Professor, Physical and Materials Chemistry
Year Started at JMU: 2009
zhang3yx@jmu.edu
Contact Info
Website: http://bit.ly/ZhangResearchLab
Research Description
Specific ion effects on the physicochemical properties of aqueous processes such as protein folding, polymer aggregation, and colloidal assembly follow a general trend that is called the Hofmeister series. Our research group is interested in understanding how ions interact with solute molecules and affect the macroscopic properties of the systems. We have studied the effects of salts on polymer aggregation and caffeine partitioning thermodynamics to elucidate the mechanisms of ion-solute interactions.
Education
- PhD in Chemistry, 2001, Jilin University, China
- BS in Chemistry, 1996, Jilin University, China
Select Publications
- Johnson, N. O.; Light, T. P.; MacDonald, G.; Zhang, Y. J. “Anion-caffeine interactions studied by 13C and 1H NMR and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy” The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2017, 121, 1649–1659.
- Rogers, B. A.; Thompson, T. S.; Zhang, Y. J. “Specific anion effects on thermodynamics of caffeine partitioning between aqueous and cyclohexane phases” The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2016, 120, 12596–12603.
- Lutter, J. C; Wu, T.-Y.; Zhang, Y. J. “Hydration of Cations: A Key to Understanding of Specific Cation Effects on Aggregation Behaviors of PEO-PPO-PEO Triblock Copolymers” The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2013, 117, 10132-10141.
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
