Molecular Engineering Lab
Research Field
Dr. Chun-Jen Huang is currently the Distinguished Professor of Chemical & Materials Engineering at the National Central University (NCU), Taiwan. He received his B.S. degree in 2001 from Chang Gung University, M.S. in 2003 from the National Taiwan University, and Ph.D. from Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, Germany in 2010 under the guidance of Prof. Wolfgang Knoll and Dr. Jakub Dostalek. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington, Seattle with Prof. Shaoyi Jiang in 2011. In 2012 and 2013, he obtained Visiting Fellowships from Academia Sinica, Taiwan. He received Young Investigator Awards from The 3rd International Symposium of Materials on Regenerative Medicine and The 5th Asian Biomaterials Congress, Outstanding New Faculty Award and Outstanding Research Award (4 times) from NCU, and Outstanding Young Researcher Project (3 times) from the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), Taiwan. Prof. Huang’s research focuses on biomolecular interfaces, biomaterials, and biosensors–particularly on the development of zwitterionic-based functional materials for biomedical and engineering applications.
Molecular engineering is a growing discipline based on the concept of “bottom-up” principle. This is focused on designing and studying molecular properties, functions, and interactions to develop improved materials, systems, and processes tailored for specific applications. Briefly, the observable properties of a macroscopic system are modified by directly altering its molecular structure.
Our group focuses on developing zwitterionic and electrolyte materials in the form of self-assembling small molecules and linear/crosslinked macromolecules for various applications, including medical coatings, drug delivery, hydrogels, functional biointerfaces, sustainability and green energy. We investigate the structure-property relationships of ionic materials in water, electrolytes, and biological systems, as outlined in the Hofmeister series from the 1880s–1890s. Based on these findings, we synthesize a variety of ionic materials to address contemporary challenges and to advance the materials science.
- Medical Coatings
To prevent biofouling—such as contamination, bacterial infection, and foreign body reactions—and to enhance the biocompatibility of medical devices, surface passivation is achieved through the modification of zwitterionic materials. Zwitterionic materials consist of equal amounts of cations and anions, which helps maintain charge neutrality and superhydrophilicity. This feature minimizes non- specific adsorption by avoiding endothermic electrostatic attraction and entropic dehydration. We have developed self-assembled coatings, including thiol-, silane-, and catechol-based small molecules, as well as anchorable zwitterionic polymers, for the modification of substrates such as glass, wafers, metals, plastics, oxides and tissues. - Self-Assembling Materials
Under certain circumstances, self-assembling materials enable the spontaneous formation of ordered nanostructures driven by secondary forces, such as hydrophobic interactions, π-π stacking, π-cation interactions, electrostatic attraction, coordinative interactions, hydrogen bonding, and so on. These materials have attracted significant attention due to their unique characteristics, including molecular-level control, ordered structures, high packing density, and fine surface modifications that tailor physicochemical properties. We have gained substantial fundamental insights into self-organization, structure-property relationships, and interfacial phenomena from zwitterionic self-assembling materials. Additionally, we address an important issue in silane chemistry by developing novel functional silatranes, which consist of a five-membered cage structure. The cage structure protects organic silanes from fast hydrolysis and achieve "controlled silanization," resulting in uniform, thin, and highly oriented siloxane coatings. Together, these materials have been applied in biosensors, drug delivery, antifouling coatings, anti-fogging, circulating tumor cell separation, theranostic applications, and oil-water separation. - Sustainable, Self-Healable and Biodegradable Materials
There is growing concern about the environmental pollution caused by plastic waste, which significantly affects nearly every marine and freshwater ecosystem worldwide. As a result, sustainable plastic materials are being developed for green chemistry and society. We have fabricated self-healing polymers by incorporating aliphatic/aromatic disulfide bonds and amino-yne click chemistry to create reversible dynamic covalent bonds, enabling spontaneous healing at room temperature without external stimuli. These self-healing polymeric networks have been applied to cell encapsulation, cell phantoms for molecular imaging, recovery, and remolding. Additionally, we have developed biodegradable materials for drug delivery and tissue engineering. These bio-inspired degradable materials are synthesized using natural building blocks and modified through environmentally friendly processes to support green chemistry. - Tough Zwitterionic Hydrogels
Hydrogel-based materials, known for their high water content, transparency, biocompatibility, and similarity to the extracellular matrix, have gained prominence in various biological applications, including drug delivery, 3D scaffolds, injectable tissue engineering, surgical adhesives, and tissue sealants. However, due to their highly swollen network in water, hydrogels typically exhibit brittle and soft mechanical properties. We are developing tough hydrogels through various approaches, such as nanocomposite, double network, and microgel techniques. Additionally, we are exploring pH, ionic strength, and temperature-responsive functionalities to fabricate smart soft actuators. These hydrogels have been applied in a wide range of fields, including wound dressings, medical coatings, marine coatings, osmotic power generation, and thermoelectricity.
- Startup entrepreneurship competition, Golden Metal Award (Nov. 2014)
- Young Investigator Award, The 5th Asian Biomaterials Congress (ABMC5) (May, 2015)
- Excellent Teaching Award , College of Engineering, NCU (May, 2015)
- Startup entrepreneurship competition, Bronze Metal Award(Nov. 2015)
- Innovation competition, The First Runner-Up (Dec. 2015)
- Outstanding Research Award , National Central University. (Jan. 2016)
- Outstanding Young Researcher Project , MOST, Taiwan. (July, 2016)
- Innovation competition, Bronze Metal Award 2016 (Sep. 2016)
- Outstanding Technology Transfer Award, National Central University. (Oct. 2016)
- Outstanding Research Award , National Central University. (Jan. 2017)
- Outstanding New Faculty Award , National Central University (Jan. 2018)
- Outstanding Young Researcher Project , MOST, Taiwan. (July, 2019)
- Outstanding Research Award , National Central University. (Jan. 2020)
- Outstanding Research Award , National Central University. (Jan. 2021)
- Distinguished Professorship, National Central University. (Jan. 2022)
- Prof. Shih-Yow Huang Award, Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering Society of Taiwan (Jun. 2022)
- Outstanding Young Researcher Project NSTC, Taiwan. (July, 2022)
- Young Scholar Award, Taiwan Membrane Society, (2023)
Prof. Huang received his B.S. degree in 2001 from Chang Gung University, M.S. in 2003 from the National Taiwan University, and Ph.D. from Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, Germany in 2010 under the guidance of Prof. Wolfgang Knoll and Dr. Jakub Dostalek.
2 Vacancies
Job Description
Development of smart materials for green energy and biomedical applications.
Preferred Intern Education Level
BS, MS and PhD students
Skill sets or Qualities
Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Medicinal Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering.