Abstract: Our group applies the tools of organic synthesis to address fundamental questions of membrane chemistry and biophysics through the use of novel peptide and lipid structures at the lipid-water interface. We are in particular interested in how lipid membrane activation results in membrane fusion, and we are exploring this through the construction of synthetic membrane fusogens as well as the deconstruction of native fusogens such as the HIV-derived fusion peptide.

An Unprecedented Type of Hybrid Semiconductors with Enhanced and Unique Properties for Optoelectronic Applications Jing Li Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey jingli@rutgers.edu We have developed an unprecedented family of inorganic-organic hybrid semiconductor materials that are comprised of sub-nanometer-sized II-VI semiconductor modules covalently bonded to organic molecules.