Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Thomas Hsu-Yao studies bimetallic nanoparticles with Dr. Tong. (Photo: Roland Dimaya)

October 27, 2008

By Kara Burritt

Having spent his summer working in Dr. YuYe Tong's lab, Thomas Hsu-Yao is now able to envision just where his major in chemistry might take him beyond undergraduate study. Hsu-Yao, a junior from Greenwich, CT, brought an interest in chemistry with him to Georgetown, but his research with Tong is helping to direct his passion for experimenting in the lab.

"Most of the time things don’t go the way they're expected to," he says, "which is what draws me to chemistry the most. It is so rewarding when it works."

Hsu-Yao's research has not been without trial and error, but by summer's end he accomplished his goal to reconfirm and further earlier findings that platinum nanoparticles can be synthesized using a type of inorganic molecules called polyoxometallates (POMs). Hsu-Yao's initial task was to prove reproducibility of this finding, first ascertained by former fellow undergraduate Kevin Browne, by repeating procedures initially used to make the claim. With satisfactory results, the next phase was to prove that in the electrochemically-engineered nanoparticles used in trials, the structure of the POMs is intact when they bind to the platinum nanoparticle surface.

This research is important to the field of alternative energy, sources for which often depend on nanoparticles to catalyze the electrochemical reactions that drive energy production. "This technology will be used in improving the efficiency of fuel cells," explains Hsu-Yao. "Better efficiency will put us a step closer to large-scale marketable fuel cell-based clean energy sources."

The field of alternative energy is a potential career path for Hsu-Yao.  Among his post-college options is the possibility of furthering his study of chemistry in graduate school and ultimately bringing his science background to business or law.  

Hsu-Yao's interest in interdisciplinary applications of science is natural given his diverse extracurricular pursuits. He is pursuing a double minor in math and English, in addition to his chemistry major. Hsu-Yao is also involved in various leadership programs on campus, including the Baker Scholars Program and the Carroll Fellows Initiative (CFI).  

"I’m able to take my chemistry background and view how science can interact with different fields," he explains.      

It was, in fact, not through chemistry class but at a CFI meeting that Hsu-Yao first learned of Dr. Tong's research opportunities for students.  Hsu-Yao says, "I knew from the beginning that it would be an absolute pleasure working with Dr. Tong."
 
Having received the 2008-09 Beckman Scholarship for superior undergraduate research, Hsu-Yao will continue his research in Tong's lab through the upcoming academic year and next summer.   

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