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.
The 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.
