Academic Qualification
Ph.D. in Chemistry, Rice University, 2019
M.S. in Chemistry, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2014
B.S. in Chemistry, Jilin University, China, 2011
Working Experience
Jan. 2024 ~ present, Assistant Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Innovation Engineering, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
Aug. 2019 ~ Dec. 2023, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
Teaching Area
Semiconductor Device Physics
General physics
Research Area
Single-particle spectroscopy
Plasmonics and Nanophotonics
Nanofabrication and self-assembly
Academic Publication
1. Kong Y.; Yang C.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Mu X.; Li L. "Photocatalytic Aerobic Conversion of Methane", Photocatal. Res. Potential 2024, 1, 10005. Link
2. Ning, Y; Yang, S.; Yang, D.-B.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Xu, J.; Li, R.; Zhang, Y.; Kagan, C. R.; Saven, J. G.; Murray, C. B. "Dynamic Nanocrystal Superlattices with Thermally Triggerable Lubricating Ligands", J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 3785. Link
3. Cai, Y.-Y.; Fallah, A.; Yang, S.; Choi, Y. C.; Stein, A.; Kikkawa, J. M.; Murray, C. B.; Engheta, N.; Kagan, C. R. "Open- and Close-Packed Oligomers via Template-Directed Assembly of Shape-Engineered, Lithographically-Fabricated Nanoparticles", Adv. Mater. 2023, 35, 2301323. Link
4. McNeill, J. M.; Choi, Y. C.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Guo, J.; Nadal, F.; Kagan, C. R.; Mallouk, T. E. " Three-Dimensionally Complex Phase Behavior and Collective Phenomena in Mixtures of Acoustically Powered Chiral Microspinners", ACS Nano 2023, 17, 7911. Link
5. Yang, S.; LaCour, R. A.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Xu J.; Rosen D. J.; Zhang Y.; Kagan, C. R.; Glotzer S. C.; Murray, C. B. " Self-Assembly of Atomically Aligned Nanoparticle Superlattices from Pt–Fe3O4 Heterodimer Nanoparticles", J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 6280. Link
6. Nguyen, H.; Sharp, D.; Fröch, J.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Wu, S.; Monahan, M.; Munley, C.; Manna, A.; Majumdar, A.; Kagan, C. R.; Cossairt, B. "Deterministic Quantum Light Arrays from Giant Silica-Shelled Quantum Dots", ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2023, 15, 4294. Link
7. Forcherio, G. T.; Ostovar, B.; Boltersdorf, J.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Leff, A. C.; Grew, K. N.; Lundgren, C. A.; Link, S.; Baker, D. R. "Single-Particle Insights into Plasmonic Hot Carrier Separation Augmenting Photoelectrochemical Ethanol Oxidation with Photocatalytically Synthesized Pd–Au Bimetallic Nanorods", ACS Nano 2022, 16, 12377. Link
8. Invited Review: Cai, Y.-Y.†; Choi, Y. C.†; Kagan, C. R. "Chemical and physical properties of photonic noble-metal nanomaterials", Adv. Mater. 2023, 35, 2108104. Link
9. Shiratori, K.; Bishop, L. D. C.; Ostovar, B.; Baiyasi, R.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Rossky, P. J.; Landes, C. F.; Link, S. "Machine-Learned Decision Trees for Predicting Gold Nanorod Sizes from Spectra", J. Phys. Chem. C 2021, 125, 19353–19361. Link
10. Invited Review: Cai, Y.-Y.†; Tauzin, L. J.†; Ostovar, B.; Lee, S. A.; Link, S. "Light emission from plasmonic nanostructures", J. Chem. Phys. 2021, 155, 060901. Link (2021 JCP Editors' Choice)
