University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Akron
Peking University
Dr. Xiaocun Lu is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biomolecular Science at Clarkson University. He is originally from China and received his B.S. in chemistry from Peking University and his PhD in polymer science at the University of Akron under the guidance of Professor George R. Newkome. His graduate research involved the design and construction of metallosupramolecular materials with various geometries and functions. In 2015, he joined Professor Jeffrey S. Moore’s group as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His postdoctoral research was at the interface of polymer chemistry and materials engineering with a focus on the development of smart microcapsules for applications in self-reporting, self-healing and cure-on-demand materials. Dr. Lu began his independent academic career at Clarkson University in 2018. His major research interests include mechanoresponsive materials, supramolecular self-assembly, and smart delivery systems.
- Micro- and nanocapsules-based smart delivery systems
- Metallosupramolecular self-assembly
- Mechanoresponsive materials
- Environmentally-responsive materials
Current Research
The Lu group is an interdisciplinary and collaborative research group offering great opportunities for scientific and engineering research in diverse areas. The current research goals are to develop emerging smart materials at the mesoscale with extraordinary autonomous and stimuli-responsive functions toward the applications in chemical sensing, controlled payload release, smart manufacturing, and mechanoresponsive materials. Specifically, my research group focuses on functionalized mesoscopic structures, such as supramolecular architectures, colloid particles, and shear-thickening fluids, with the incorporation of contact-initiated polymerization (CIP) techniques and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) attributes for the development of next-generation stimuli-responsive materials with autonomous functions.
Selected Publications
- Qingkai Qi, Gaganjot Sekhon, Richard Chandradat, Nnamdi M. Ofodum, Tianruo Shen, Jan Scrimgeour, Monu Joy, Mario Wriedt, Madhuri Jayathirtha, Costel C. Darie, Devon A. Shipp, Xiaogang Liu, and Xiaocun Lu. Force-Induced Near-Infrared Chromism of Mechanophore-Linked Polymers. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2021, 143 (42), 17337–17343, DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c05923
- Qingkai Qi, Shan Jiang, Qinglong Qiao, Jinbei Wei, Bin Xu, Xiaocun Lu, Zhaochao Xu, Wenjing Tian. Direct observation of intramolecular coplanarity regulated polymorph emission of a tetraphenylethene derivative. Chinese Chemical Letters 2020, 31 (11), 2985-2987. DOI: 10.1016/j.cclet.2020.05.044
- Xiaocun Lu, Wenle Li, Nancy R. Sottos, and Jeffrey S. Moore. Autonomous Damage Detection in Multilayered Coatings via Integrated Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogens. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2018, 10 (47), 40361–40365. DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b16454
- Xiaocun Lu, Joshua S. Katz, Adam K. Schmitt, and Jeffrey S. Moore. A Robust Oil-in-Oil Emulsion for the Nonaqueous Encapsulation of Hydrophilic Payloads. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2018, 140 (10), 3619–3625. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b11847
- Xiaocun Lu, Xiaopeng Li, Kai Guo, Ting-Zheng Xie, Charles N. Moorefield, Chrys Wesdemiotis, and George R. Newkome. Probing a Hidden World of Molecular Self-assembly: Concentration-Dependent, Three-Dimensional Supramolecular Interconversions. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2014, 136 (52), 18149-18155. DOI: 10.1021/ja511341z
- Xiaocun Lu, Xiaopeng Li, Kai Guo, Jing Wang, Mingjun Huang, Jin-Liang Wang, Ting-Zheng Xie, Charles N. Moorefield, Stephen Z. D. Cheng, Chrys Wesdemiotis, and George R. Newkome. One Ligand in Dual Roles: Self-Assembly of a Bis-Rhomboidal-Shaped, Three-Dimensional Molecular Wheel. Chemistry – A European Journal 2014, 20 (41), 13094-13098. DOI: 10.1002/chem.201404358
- Xiaocun Lu, Xiaopeng Li, Yan Cao, Anthony Schultz, Jin-Liang Wang, Charles N. Moorefield, Chrys Wesdemiotis, Stephen Z. D. Cheng, and George R. Newkome. Self-Assembly of a Supramolecular, Three-Dimensional, Spoked, Bicycle-Like Wheel. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2013, 52 (30), 7728-7731. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201302362
- Xiaocun Lu, Xiaopeng Li, Jin-Liang Wang, Charles N. Moorefield, Chrys Wesdemiotis, and George R. Newkome. From Supramolecular Triangle to Heteroleptic Rhombus: A Simple Bridge Can Make a Difference. Chemical Communications 2012, 48 (79), 9873-9875. DOI: 10.1039/c2cc35510h