Our research focuses on developing and applying single-molecule force and fluorescence microscopy in physical, chemical and biological systems to understand the nanofunctional structures or molecular assembly, and biomolecular interactions and dynamics. Current areas of focus include:

Measuring and manipulating colloidal and macromolecular interactions and dynamics.

Recognition-based assembly of colloidal particles.

Biomolecule-biomolecule & biomolecule-synthetic macromolecule interactions using single-molecule probes.

Formulation of novel microcapsules for functional molecules encapsulation

T. Ngai, X. C. Xing, F. Jin
“Depletion Attraction between a Polystyrene Particle and a Hydrophilic Surface in a Pluronic Aqueous solution”,
Langmuir, (2008), in press.

F. Jin, X. G. Gong, J. Ye, T. Ngai
“Direct Measurement of the Nanobubble-induced Weak Depletion Attraction between a Spherical Particle and a Flat Surface in an Aqueous Solution”,
Soft Matter, Vol. 4, pp. 968- 971 (2008).

A. N. Gaikwad, E. R. Wood, T. Ngai, T. P. Lodge
“Two Calorimetric Glass Transitions in Miscible Blends Containing Poly(ethylene Oxide)”,
Macromolecules, Vol. 41, pp. 2502-2508 (2008).

L. Z. Hong, F. M. Zhu, J. F. Li, T. Ngai, Z. W. Xie, C. Wu
“Folding of Long Multiblock Copolymer (PI-b-PS-b-PI)_n Chains Prepared by the Self- assembly Assisted Polypolymerization (SAAP) in Cyclohexane”,
Macromolecules, Vol. 41, pp. 2219-2227 (2008).

H. Hong, T, Ngai and S. H. Goh
“Self-Organization of Double-C₆₀ End-Capped Poly(ethylene oxide) in Chloronaphthalene and Benzene Solvent Mixtures”,
Langmuir, Vol. 23, pp. 12067-12070 (2007).

H. Hong, F. Jin and T. Ngai
“Structure and Kinetics of Cluster Decomposition of Polystyrene Star Chains in Dilute Solutions”,
Macromolecules, Vol. 40, pp. 6796-6798 (2007).

T. Ngai, S. H. Behrens, H. Auweter
“Environmental Responsiveness of Microgel Particles and Particle-Stabilized Emulsions",
Macromolecules, Vol. 39, pp. 8171-8177 (2006).

T. Ngai, S. H. Behrens, H. Auweter
“Novel Emulsions Stabilized by pH and Temperature Sensitive Microgels”,
Chem Commun, 331-333 (2005).

T. Ngai, C Wu
“Double Roles of Stabilization and Destabilization of Initiator Potassium Persulfate in
Surfactant-Free Emulsion Polymerization of Styrene under Microwave Irradiation”,
Langmuir, 21, 8520-8525 (2005).

P. P. S. Lee, T. Ngai, C. Yang, C. Wu, D. K. P. Ng
“Synthesis, Characterization, and Degradation of Silicon(IV) Phthalocyanines Conjugated
Axially with Poly(sebacic anhydride)”,
J. Polym. Sci. Part A: Polym. Chem., 43, 837-843 (2005).