11. Collins, S. S. E.; Searles, E. K.; Tauzin, L. J.; Lou, M.; Bursi, L.; Liu, Y.; Song, J.; Flatebo, C.; Baiyasi, R.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Foerster, B.; Lian, T.; Nordlander, P.; Link, S.; Landes, C. F. "Plasmon Energy Transfer in Hybrid Nanoantennas", ACS Nano 2021, 15, 9522–9530. Link
News Stories: Rice University, C&EN, Phys.org, ScienceDaily, 7thSpace, EurekAlert!, Nanowerk, ScienMag, Bioengineer.org, Eurasia Review, AZoNano, AZoMaterials
12. Ostovar, B.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Tauzin, L. J.; Lee, S. A.; Ahmadivand, A.; Zhang, R.; Nordlander, P.; Link, S. "Increased Intraband Transitions in Smaller Gold Nanorods Enhance Light Emission", ACS Nano 2020, 14, 15757–15765. Link
13. Cai, Y.-Y.; Collins, S. S. E.; Gallagher, M. J.; Bhattacharjee, U.; Zhang, R.; Him, C. T.; Ahmadivand, A.; Ostovar, B.; Al-Zubeidi, A.; Wang J.; Nordlander, P.; Landes, C. F.; Link, S. "Single-Particle Emission Spectroscopy Resolves d-Hole Relaxation in Copper Nanocubes", ACS Energy Lett. 2019, 4, 2458-2465. Link
14. Flatebo, C.; Collins, S. S. E.; Hoener, B. S.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Link, S.; Landes, C. F. "Electrodissolution Inhibition of Gold Nanorods with Oxoanions", J. Phys. Chem. C 2019, 123, 13983–13992. Link
15. Cai, Y.-Y.; Sung, E.; Zhang, R.; Tauzin, L. J.; Liu, J.; Ostovar, B.; Zhang, Y.; Chang, W.-S.; Nordlander, P.; Link, S. "Anti-Stokes Emission from Hot Carriers in Gold Nanorods", Nano Lett. 2019, 19, 1067-1073. Link
News Stories: Rice University, NSF News, Phys.org, ScienceDaily, Wiley Analytical Science, SpaceDaily, EurekAlert!, Nanowerk, Futurity, R&D World
16. Tauzin, L. J.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Smith, K. W.; Hosseini Jebeli, S. A.; Bhattacharjee, U.; Chang, W.-S.; Link, S. "Exploring the Relationship between Plasmon Damping and Luminescence in Lithographically Prepared Gold Nanorods", ACS Photonics 2018, 5, 3541-3549. Link
17. Yi, C.; Su, M.-N.; Dongare, P. D.; Chakraborty, D.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Marolf, D. M.; Kress, R. N.; Ostovar, B.; Tauzin, L. J.; Wen, F.; Chang, W.-S.; Jones, M. R.; Sader, J. E.; Halas, N. J.; Link, S. "Polycrystallinity of Lithographically Fabricated Plasmonic Nanostructures Dominates Their Acoustic Vibrational Damping". Nano Lett. 2018, 18, 3494-3501. Link
18. Kirchner, S. R.; Smith, K. W.; Hoener, B. S.; Collins, S. S. E.; Wang, W.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Kinnear, C.; Zhang, H.; Chang, W.-S.; Mulvaney, P.; Landes, C. F.; Link, S. "Snapshot Hyperspectral Imaging (SHI) for Revealing Irreversible and Heterogeneous Plasmonic Processes", J. Phys. Chem. C 2018, 122, 6865-6875. Link
News Stories: Rice University, Phys.org, Nanowerk
19. Cai, Y.-Y.; Liu, J. G.; Tauzin, L. J.; Huang, D.; Sung, E.; Zhang, H.; Joplin, A.; Chang, W.-S.; Nordlander, P.; Link, S. "Photoluminescence of Gold Nanorods: Purcell Effect Enhanced Emission from Hot Carriers", ACS Nano, 2018, 12, 976-985. Link
20. Hoener, B. S.; Zhang, H.; Heiderscheit, T. S.; Kirchner, S. R.; De Silva Indrasekara, A. S.; Baiyasi, R.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Nordlander, P.; Link, S.; Landes, C. F.; Chang, W.-S. "Spectral Response of Plasmonic Gold Nanoparticles to Capacitive Charging: Morphology Effects", J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2017, 8, 2681-2688. Link
