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

Z. F. Li, T. Ming, J. F. Wang, and T. Ngai^*
“High Internal Phase Emulsions Stabilized Solely by Microgel Particles”,
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2009, in press.

X. C. Xing, Z. F. Li, and T. Ngai^*
“pH-Controllable Depletion Attraction Induced by Microgel Particles”,
Macromolecules 2009, in press.

Z. Ao, Z. Yang, J. F. Wang, G. Z. Zhang and T. Ngai^*
“Emulsion-Templated Liquid Core-Polymer Shell Microcapsule Formation”,
Langmuir 2009, 25, 2572.

S. Y. Cheung, H. F. Chow^*, T. Ngai, and X. L. Wei
“Synthesis of Organometallic Poly(dendrimer)s via Macromonomer Polymerization – Effect of Dendrimer Size and Structural Rigidity on the Polymerization Efficiency”,
Chem. Eur. J. 2009, 15, 2278.

T. Ngai^*, X. C. Xing, F. Jin
“Depletion Attraction between a Polystyrene Particle and a Hydrophilic Surface in a Pluronic Aqueous solution”,
Langmuir 2008, 24, 13912.

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, 2008, 4, 968..

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

L. Z. Hong, F. M. Zhu, J. F. Li, T. Ngai, Z. W. Xie and 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 2008, 41, 2219-2227.

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 2007, 23, 12067.

H. Hong, F. Jin and T. Ngai^*
“Structure and Kinetics of Cluster Decomposition of Polystyrene Star Chains in Dilute Solutions”,
Macromolecules 2007, 40, 6796.

T. Ngai^*, S. H. Behrens and H. Auweter
“Environmental Responsiveness of Microgel Particles and Particle-Stabilized Emulsions”,
Macromolecules 2006, 39, 8171.

T. Ngai, S. H. Behrens^* and H. Auweter
“Novel Emulsions Stabilized by pH and Temperature Sensitive Microgles”,
Chem Commun, 2005, 331