Specialization:
Education:
Grace earned her PhD in Chemistry at MIT under the mentorship of Professor Timothy Swager, where she developed organic chromophores for photovoltaic applications. She continued her training as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT with Professor Jeffrey Grossman, investigating various designs and optical properties of organic and nanomaterials.
In 2018, Grace joined the faculty at Brandeis University, where she was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2024. Her research centers on molecular solar thermal energy storage, optically controlled recycling of materials, and light-driven phase transitions. Her group combines synthetic chemistry with photophysical and materials characterization to develop systems for photon energy capture, storage, and release.
Her contributions have been recognized with honors, including the Cram Lehn Pedersen Prize, the ChemComm Emerging Investigator Lectureship, the Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, the Sloan Research Fellowship, the NSF CAREER Award, the AFOSR Young Investigator Program Award, and the AAAS Marion Milligan Mason Award.
Research:
Han Group Website (Available Soon)
Research Objective:
The major goal of my research is to develop functional organic material systems that exhibit phase transitions, solubility changes, and nanoscale mechanical changes, triggered by external stimuli, notably light. These photo-controlled materials have a game-changing potential in waste heat recycling, solar energy conversion and storage, recyclable catalysis, single-molecule sensing, and reversible nanomaterial assembly. Since the photo-isomerization of switches has been traditionally studied in dilute solution, there exists a critical need to unravel this process in a crowded environment of condensed liquid or solid for successful applications. My group focuses on designing photoswitches with controllable structural parameters that determine their conformational freedom, photon absorption, and isomeric stability in condensed phases to yield deeper understanding of molecular switching dynamics in such environments.
Publications:
Selected:
- S. Cho, J. Usuba, S. Chakraborty, X. Li, and G. G. D. Han* “Solid-State Photon Energy Storage via Reversible [2+2] Cycloaddition of Donor-Acceptor Styrylpyrylium System” Chem, 2023, 9, 3159–3171.
- X. Li, S. Cho, J. Wan, and G. G. D. Han*“Photoswitches and Photochemical Reactions for Optically Controlled Phase Transition and Energy Storage" Chem, 2023, 9, 2378–2389.
- Q. Qiu, Z. Sun, D. Joubran, X. Li, J. Wan, K. Schmidt-Rohr, and G. G. D. Han* “Optically-controlled Recovery and Recycling of Homogeneous Organocatalysts Enabled by Photoswitches” Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202300723.
- Q. Qiu, Q. Qi, J. Usuba, K. Lee, I. Aprahamian*, and G. G. D. Han* “Visible Light Activated Energy Storage in Solid-State Azo-BF2 Switches” Chem. Sci., 2023, 14, 11359–11364.
- A. Gonzalez, M. Odaybat, M. Le, J. L. Greenfield, A. J. P. White, X. Li, M. J. Fuchter*, and G. G. D. Han* "Photo-Controlled Energy Storage in Azobispyrazoles with Exceptionally Large Light Penetration Depths." J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 19430–19436.
- Q. Qiu, S. Yang, M. A. Gerkman, H. Fu, I. Aprahamian*, and G. G. D. Han* “Photon Energy Storage in Strained Cyclic Hydrazones: New Molecular Solar Thermal Energy Storage Compounds.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 12627–12631
- M. A. Gerkman and G. G. D. Han* “Toward Controlled Thermal Energy Storage and Release in Organic Phase Change Materials.” Joule 2020, 4, 1621–1625.
- M. A. Gerkman, R. S. L. Gibson, J. Calbo, Y. Shi, M. J. Fuchter*, and G. G. D. Han* “Arylazopyrazoles for Long-Term Thermal Energy Storage and Optically-Triggered Heat Release below 0 °C.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 8688–8695.