Lian Yu

Professional Interests: 

We study the solid materials of organic molecules important for pharmaceutical formulations and electronic devices. These materials contain complex molecules assembled by many types of intermolecular forces. They exhibit physical phenomena unknown for hard materials and offer new opportunities for materials engineering.

(1) Crystal polymorphism. Polymorphism is the ability of the same molecule to crystallize in different structures and an important phenomenon for all crystalline materials because polymorphs have different properties. Some questions being investigated include: Why do some molecules have many polymorphs and others seemingly none? Why do polymorphs nucleate and grow from the same liquid at very different rates? How does a liquid/vapor interface influence crystallization and polymorph selection?

(2) Amorphous solids and glasses. Glasses are remarkable materials with solid-like strength and liquid-like uniformity with applications in pharmaceutics, electronics, and bio-preservation. We study the stability of glasses against crystallization, the role of surface mobility in glass crystallization and manufacturing, and the ability to create glasses with tunable liquid-crystalline order. We are developing amorphous pharmaceuticals that are stable in hot and humid environments for global health applications.

Awards:

• David Grant Research Achievement Award in Physical Pharmacy, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, 2011
• Invited Visiting Professor, University of Manchester, UK, 2009.
• Elected Fellow, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, 2006.
• Lilly Research Laboratories President’s Award, 2003.

Education:

• PhD Physical Chemistry – Ohio State University
• BS Chemistry – Peking University