Dr Yimin Chao

• Senior Lecturer in Nanosciences University of East Anglia
• Email: y.chao@uea.ac.uk
• Telephone: +44 (0)1603 593 146
• School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ

The Chai group have developed both top down and bottom up routes to generate silicon nanoparticles in the past decade. The research in the group has naturally emerged into two competitive arenas: energy materials and nanomedicine. In particular, cross linked with conductive ligands, functionalized silicon nanoparticles possess the potential to become the next generation of thermoelectric materials, and energy storage materials. In other hand, functionalized with carbohydrates, and co-encapsulated with anti-cancer drugs, silicon nanoparticles should play important roles in targeted and monitored drug delivery.

Current research interests include the following themes:

• developing functionalization methods further for silicon nanoparticles and exploring the applications in nanomedicine;
• cross linked silicon nanoparticles for thermoelectrics: materials generating and processing;
• 3D ordered silicon micro-channel structures for catalysts in biomass conversion;
• Nanoparticles as a scaffold for light harvesting molecules and catalysts in aqueous media
• Nanostructured silicon as anodes in batteries