In the Han Lab, we are developing novel techniques and innovative approaches, relying on electron and nuclear spin magnetic resonance concepts that enables one to detect structure, dynamics and interaction with unprecedented sensitivity, resolution and information content. Our lab takes a two-pronged approach: (1) to develop new instrumental capabilities, methodologies and concepts, and (2) to concurrently pursue important questions in biophysics and materials science using a new combination of the just developed, as well as existing set of, technologies. An important emphasis of the development in the Han lab lies on dynamic nuclear polarization that can amplify the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal by orders of magnitudes, by transferring polarization from highly polarized electron spin probes to surrounding nuclei.
We employ strategic spin probes at molecular or material sites of interest, and pursue ambient temperature Overhauser DNP enhanced study of hydration dynamics at 10 GHz, as well as below 20 Kelvin solid state DNP enhanced NMR spectroscopy at 200 GHz. Concurrently, we also develop cw and pulsed electron spin resonance (EPR) capabilities at 200 and 240 GHz, and arbitrary waveform-powered pulsed EPR spectroscopy at X-band for enhanced studies of molecular structure and dynamics. Questions of interest include, but are not limited to, the study of lipid membrane biophysics, functional role of hydration water dynamics, membrane protein structure-dynamics-function relationship, early stages of amyloid protein aggregation, polyelectrolyte coacervation for bioinspired materials and unraveling soft matter structure-dynamics-property relationships.