Nathan Man-Wai Wu 胡文偉

  • Fellowship in 2021 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Nathan received the Bachelor of Science degree (First Class Hons) in Chemical Technology in 2013 at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the PhD degree in Inorganic, Organometallic and Materials Chemistry in 2019 at the University of Hong Kong under the supervision of Prof. V. W.-W. Yam. His research interest during the PhD study has focused on the development of novel photochromic organic and organometallic materials with interesting photo-controllable functions.

After his PhD study, Nathan continued his research in photo-responsive materials as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the same research group from 2019-2021. Then, He moved to Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI) as a senior engineer, working on the development of photochromic printing ink.

More recently, Nathan will join the research group of Prof. Timothy M. Swager at MIT in March 2022 as a Postdoctoral Fellow, supported by the Croucher Foundation Fellowships.

Publications:

  1. Wu, N. M.-W.; Wong, H.-L.; Yam, V. W.-W.* “Photochromic Benzo[b]phosphole Oxide with Excellent Thermal Irreversibility and Fatigue Resistance in the Thin Film Solid State via Direct Attachment of Dithienyl Units to the Weakly Aromatic Heterocycle” in Chemical Science, 2017, 8, 1309-1315 (DOI).
  2. Wu, N. M.-W.; Ng, M.; Lam, W. H.; Wong, H.-L.; Yam, V. W.-W.* “Photochromic Heterocycle-Fused Thieno[3,2b]phosphole Oxides as Visible Light Switches without Sacrificing Photoswitching Efficiency” in Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2017, 139, 15142-15150 (DOI)
  3. Wu, N. M.-W.; Ng, M.; Yam, V. W.-W.* “Photochromic Benzo[b]phosphole Alkynylgold(I) Complexes with Mechanochromic Property to Serve as Multistimuli-Responsive Materials” in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2019, 58, 3027-3031 (DOI).
  4. Wu, N. M.-W.; Yam, V. W.-W.* Photochromic Barbiturate Pendant-Containing Benzo[b]phosphole Oxides with Co-Assembly Property and Photoinduced Morphological Changes” in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2019, 11, 40290−40299 (DOI).
  5. Wu, N. M.-W.; Ng, M.; Yam, V. W.-W.* “Photocontrolled Multiple-State Photochromic Benzo[b]phosphole Thieno[3,2-b]phosphole-Containing Alkynylgold(I) Complex via Selective Light Irradiation" in Nature Communications, 2022, 13, 33 (DOI) (selected as Editors’ Highlights).
  6. Wu, N. M.-W.; Ko, C.-C.; Yam, V. W.-W.* “Photochromism of Coordination Compounds” in Molecular Photoswitches – Synthesis, Properties and Applications, Pianowski, Z. L., Ed; Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH: Weinheim; 2022, Accepted.
  7. Liu, J.; Chan, A. K.-W.; Ng, M.; Hong, E. Y.-H.; Wu, N. M.-W.; Wu, L.*; Yam, V. W.-W.* “Synthesis, Characterization, and Photochromic Studies of Cyclometalated Iridium(III) Complexes Containing a Spironaphthoxazine Moiety” in Organometallics, 2019, 38, 3542−3552.
  8. Zhang, Y.; Ng, M.; Hong, E. Y.-H.; Chan, A. K.-W.; Wu, N. M.-W.; Chan, M. H.-Y.; Wu, L.*; Yam, V. W.-W.* “Synthesis and Photoswitchable Amphiphilicity and Self-Assembly Properties of Photochromic Spiropyran Derivatives” in Journal of Material Chemistry C, 2020, 8, 13676−13685.
  9. Zhang, Y.; Ng, M.; Chan, M. H.-Y.; Wu, N. M.-W.; Wu, L.*; Yam, V. W.-W.* “Synthesis and Characterization of Photochromic Triethylene Glycol-Containing Spiropyrans and Their Assembly in Solution” in Organic Chemistry Frontiers, 2021, 8, 3047−3058.

Patents:

  1. Yam, V. W.-W.; Chan, J. C.-H.; Wong, H. L.; Wu, N. M.-W. “Robust Photochromic Compounds With Silicon- or Phosphorus-Containing Heterocyclic Ring and The Production Thereof” US Provisional Patent (Filed on June 13, 2014, Application Number 62/011,797); US Non-Provisional Patent (Filed on June 9, 2015; Application No. 14/734,233; Published on June 9, 2015; Publication No. US2015/0361332 A1; Issued on July 18, 2017; US Patent No. US 9,708,528 B2); PCT Patent (Filed on June 15, 2015; Application No. PCT/CN2015/081459); European Patent (Filed on August 18, 2016; Application No. 15806710.8; Published on April 19, 2017; Publication No. 3154990; Issued on September 11, 2019; European Patent No. 3154990); Korean Patent (Filed on December 12, 2016; Application No. 10-2016-7034778, Published on January 16, 2017; Publication No. 10-2017-0005846; Issued on January 9, 2019; Korean Patent No. 10-1938649); Chinese Patent (Filed on December 13, 2016; Application No. 201580031762.0; Published on August 18, 2017; Publication No. CN 107074886 A; Issued on September 15, 2020; Chinese Patent No. CN 107074886 B).

Awards:

  1. Li & Fung Scholarship 2011/12 (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
  2. Commercial Radio 50th Anniversary Scholarship (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
  3. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Scholarship 2011/12 (HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund)
  4. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Scholarship 2012/13 (HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund)
  5. Croucher Foundation Fellowships 2012/22 (Croucher Foundation)