Dr. Heng-Yong Nie

Dr. Heng-Yong Nie

Senior Research Scientist,
Adjunct Research Professor, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
Dr. Nie’s research focuses are in the areas of analytical chemistry and surface chemistry. He is interested in developing analytical approaches to studies in soft materials, mainly using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). He carries out research work on the manipulation of the surface energy of materials with surfactants for enhancing the chemical stability and compatibility of organic/inorganic hybrid systems such as organic electronic devices and polymer composites.

Current research activities include:

  • Exploring formation mechanisms of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on oxides and their applications in surface engineering.
  • Developing ToF-SIMS approaches for quantification of the degree and depth of cross-linked thin polymer films.
  • Developing AFM techniques for imaging additives in a polymer matrix.

For more information on Dr. Nie’s research activities and expertise, visit his Western web page.

Selected Publications:

  • D.H. Chen, H.K.-Y. Wu, S. Naderi-Gohar, Y.L. Wu, Y.N. Huang and H.-Y. Nie, An extremely rapid dip-coating method for self-assembly of octadecylphosphonic acid and its thermal stability on an aluminum film, Journal of Materials Chemistry C 2, 9941-9948 (2014).
  • H.-Y. Nie, Oxidizing octadecylphosphonic acid molecules without disrupting their self-assembled monolayers, Analytical Methods 5, 4911-4920 (2013).
  • H.-Y. Nie, A.R. Taylor, W.M. Lau and D.F. MacFabe, Subcellular features revealed on unfixed rat brain sections by phase imaging, Analyst 136, 2270-2276 (2011).
  • H.-Y. Nie, Revealing different bonding modes of self-assembled octadecylphosphonic acid monolayers on oxides by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry: silicon vs aluminum, Analytical Chemistry 82, 3371-3376 (2010).
  • H.-Y. Nie, M.J. Walzak and N.S. McIntyre, Delivering octadecylphosphonic acid self-assembled monolayers onto a Si wafer and other oxide surfaces,
    Journal of Physical Chemistry B 110, pp.21101-21108 (2006).