Honghu Zhang
Material Science Associate II, Complex Scattering, National Synchrotron Light Source II

Brookhaven National Laboratory
National Synchrotron Light Source II
Bldg. 744
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000
Expertise | Research | Education | Appointments | Publications | Highlights
Expertise
- Nanomaterial Bioconjugation
- Nanoparticle Self-Assembly in Bulk and at Interfaces
- Small Angle X-ray Scattering and Liquid Surface X-ray Scattering
- Plasmonic and Light-Emitting Nanomaterials and Single-Molecule Optical Detection
Research Activities
DNA-programmable self-assembly provides an effective route for fabrication of well-defined clusters and 2D and 3D lattices. My research focuses on investigation of phase behaviors of programmable assembly using X-ray scattering and study of optical properties of DNA-guided nanoscale architectures consisting of various types of components, such as plasmonic, magnetic and semiconductor nanoparticles.
Education
- Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering (2016): Iowa State University
- Dissertation Title: Bioinspired synthesis and self-assembly of hybrid organic–inorganic nanomaterials
- B.S. in Materials Science & Engineering (2011): Xi’an Jiaotong University, China
Professional Appointments
- Scientific Associate II, National Synchrotron Light Source II, 2022 - present
- Postdoctoral Research Assoicate, Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, 2017 - 2022
- Postdoctoral Research Associate, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering, Ames Laboratory, 2017
Selected Publications
- Wang S-T, Zhang H, Xuan S, et al (2022) Compact Peptoid Molecular Brushes for Nanoparticle Stabilization. Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.2c00743
- Sun S, Yang S, Xin HL, Nykypanchuk D, Liu M, Zhang H, Gang O (2020) Valence-programmable nanoparticle architectures. Nature Communications. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-16157-0
- Zhang H, Li M, Wang K, Tian Y, Chen J-S, Fountaine KT, DiMarzio D, Liu M, Cotlet M, Gang O (2019) Polarized Single-Particle Quantum Dot Emitters through Programmable Cluster Assembly. ACS Nano 14:1369–1378. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.9b06919
- Zhang H, Wang W, Mallapragada S, Travesset A, Vaknin D (2017) Macroscopic and tunable nanoparticle superlattices. Nanoscale 9:164–171. doi: 10.1039/c6nr07136h
- Zhang H, Wang W, Mallapragada S, Travesset A, Vaknin D (2017) Ion-Specific Interfacial Crystallization of Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticles. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 121:15424–15429. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b02549
- Zhang H, Wang W, Akinc M, Mallapragada S, Travesset A, Vaknin D (2017) Assembling and ordering polymer-grafted nanoparticles in three dimensions. Nanoscale 9:8710–8715. doi: 10.1039/c7nr00787f
- Zhang H, Wang W, Hagen N, Kuzmenko I, Akinc M, Travesset A, Mallapragada S, Vaknin D (2016) Self-Assembly of DNA Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles at the Liquid-Vapor Interface. Advanced Materials Interfaces 3:1600180. doi: 10.1002/admi.201600180
Research Highlights
- Putting Functional Proteins in Their Place
- Having a Ball Designing Nanoarchitectures with DNA
- Designing Polarized Light Emitters with DNA

Brookhaven National Laboratory
National Synchrotron Light Source II
Bldg. 744
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000