Main Focus
Structural color, generated by the physical interaction between light and the micro-/sub-microstructure of substances, is widely found in nature, for example, in birds, insects, and plants. Using natural biopolymers (e.g., polysaccharides, proteins) or their chemical constituents (e.g., monosaccharides, amino acids) to build photonic materials is attractive due to their superior biocompatibility, biodegradability, and sustainability. Additionally, natural substances often possess chiral properties, which are advantageous for manipulating light. Artificial photonic materials made from natural sources have been widely studied, including those from polysaccharides (cellulose, chitosan, HPC) and proteins (keratin, gelatin methacrylate, silk fibroin). My goal is to combine the technology of synthetic block copolymers with the advantages of natural substances to precisely design 'natural block copolymers' made entirely from natural substances or their derivatives.
I am particularly interested in:
- Methods to tailor block copolymers fully constructed from natural sources for photonic materials.
- The self-assembly of these 'natural block copolymers.'
- The application of artificial photonic materials derived from 'natural block copolymers.'
Curriculum Vitae
Xiaowen is a postdoctoral scientist in the Department of Sustainable and Bio-inspired Materials, headed by Prof. Silvia Vignolini, at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces.
Xiaowen received his PhD degree in 2023 from ETH Zurich under supervision of Prof. Laura Nyström, where he mainly worked on the biopolymers (e.g. polysaccharide and polypeptide): developing methodology to characterize these polysaccharides, studying polymer interaction, and studying self-assembly of biopolymers.
His current research interests focus on biopolymers (natural & synthetic) and their application in photonic materials.
Related publications
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.119724
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.120698