21. De Silva Indrasekara, A. S.; Shuang, B.; Hollenhorst, F.; Hoener, B. S.; Hoggard, A.; Chen, S.; Villarreal, E.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Kisley, L.; Derry, P. J.; Chang, W.-S.; Zubarev, E. R.; Ringe, E.; Link, S.; Landes, C. F. "Optimization of Spectral and Spatial Conditions to Improve Super-Resolution Imaging of Plasmonic Nanoparticles", J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2017, 8, 299-306. Link
22. Yorulmaz, M.; Nizzero, S.; Hoggard, A.; Wang, L.-Y.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Su, M.-N.; Chang, W.-S.; Link, S. "Single-Particle Absorption Spectroscopy by Photothermal Contrast", Nano Lett., 2015, 15, 3041-3047. Link
23. Guo, L.-T.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Ge, J.-M.; Zhang, Y.-N.; Gong, L.-H.; Li, X.-H.; Wang, K.-X.; Ren, Q.-Z.; Su, J.; Chen, J.-S. "Multifunctional Au-Co@CN Nanocatalyst for Highly Efficient Hydrolysis of Ammonia Borane", ACS Catal., 2015, 5, 388-392. Link
24. Zhang, Y.-N.; Li, X.-H.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Gong, L.-H.; Wang, K.-X.; Chen, J.-S. "Bio-Inspired Noble-Metal-Free Reduction of Nitroarenes over NiS2+x/g-C3N4", RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 60873-60877. Link
25. Li, X.-H.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Gong, L.-H.; Fu, W.; Wang, K.-X.; Bao, H.-L.; Wei, X.; Chen, J.-S. "Photochemically Engineering the Metal-Semiconductor Interface for Room-Temperature Transfer Hydrogenation of Nitroarenes with Formic Acid", Chem. Eur. J., 2014, 20, 16732-16737. Link
26. Gong, L.-H.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Li, X.-H.; Zhang, Y.-N.; Su, J.; Chen, J.-S. "Room-Temperature Transfer Hydrogenation and Fast Separation of Unsaturated Compounds over Heterogeneous Catalysts in an Aqueous Solution of Formic Acid", Green Chem., 2014, 16, 3746-3751. Link
27. Ye, T.-N.; Xu, M.; Fu, W.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Wei, X.; Wang, K.-X.; Zhao, Y.-N.; Li, X.-H.; Chen, J.-S. "The Crystallinity Effect of Mesocrystalline BaZrO3 Hollow Nanospheres on Charge Separation for Photocatalysis", Chem. Commun., 2014, 50, 3021-3023. Link
28. Cai, Y.-Y.; Li, X.-H.; Zhang, Y.-N.; Wei, X.; Wang, K.-X.; Chen, J.-S. "Highly Efficient Dehydrogenation of Formic Acid over a Palladium-Nanoparticle-Based Mott–Schottky Photocatalyst", Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2013, 52, 11822-11825. Link
29. Fu, W.; Li, X.-H.; Bao, H.-L.; Wang, K.-X.; Wei, X.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Chen, J.-S. "Synergistic Effect of Bronsted Acid and Platinum on Purification of Automobile Exhaust Gases", Sci. Rep., 2013, 3, 2349. Link
30. Li, L.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Li, G.-D.; Mu, X.-Y.; Wang, K.-X.; Chen, J.-S. "Synergistic Effect on the Photoactivation of the Methane C-H Bond over Ga3+-Modified ETS-10", Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2012, 51, 4702-4706. Link
Research Grants
2025.01 -- 2027.12 Study on Single-Particle Photoluminescence and Hot Carrier Mechanisms in Non-Traditional Plasmonic Nanostructures (NSFC)
Patents
Chinese Patent CN103641673B, Method of Catalytic Reduction of Olefins over Mesoporous Carbon Nitride Supported Metal Nanoparticles. Li, X.-H.; Gong, L.-H.; Cai, Y.-Y.; Chen, J.-S. Grant Sept. 2015
Awards
Margrave Thesis Award, Rice University, 2019
Shanghai Excellent Master Thesis, Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, 2015
Professional Services
Youth Editorial Board Member, Information & Functional Materials, since 2024
Professional Society Membership
Member, American Chemical Society
Member, Chinese Chemical Society
