Gang-yu Liu

Professor Liu’s overall research objective focuses on the development of nanotechnology and potential applications to bioanalytical chemistry. One important aspect of the research is the design and engineering of nanostructures which position bioreceptors and chemical reaction sites on surfaces with high precision. The exquisite precision attainable by the nanolithographic methods developed allows complex multivalent interactions typical of biorecognition to be controlled, by varying the separation and local environment of the binding sites. Current projects include: (1) development of state-of-the-art imaging tools for high-resolution imaging of ligands, DNA, proteins and cells; (2) advanced methodologies for production of arrays of nanostructures; (3) single-cell imaging and mechanics; (4) using nanostructures of antibodies produced to investigate hypersensitivity reaction or allergy; (5) using nanostructures of ligands for study of the initial HIV infection of human T-cells; and (6) using nanostructures of ligands for the investigation of cancer cell signaling.

Education, Awards and Professional Highlights

• Faculty Fellows Award for Interdisciplinary Research Catalyst, UC Davis (2018)
• ACS Fellow (2010)
• AAAS Fellow (2007)
• Professor, UC Davis (2005-present)
• Associate Professor, UC Davis (2001-2004)
• Career Development Chair Award, Wayne State University (2000-2001)
• Outstanding Scholarly Achievement Award, Wayne State University (2000)
• Associate Professor, Wayne State University (1999-2001)
• NSF CAREER Award (1997-2001)
• Arnold and Mabel Beckman Young Investigator Award (1996-1998)
• Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Faculty Award (1994-1999)
• Assistant Professor, Wayne State University (1994-1999)
• Miller Research Fellowship, University of California, Berkeley (1992-1994)
• Harold W. Dodds Honorific Fellowship, Princeton University (1990-1991)
• CGP (Chemistry Graduate Program) Fellowship, Princeton University (1986-1987)
• Ph.D. Princeton University (1992)
• M.A. Princeton University (1987)
• B.S. Peking (Beijing) University, P. R. China (1985)

Representative and Recent Publications

Ventrici de Souza, J.F., Y. Liu, S. Wang, P. Dorig, T. Kuhl, J. Frommer and G.-y. Liu. Three-Dimensional Nanoprinting via Direct Delivery.  J. Phys. Chem. B., 2018, 122, 956−962, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b06978

Liu,Y.; Wang, K.H.; Chen, H.Y.; Li, J. R.; Laurence, T.A.; Ly, S.; Liu, F. T.; Liu, G. Y.  Periodic Arrangement of Lipopolysaccharides Nanostructures Accelerates and Enhances the Maturation Processes of Dendritic Cells  ACS Appl. Nano Mater. 2018, 1, 839−850.  DOI: 10.1021/acsanm.7b00254

Jariwala, D; Krayev, A.; Wong, J.; Robinson, A.E.; Sherrott, M. C.; Wang, S.; Liu, G.Y.; Terrones, M.; Atwater, H.A. Nanoscale doping heterogeneity in few-layer WSe2 exfoliated onto noble metals revealed by correlated SPM and TERS imaging, 2D Mater. 5 (2018) 03500, Doi.org/10.1088

Deng, W. N.; Wang, W.; Ventrici de Souza, J.;  L. Kuhl, T.L.; Liu, G. Y. New Algorithm to Enable Construction and Display of 3D Structures from Scanning Probe Microscopy Images Acquired Layer-by-Layer.  J. Phys. Chem. A, 2018, 122(26)  5756-5763. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.8b03417

Hanna, D. M.; Lohrer, M. F.; Stern, D. E.; Postlmayr, A.; Kollin, A.; Wang, S.; Liu, G. Y. An Online Algorithm for Detecting Anomalies using Fuzzy Clustering, Proceeding International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, (post deadline paper), IEEE, 2018.

Zhang, J.; Whitehead, J.; Liu, Y.; Yang, Q.; Leach, J. K.; Liu, G. Y.  Direct Observation of Tunneling Nanotubes within Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Spheroids.  J. Phys. Chem. B.  2018, 122, 9920−9926, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b07305

Zhang, J.; Piunova, V. A.; Liu, Y.; Tek, A.; Yang, Q.; Frommer, J.; Liu, G. Y.; Sly, J. Controlled Molecular Assembly via Dynamic Confinement of Solvent J. Phys. Chem. Lett.  2018, 9, 6232−6237, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b02442

Laurence, T. A.; Liu, Y.; Zhang, M.; Owen, M. J.; Sun, L.; Yan, C.; Liu, G. Y. Measuring Activation Measurement and Understanding of the Excitation and luminescence among Timescales of Upconverting NaYF4:Yb,Er Nanocrystals  J. Phys. Chem. C 2018, 122, 23780−23789, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b07882

Kurniawan, J.; de Souza, JFV; Dang, AT; Liu, GY; Kuhl, TL. Preparation and Characterization of Solid-Supported Lipid Bilayers Formed by Langmuir-Blodgett Deposition: A Tutorial.  Langmuir, 2018,  34(51), 20 15622-15639. DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b03504

Tran, V.; Karsai, A.; Fong, MC; Cai, WL; Yik, JHN; Klineberg, E; Haudenschild, DR; Liu, GY.  Label-Free and Direct Visualization of Multivalent Binding of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 with Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein, J. Phys. Chem. B, 2019, 123(1), 39-46. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b08564

Martin, MN; Newman, T; Zhang, M; Sun, LD; Yan, CH; Liu, GY; Augustine, MP  Using NMR Relaxometry to Probe Yb3+-Er3+ Interactions in Highly Doped Nanocrystalline NaYF4 Nanostructures, J. Phys. Chem. C, 2019, 123(1), 10-16, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b07553

Sulkanen, A. R.; Sung, J. S.; Robb, M. J.; Moore, J. S.; Sottos, N. R.; Liu, G. Y. Spatially Selective and Density-Controlled Activation of Interfacial Mechanophores, Journal of The American Chemical Society, 2019, 141, 4080-4085. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b10257

Krayev, A.;  Bailey, C. S.; Jo, K.; Wang, S.; Singh, A.; Darlington, T.; Liu, G. Y.; Gradecak, S.; Schuck, P.J.; Pop, E.; Jariwala, D. Dry Transfer of van der Waals Crystals to Noble Metal Surfaces To Enable Characterization of Buried Interfaces, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2019, 11, 38218−38225, DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b09798

Whitehead, J; Zhang, JL; Harvestine, JN; Kothambawala, A; Liu, GY; Leach, JK Dynamic regulation of connexins in stem cell pluripotency  Stem Cell, 2020, 38(1), 80-89, DOI: 10.1002/stem.3056

Zhang, JL; Yu, H; Harris, B; Zheng, YB; Celik, U; Na, L; Faller, R; Chen, X; Haudenschild, DR; Liu, GY New Means to Control Molecular Assembly  J. Phys. Chem. C, 2020,  124(1), 6405-6412. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.9b11377

Gruber, D; Perez, T; Layug, BQ; Ohama, M; Tran, L; Rojas, LAF; Garcia, AX; Liu, GY; Miller, WJW  Three-Dimensional Printing of a Model Atomic Force Microscope to Measure Force-Distance Profiles  J. Chem. Education, 2020, 97(3), 845-849, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b01099