Organic Materials Chemistry, Physical Organic, Biomaterials, Controlled Release, Drug Delivery

The Hu 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.

The two research areas in the Hu group are:

• Stimuli-Responsive Chemistry: We are interested in designing, synthesizing, and applying novel mechanophores, sonosensitizers, and photoswitches.
• Drug Delivery 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.

• Hu, X.; Fu, X. "Mechanophore with Force Triggered Chirality Conversion". Provisional Patent App. 63/464,213, May 5, 2023. (Syracuse University)
• Robb, M. J.; Hu, X.; Zeng, T. “Method for Controlled Release Using Mechanical Force”. US11584752B2t, Granted February 21, 2023. (California Institute of Technology)
• Hu, X.; Zhu, S.; Robisson, A.; Qu, M; Ossia, S. “Methods for Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP) for In-Situ Formation of High Glass Transition Temperature (Tg) Polymers”. US11,377,580, Granted July 5, 2022. (Schlumberger Technology Corporation)
• Asatekin, A.; Thomas, S. W. III; Kaner, P.; Hu, X. “Two-layer photo-responsive membranes”. US10,603,637, Granted March 31, 2020. (Tufts University)
• Robb, M. J.; Hu, X. “Mechanical Regulation of Photoswitching”. US Patent App. 17/019,107, published March 11, 2021. (California Institute of Technology)
• Luozhong, S.; Yuan, Z.; Jiang, S.; Hu, X.; Bailey, S. "Zwitterionic lipid nanoparticle compositions, and methods of use". US Patent App. 63/129,343, published June 30, 2022. (Cornell)

• Fu, X.; Zhu, B.; Hu, X.* “Force-Triggered Atropisomerization of a Parallel Diarylethene to Its Anti-Parallel Diastereomers”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023. doi.org/10.1021/jacs.3c03994
• Hu, X; Zeng, T; Husic, C. C.; Robb, M. J.* “Mechanically Triggered Release of Functionally Diverse Molecular Payloads from Masked 2-Furylcarbinol Derivatives”, ACS Cent. Sci. 2021, 7, 1216-1224. doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.1c00460
• Hu, X; Zeng, T; Husic, C. C.; Robb, M. J.* “Mechanically Triggered Small Molecule Release from a Masked Furfuryl Carbonate”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 15018-15023. doi.org/10.1021/jacs.9b08663
• Hu, X.; McFadden, M. E.; Baber, R. W.; Robb, M. J.* “Mechanochemical Regulation of a Photochemical Reaction”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 14073-14077. doi.org/10.1021/jacs.8b09628
• Hu, X.; Macintosh, E; Simon, M. G.; Staii, C.; Thomas, S. W. III* "Stimuli-Responsive Free-Standing Layer-By-Layer Films", Adv. Mater. 2016, 28, 715–721. doi.org/10.1002/adma.201504219

2024 Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator Award, American Chemical Society.

2024 Early Career Investigator, ACS Applied Bio Materials.

2024 Thieme Chemistry Journal Award, Thieme Publishing Group.

2018 Finalist, ACS Eastman Chemical Student Award in Applied Polymer Science, American Chemical Society.

2016 Graduate Student Research Competition Award, Tufts University.

2016 Graduate Research Excellence at Tufts Fellowship, Tufts University.

2016 Graduate Student Travel Award, Tufts University.