Chemical and biomolecular engineering graduate student Jitong Ren received an outstanding poster award for exemplary research presented during the Spring 2024 National American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting, for his poster titled “Understanding Electron Transport in Metalloproteins.” ACS is one of the world’s largest scientific organizations, working to advance chemistry as a field for the benefit of the world.
Ren presented his research on the influence of metal ions metalloproteins on electrical properties. By comparing transferrin with and without ferric ion binding, Ren observed over a 500-fold increase in current across the film, indicating the significant role of metal ion cofactors. Further research could involve comparing different ions and delving into the mechanisms of charge transport to enhance the design of next-generation bioelectronic devices.
Biocompatible electronic materials have applications in medical implants and wearable sensors, making Ren’s research a crucial step in groundbreaking discoveries that can redefine the health sector.
Ren is a 2-year Ph.D. student in the Schroeder research group. He received his B.E. in Macromolecular Materials and Engineering from Zhejiang University (2022) and started at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the fall of 2022. He currently studies biohybrid electronics and electroactive compounds and has experience researching polymer synthesis and synthetic biology.