Dr. Liming Dai

The PhysOrg article Easing concerns about the toxicity of diamond nanoparticles said

New research has brightened the prospects for using nanodiamonds as drug carriers, implant coatings, nanorobots and other medical applications that take advantage of diamond nanoparticles’ attractive properties.
 
Liming Dai (University of Dayton), Saber M. Hussain (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base) and colleagues, including PhD student Amanda Schrand, explain that advances in technology have made a new generation of nanodiamonds available.
 
Although diamond in bulk form is inert and biocompatible, nano-materials often behave differently than their bulk counterparts. That led to concern that diamond nanoparticles might have toxic effects on cells.
 
“We have for the first time assessed the cytotoxicity of nanodiamonds ranging in size from 2 to 10 nm,” the researchers state, adding that nanodiamonds were not toxic to a variety of different cell types. “These results suggest that nanodiamonds could be ideal for many biological applications in a diverse range of cell types,” they add.

Liming Dai, Ph.D. is Professor of Materials Engineering, Wright Brothers Institute Endowed Chair in Nanomaterials, Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering, Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Distinguished Research Scientist, University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI), University of Dayton. He is on the Editorial Boards of International Journal of Polymer Science and Research Letters in Physical Chemistry.
 
His research activities include:
 
1. Synthesis and Functionalization of Nanomaterials
 
To develop synthetic methods for the preparation of organic and inorganic nanomaterials, including aligned/nanoaligned singlewall and multiwall carbon nanotubes, carbon nanotube and semiconducting metal oxide hybrids, and size-/shape-controlled metal nanoparticles. To develop physical and chemical techniques for surface modification of carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, nanodiamonds, and metal nanoparticles for multifunctional materials and device applications.
 
2. Optoelectronic Macromolecules
 
To synthesize linear/dendritic conjugated macromolecules, fullerene-containing polymers, and their composites with carbon nanotubes for various applications, ranging from optoelectronics (e.g. PLED, PVs, FETs) to biomedical devices (e.g. biosensors, artificial muscles, drug delivery systems).
 
3. Biomaterials and Biomimicking Systems
 
To investigate the surface and size effects of nanomaterials on biological systems (e.g. cytotoxicity). To undertake bio-mimicking approaches for the development of smart materials and devices.
 
Liming edited Carbon Nanotechnology: Recent Developments in Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science and Device Applications, coedited Nonlinear Science and Complexity, and authored Intelligent Macromolecules for Smart Devices: From Materials Synthesis to Device Applications and Nonlinear Dynamics Of Piecewise Constant Systems And Implementation Of Piecewise Constant Arguments.
 
Liming coauthored Structure and Growth of Aligned Carbon Nanotube Films by Pyrolysis, Aligned Coaxial Nanowires of Carbon Nanotubes Sheathed with Conducting Polymers, Patterned Growth and Contact Transfer of Well-Aligned Carbon Nanotube Films, Conjugated Polymers for Light-Emitting Applications, DNA-Directed Self-Assembling of Carbon Nanotubes, and Highly Efficient Binding of DNA on the Sidewalls and Tips of Carbon Nanotubes Using Photochemistry.
 
His patents include Multilayer carbon nanotube films and method of making the same, Process and apparatus for the production of carbon nanotubes, Asymmetric end-functionalization of carbon nanotubes, and Multilayer materials.
 
Liming earned his B.Sc. in Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China in 1983. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia in 1991.
 
Watch Aligned carbon nanotubes: a video interview with Liming Dai. Read Mimicking gecko feet: Dry adhesive based on carbon nanotubes gets stronger.