Research Overview
We are interested in developing stimuli-responsive smart materials and providing chemistry solutions to global challenges in materials innovation and health. We harness molecular design and synthetic organic chemistry to construct advanced materials for sensing and drug delivery applications. Of particular interest are materials whose properties can dynamically adapt in response to external stimuli such as mechanical force and ultrasound. Through our interdisciplinary research projects, students will be trained in synthetic & physical organic chemistry, materials science, biomaterials, and chemical biology.
Research Areas
Area 1: Stimuli-Responsive Chemistry: We develop adaptable materials that respond to physical stimuli such as mechanical force, ultrasound, or light. A key area is the development of an "atropisomer mechanochemistry" platform, which, to our knowledge, remains the only reported platform capable of driving true chemical reactions below 200 pN at 0.1-s time scale (vs typical mechanochemistry at ~1-2 nN). Incorporation of these mechanoresponsive molecules could produce mechanoresponsive, self-reporting polymers that show visible signs (e.g., color changes) when mechanically deformed or damaged, and reveal nanoscale force transduction in complex materials ranging from synthetic plastics to biological systems.
Keywords: Mechanochemistry, ultrasound-mediated chemistry, sonochemistry, photoswitches.
Selected Publications (Area 1):
(3) Zhang, et al., Hu* "Advancing the Mechanosensitivity of Atropisomeric Diarylethene Mechanophores Through a Lever-Arm Effect" Journal of the American Chemical Society 2025, 147, 2502.
(2) Fu, Zhu, Hu* “Force-Triggered Atropisomerization of a Parallel Diarylethene to Its Anti-Parallel Diastereomers" Journal of the American Chemical Society 2023, 145, 15668.
(1) Hu, et al., Robb* “Mechanochemical Regulation of a Photochemical Reaction” Journal of the American Chemical Society 2018, 140, 14073.
Area 2: Prodrug Chemistry and Controlled-Release Systems: We develop new chemistry strategies to control bond cleavage and drug release. These materials are promising next-generation drug delivery systems that selectively release cytotoxic drugs under spatially localized triggering conditions, such as ultrasound stimulation or tumor-specific microenvironments. Such a controlled-release approach aims to minimize off-target drug exposure and enhance therapeutic precision.
Keywords: Biomedical sonochemistry, bioorthogonal cleavage, photo-/sono-dyanamic therapy (PDT/SDT).
Selected Publications (Area 2):
(5) Fu, et al., Hu* "A Noncovalent Click-to-Release Strategy to Control Bond Cleavage and Prodrug Activation" Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2026, e15594.
(4) Fu, et al., Hu* Ultrasound-Triggered Prodrug Activation via Sonochemically Induced Cleavage of a 3,5-Dihydroxybenzyl Carbamate Scaffold. Chemical Science 2025, 16, 21000.
(3) Fu, Hu* Ultrasound-Controlled Prodrug Activation: Emerging Strategies in Polymer Mechanochemistry and Sonodynamic Therapy. ACS Applied Bio Materials 2024, 7, 8040. (Invited Review)
(2) Hu, et al., Robb* “Mechanically Triggered Small Molecule Release from a Masked Furfuryl Carbonate” Journal of the American Chemical Society 2019, 141, 15018.
(1) Hu, et al., Thomas* "Stimuli-Responsive Free-Standing Layer-By-Layer Films" Advanced Materials 2016, 28, 715.
We appreciate the generous support from our funding agencies:
