Chun-Long Chen honored by the journal Nano Research
Chun-Long Chen develops molecules inspired by nature to perform chemical reactions and create new materials for energy and biological applications.
(Photo by Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Materials Scientist Chun-Long Chen has been selected as a “2023 Young Innovator” by Nano Research—a peer-reviewed, international, interdisciplinary research journal that focuses on all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Chen is one of 45 innovators selected from across the globe.
As part of this recognition, Chen will be featured in a special Young Innovators Awards issue of the journal. His work, entitled “Assembly of Highly Efficient Aqueous Light-Harvesting System from Sequence-Defined Peptoids for Cytosolic MicroRNA Detection,” will be part of a collection of research from other selected innovators who work on biologically-inspired nanomaterials.
“It’s an honor to receive this ‘2023 Young Innovator Award’ based on our outstanding contributions in the field of bio-inspired nanomaterials,” said Chen. “Nature is an incredibly rich source of scientific inspiration for our research discoveries, and I am very excited to share our recent research accomplishments in Nano Research.“
Chen’s work focuses on designing bio-inspired molecules, called peptoids, which mimic the structure of proteins. By manipulating their interactions, Chen and his colleagues are able to develop rules of designing peptoid sequences as building blocks to create complex materials for various applications, from carbon storage, biofuels production, and water separation, to drug delivery and biological imaging. Chen’s latest application of peptoids will be presented in the upcoming special issue of Nano Research.
Chen has a BS in chemistry from Nanchang University and a PhD from Sun Yat-Sen (Zhongshan) University. He has published more than 100 papers and holds four U.S. patents.
Published: August 7, 2023