Dr. Chunming Liu

Title: Assistant Professor of Polymer Science & Chemistry
Dept/Program: School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering & Department of Chemistry
Office: GDYR 920
Phone: 330-972-6146
Email: chunmingliu@uakron.edu
Website: https://www.cliuakron.com/

Biography

Dr. Chunming Liu is an analytical and physical chemist whose primary research interest is in understanding chemistry and materials at the single-molecule level. Before joining the University of Akron, Dr. Liu worked as a Postdoctoral and Research Associate with Prof. Peng Chen at Cornell University, where he achieved the first real-time visualization of single-polymer chain growth and developed expertise in magnetic tweezers and single-molecule fluorescence microscopy. Dr. Liu received his Ph.D. in Analytical/Physical Chemistry from Texas A&M University under the mentorship of Prof. Paul S. Cremer, where his research focused on developing membrane protein separation methods and label-free biosensors based on supported lipid bilayers.

Research

Our interdisciplinary research spans analytical, physical, and polymer chemistry, with a focus on understanding chemical reactions and material properties at the single-molecule level. Our current research interests include, but are not limited to:

• Single-Molecule Measurements and Super-Resolution Imaging
• Photocatalysis and Photoredox Reactions
• Single-Polymer Growth, Properties, and Characterization
• Surface Treatment and Interfacial Interactions
• Biomembrane and Lipid Vesicle Properties

Publications

Recent Publications

• Zhou, W.; Liu, C.* Aqueous Radical Photopolymerization Catalyzed by Resorufin . Organics 2026, 7 (1), 5.
• Zhou, W.; Gu, K.; Schultz, F.; Liu, C.* Solvent Effect on the Behavior of Single Eosin Y Photoredox Catalyst . Chem. Biomed. Imaging 2025, 3 (9), 599-604.
• Gu, K.; Zhou, W.; Liu, C.* Visualizing Back Electron Transfer in Eosin Y Photoredox Catalysis . Chem. Comm. 2024, 60 (85), 12445-12448.
• Gu, K.; Yu, C.; Zhou, W.; Liu, C.* In Operando Visualization of Elementary Turnovers in Photocatalytic Organic Synthesis . J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2024, 15 (3), 717-724.
• Gu, K.; Liu, C.* Recognition of Single Fluorescence Events by Temporal Pixel Intensity Fluctuation . Chem. Biomed. Imaging 2023, 1 (3), 234-241.
• Gu, K.; Liu, S.; Liu, C.* Surface Preparation for Single-Molecule Fluorescence Imaging in Organic Solvents . Langmuir 2022, 38 (50), 15848-15857.

Education

• Ph.D., Chemistry, Texas A&M University, 2012
• B.S., Chemistry, Nanjing University, 2007