques and their use in detecting cancer biomarkers from human blood samples will be highlighted.
Biography
Dr. Xiaohu Xia has been a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Michigan Technological University since August 2014. He is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award (class of 2017). Prior to his appointment at Michigan Tech, he worked at Georgia Institute of Technology as a postdoctoral fellow from 2012 to 2014. His research interests include the design and synthesis of novel nanostructures and exploration of their applications in biomedicine and catalysis. He has published more than 45 papers in peer-reviewed journals, including PNAS, JACS, Angewandte Chemie, Advanced Materials, and Nano Letters. His publications have been cited more than 3,000 times, with an h-index of 29. In his independent career, his research work has been highlighted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Chemical & Engineering (C&EN) News.
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