Research Overview
Our group is interested in developing stimuli-responsive smart materials and providing chemistry solutions to global challenges in materials innovation and health. We harness the power of molecular design and synthetic organic chemistry to construct advanced material systems for sensing and drug delivery applications. Of particular interest are materials with properties that can be dynamically regulated through the application of external stimuli such as mechanical force, ultrasound, or light. Through our highly interdisciplinary research projects, students in our group will gain expertise in synthetic and physical organic chemistry, materials science, biomaterials, and chemical biology, equipping students with the skills necessary for advanced scientific endeavors.
Research Areas
Area 1: Stimuli-Responsive Chemistry: We are interested in designing, synthesizing, and applying novel mechanophores, sonosensitizers, and photoswitches.
Selected Publications (Area 1):
(1) Cijun Zhang, Tatiana B. Kouznetsova, Boyu Zhu, Liam Sweeney, Max Lancer, Ivan Gitsov, Stephen L. Craig, Xiaoran Hu* Journal of the American Chemical Society 2025, 147, 2502.
(2) Xuancheng Fu, Boyu Zhu, Xiaoran Hu* Journal of the American Chemical Society 2023, 145, 15668.
(3) Xiaoran Hu, Molly E. McFadden, Ross W. Baber, Maxwell J. Robb* Journal of the American Chemical Society 2018, 140, 14073.
Area 2: Prodrug Chemistry and Controlled Release Systems: Our group is interested in developing smart materials that undergo preprogrammed structure and property changes in response to external physical stimuli as next-generation drug delivery systems to maximize therapeutic efficacy and safety.
Selected Publications (Area 2):
(1) Xuancheng Fu, Xiaoran Hu* ACS Applied Bio Materials 2024, 7, 8040.
(2) Xiaoran Hu, Tian Zeng, Corey C. Husic, Maxwell J. Robb* ACS Central Science 2021, 7, 1216.
(3) Xiaoran Hu; Tian Zeng, Corey C. Husic, Maxwell J. Robb* Journal of the American Chemical Society 2019, 141, 15018.
(4) Xiaoran Hu, Ethan Macintosh, Marc G. Simon, Cristian Staii, Samuel W. Thomas III* Advanced Materials 2016, 28, 715.
We appreciate the support from our funding agencies:
