• Cooperative supramolecular polymerizations from synthetic macromolecules and nanoparticles
• Folding cooperativity in large, complex macromolecules bearing synthetic polypeptides and the synthesis of macromolecular channels
• Multicatalytic enzyme-polymer assemblies and their applications in effective biomass conversion
• Artificial regulation of protein activities through the formation of cyclic protein-polymer structures

Publications

T. Yang, J. Mao, T. Xue, S. Wu, R. Li, Y. Chen, J. Cheng and Y. Lin, “Intermediate States Enable Keratin-Like α-to-β Transformations in Strain-Responsive Synthetic Polypeptides,” submitted (2025).

Y. Chen, T. Yang, Y. Lin and C. Evans, “Ion transport in helical-helical polypeptide polymerized ionic liquid block copolymers,” Nature Communications, accepted (2025).

L. Ye; X. Dong, C. Wang, Y. Lin, M. Lee, L. Long and G. Chen, “Helical protein nanotubules assembled from sacrificial supramolecular polymers,” Nature Synthesis, e18722 (2025). https://10.1038/s44160-024-00726-y

Q. Gao, H. Fu, H. Liu, P. Li, J. Shi, Y. Lin, and Z. Song, “Polymerization-induced self-assembly of N-substituted glycine N-carboxyanhydrides in selected solvents,” European Polymer Journal, 225, 113720 (2025).  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2025.113720

T. Yang, T. Xue, J. Mao, S. R. Ekatan, Y. Chen, Z. Song, J. Cheng, and Y. Lin, “Synthesis and In Situ Thermal Induction of β-Sheet Nanocrystals in Spider Silk-Inspired Copolypeptides,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 146, 46, 31849-31859 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c10998

H. Duan, T. Yang, W. Sklyar, B. Chen, Y. Chen, L. A. Hanson, S. Sun, Y. Lin, and J. He, “Phenylacetylene-Terminated Poly(Ethylene Glycol) as Ligands for Colloidal Noble Metal Nanoparticles: a New Tool for ‘Grafting to’ Approach,” Nano Letters, 24, 19, 5847-5854 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c01127

S. Ekatan, T. Xue, Z. Song, T. Yang, D. Ndaya, M. Shaw, J. Cheng and Y. Lin, “Thermomechanical Properties of Solid ‘Liquid Crystalline’ Films from Hot-Pressed Synthetic Polypeptides of Various Macromolecular Architectures,” Macromolecules, 57, 2008–2018 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.3c02005

T. Yang, T. Xue, J. Mao, Y. Chen, H. Tian, A. Bartolome, H. Xia, X. Yao, C. V. Kumar, J. Cheng and Y. Lin, “Tailoring Synthetic Polypeptide Design for Directed Fibril Superstructure Formation and Enhanced Hydrogel Properties,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 146, 9, 5823-5833 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.3c10762

W. Wang, H. Fu, Y. Lin, J. Cheng and Z. Song, “Cooperative Covalent Polymerization of N-carboxyanhydrides: from Kinetic Studies to Efficient Synthesis of Polypeptide Materials,” Accounts of Materials Research, 4, 604–615 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1021/accountsmr.3c00046

H. Duan, Z. Jia, M. Liaqat, M. D. Mellor, H. Tan, M. Nieh, Y. Lin, S. Link, C. F. Landes and J. He, “Site-Specific Chemistry on Gold Nanorods: Curvature-Guided Surface Dewetting and Supracolloidal Polymerization,” ACS Nano, 7, 12788–12797 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.3c03929

60. J. Lu, Z. Xu, H. Fu, Y. Lin, H. Wang and H. Lu, “Room-Temperature Grafting from Synthesis of Protein-Polydisulfide Conjugates via Aggregation-Induced Polymerization,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 144, 15709-15717 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.2c05997

M. Matsumoto, R.P. Lafleu,X. Lou, K. Shih, S. P. Wijnands, C. Guibert, J. W. Van Rosendaal, I. K. Voets, A. R. Palmans, Y. Lin and E. W. Meijer, “Polymorphism in Benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide Supramolecular Assemblies in Water: a Subtle Trade-off between Structure and Dynamics,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 140, pp 13308–13316 (2018).

Song, H. Fu, R. Wang, L. A. Pacheco, X. Wang, Y. Lin and J. Cheng, “Secondary Structure in Synthetic Polypeptides from N-carboxyanhydrides: Design, Modulation, Assembly Behavior, and Materials Applications,” Chemical Society Reviews, 47, 7401-7425 (2018).

A. Modica, Y. Lin and M. Mrksich, “Synthesis of Cyclic Megamolecules,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 140, 6391-6399(2018).

Xia, H. Fu, Y. Zhang, K. Shih, Y. Ren, M. Anuganti, M. Nieh, J. Cheng, and Y. Lin, “Supramolecular Assembly of Comb-like Macromolecules Induced by Chemical Reactions that Modulate the Macromolecular Interactions in-situ,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 139, 11106–11116  (2017).

Ren, H. Fu, R. Baumgartner, Y. Zhang, J. Cheng, and Y. Lin, “Folding Cooperativity of Synthetic Polypeptides with or without “Tertiary” Interactions,” ACS Macro Letters, 6, 733–737 (2017).

Ren, R. Baumgartner, H. Fu, P. Schoot, J. Cheng, and Y. Lin, “Revisiting the Folding Cooperativity of Synthetic Polypeptides in Solution,” Biomacromolecules, 18, 2324-2332 (2017).

Baumgartner, H. Fu, Z. Song, Y. Lin and J. Cheng, “Cooperative Polymerization of α-Helices Induced by Macromolecular Architecture,” Nature Chemistry,  9, 614-622 (2017).

Contact Information

Email	yao.lin@uconn.edu
Phone	860-486-8969
Fax	860-486-4745
Mailing Address	25 King Hill Road, Unit 3136, Storrs, CT 06269-3136
Office Location	Science 1 - MZ220
Campus	Storrs
Link	https://lingroup.uconn.edu/