Logo



zhiyuan

Zhiyuan Ruan

Philomathia Graduate Student Fellow

Zhiyuan’s work focuses on developing synthetic polymers capable to replicate protein functions while satisfying stability and compatibility with device fabrication and integration. Random heteropolymers (RHPs), which lack specificity in sequence and structure, can be designed to act as proteins for bioremediation and proton transportation. Realization of protein-like behaviors in RHPs deviates from the established “sequence-structure-function” relationship routinely seen in proteins. In this context, he studies the RHP phase behavior at single chain level using the optical tweezer technique. To goal is to understand the effect of sequence heterogeneity on RHP solution behaviors at the nanoscale. This in-depth characterization is critically needed to understand design principles of protein-like RHPs that can regulate energy conversion and flow

  • UC Berkeley