Jong-in Hahm
Jong-in Hahm, assistant professor and Pearce Development Professor of chemical engineering, studies new materials, particularly molecular structures on the nanometer scale, for use as molecular tools in engineering and investigating biologically important molecules. Ultimately her goal is to develop materials that can be applied to functions as diverse as molecular probes, improved genotyping methods and systems for screening small molecules.
Hahm's current research centers on the synthesis of materials such as nanotubes and nanowires with interesting structures. She is working to develop methods for the controllable synthesis of these one-dimensional structures on various catalysts in order to produce nanomaterials with a geometry that reflects biological neural networks, the geometries needed to build complex switches and simulators for nanoscale applications. Her group is using a variety of polymers and biomaterials to grow the nanomaterials at defined sites and with a defined geometry and orientation. While it is difficult to manipulate individual nanomaterials, this method will allow them to be fabricated in large amounts in an array format by using novel templates.
The research of Hahm's group also focuses on the development and innovative use of nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes as well as metallic and semiconductor nanowires for single biomolecule studies. Materials synthesized in her group are tailored specifically for hosting single biomolecules by controlling the chemical compositions and physical dimensions of the nanomaterials during synthesis. Materials grown this way could be used as high resolution biomolecular probes for atomic force microscopy. They could be also used as biomolecular electrical sensors when they are functionalized to identify target biological molecules.
This research effort will elucidate precise structure-function relationships of single biomolecules which cannot be easily measured using conventional techniques. The successful implementation of this fundamental research will be the cornerstone for creation of new high-throughput biosensors with unparalleled sensitivity and selectivity. The novel nanotools developed by Hahm's research group will have a long-term impact in the areas of proteomics and drug-discovery by enabling label-free and rapid detection of DNA, proteins and small-molecules.
Prior to joining the Penn State faculty in 2003, Jon-in Hahm earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea in 1994 and her Ph.D in Chemistry from the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL in 2000. She was a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA from 2000 to 2003.
Illustration summarizing the two research emphases of Dr. Hahm's group: synthesis and applications of nanomaterials. (Left) The materials displayed are a doped silicon nanowire, a multi-walled carbon nanotube, and a single-walled carbon nanotube. (Middle) Electrically-addressable, doped silicon nanowires can be fabricated into one-dimensional field effect transistors (FETs) for use as chemical and biological sensors, as shown in this SEM image. (Right) Super-sharp geometry and high-aspect ratio of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) can be exploited as advanced scanning probe microscopy probes to perform high-resolution single biomolecule studies. The TEM image shows a SWNT of 2 nm in diameter fabricated at the apex of a conventional AFM cantilever. The super-sharp SWNT probe displays a diameter less than the typical DNA width shown in the AFM image.
