Mostafa A. El-Sayed

Julius Brown Chair and Regents Professor; Director, Laser Dynamics Laboratory

Office: 104-B (LDL)

Phone: 404-894-0292

Fax: 404-894-7452

B.Sc., Ain Shams U. Cairo, Egypt; Ph.D., Florida State University; Postdoctoral Fellow, Yale University (1958-59), Harvard University (1959-60), California Institute of Technology (1960-61); Faculty, UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (1961-94); Julius Brown Chair and Regents’ Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (1994-present)

Doctor of Humane Letters, Am. U. of Beirut, 2011; Ahmed Zewail Prize in Molecular Sciences, 2009; Glenn T. Seaborg Medal, 2009; Honorary Fellow of the Chinese Chemical Society, 2009; Medal of the Egyptian Republic, First Class, 2009; Inaugural Fellow of the American Chemical Society, 2009;Honorary Doctors degrees: U. of Alexandria Medical School, U. of Mansoura Medical School, Beni Suef U., 2008; "The Class of 1943 Distinguished Professor" Award, 2007; US National Medal of Science in Chemistry, 2007; Langmuir Award of the American Chemical Society, 2002; Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, 2000; Regents’ Professor, 2000; Elected Fellow, American Physical Society, 2000; Doctor Honoris Causa, Hebrew University, 1993; King Faisal International Prize in the Sciences (Chemistry), 1990; Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1986; Elected Member of the Third World Academy of Sciences, 1984; Alexander von Humboldt Senior Fellow, 1982, 1982; Elected Member of the US National Academy of Sciences, 1980; Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, 1965-71; Fresenius National Award in Pure and Applied Chemistry, 1967; Guggenheim Foundation Fellow, 1967-68.

Professor El-Sayed's research group is housed in the Laser Dynamics Laboratory (LDL). LDL (http://ldl.gatech.edu) houses the most recent lasers and laser spectroscopic equipment for time-resolved studies in the femto-to-millisecond time scale. The LDL site has a more expanded description of the research, the group and a full list of the over 600 publications.

A. Nanoscience:
Synthesis and Study of the Properties of Nanomaterials of Different Shape: The type of electronic motion in matter determines its properties and its applications. This motion is determined by the forces acting on the electrons, which in turn, determine the space in which they are allowed to move. One expects that if we reduce the size of material to below its naturally allowed characteristic length scale, new properties should be observed which change with the size or shape of the material. These new properties are different from those of the macroscopic material, as well as of its building blocks (atoms or molecules). This phenomenon occurs on the nanometer length scale. Our group makes and studies the properties of these nanometer materials. The properties examined are:

Ultrafast electron-hole dynamics in semiconductor nanoparticles and composites
Shape-controlled synthesis and stability of metallic nanoparticles
Enhanced light absorption and scattering processes, electronic relaxation, and photothermal properties of gold and silver nanocrystals of different shapes

B. Nanotechnology: Potential Use of Nanoparticles in:

a) Nanomedicine - Diagnostics and Selective Photothermal Therapy of Cancer: When gold or silver nanoparticles are conjugated to cancer antibodies or other cancer targeting molecules, the cancer cells selectively labeled with those nanoparticles and can be easily detected under a simple microscope due to their strongly enhanced light scattering properties. The fact that these nanoparticles can also absorb light strongly and rapidly convert this energy into heat allows for the selective destruction of cancer cells at laser energies not sufficient to harm surrounding healthy cells. The concept of plasmonic photothermal therapy has been demonstrated in both cell culture and in live animal models in our laboratory. In addition, we are also researching the use of plasmonic particles as selective drug delivery and imaging contrast agents.

b) Nanocatalysis - Shape Dependent Catalysis: Due to their large surface to volume ratio, nanoparticles are expected to be good catalysts. Since different shapes of nanoparticles made of the same material have their surface atoms arranged differently, one expects them to have different catalytic properties. In our group, we are examining the effects of both the nanoparticle shape and the cavity size of hollow nanoparticles on the catalytic properties of transition metal nanocrystals. We are also studying the shape-stability of these nanoparticles in the harsh chemical environment of the catalytic reactions in colloidal solution.

c) Plasmonics: The intense electromagnetic fields generated at the surfaces of noble metal nanoparticles – localized surface plasmons – are known to enhance radiative and non-radiative processes, as well as energy transfer processes in nearby molecules and compounds. By combining plasmonic particles with biomolecular photosystems, the rates of important chemical processes, such as retinal isomerization in photosynthetic baceriorhodopsin (bR) and its associated proton pump rate, can be tuned. This property was recently used to enhance the photocurrent from bR by a factor of 5000. Rates of radiative (emission) and non-radiative relaxation in excitonic systems, such as semiconductor quantum dots and rods, can also be dramatically enhanced by plasmon coupling interactions. LDL also studies the fundamental interactions of plasmons as they couple to one another in individual (i.e. nanoshell and nanocage) particles, as well as in groups of nanoparticles as their size, shape, distance, and orientation are varied.

Recent and Representative Publications ;for complete list see http://ldl.gatech.edu/pub.pdf

“Plasmonic Imaging of Human Oral Cancer Cell Comminties during Programmed Cell Death by Nuclear-Targeting Silver Nanoparticles,” Austin, L.A.; Bin, K.; Chun-Wan, Y.; El-Sayed, M.A., Journal of the American Chemical Society, 133(44), 17594-17597 (2011).

“Tailoring Plasmonic and Electrostatic Field Effects to Maximize Solar Energy Conversion by Bacteriorhodopsin, the Other Natural Photosynthetic System,” Yen, C.W.; Hayden, S.C.; Dreaden, E.C.; Szymanski, P.; El-Sayed, M.A., Nano Letters, 11(9), 3821-3826 (2011).

“Bacteriorhodopsin/TiO(2) Nanotube Arrays Hybrid System for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting,” Allam, N.K.; Yen, C.W.; Near, R.D.; El-Sayed, M.A., Energy & Environmental Science, 4(8), 2909-2914 (2011).

‘Time Dependence and Signs of the Shift of the Surface Plasmon Resonance Frequency in Nanocages Elucidate the Nanocatalysis Mechanism in Hollow Nanoparticles,” Mahmoud, M.A.; El-Sayed, M.A., Nano Letters, 11(3), 946-953 (2011).
“Beating Cancer to Death in Multiple Ways Using Nanogold. Dreaden,” E. C.; Mackey, M.A.; Huang, X.; Kang, B.; El-Sayed, M.A., Chemical Society Reviews, 40 (7), 3391 –3404 (2011).

“Experimental Evidence for The Nanocage Effect In Catalysis With Hollow Nanoparticles,” Mahmoud, M. A.; Saira, F.; El-Sayed, M. A., Nano Letters, 10(9), 3764-3769 (2010).

“Enhanced Photoassisted Water Electrolysis using Vertically Oriented Anodically Fabricated Ti-Nb-Zr-O Mixed Oxide Nanotube Arrays,” Allam, N.K.; Alamgir, F.; El-Sayed, M.A., ACS Nano, 4(10), 5819-5826 (2010).

“Plasmonic coupling in noble metal nanostructures,” Jain, P.K.; El-Sayed, M.A., Chemical Physics Letters, 487(4-6), 153-164 (2010).

“Nuclear Targeting of Gold Nanoparticles in Cancer Cells Induces DNA Damage, Causing Cytokinesis Arrest and Apoptosis,” Kang, B.; Mackey, M.A.; El-Sayed, M.A., Journal of the American Chemical Society, 132(5), 1517–1519 (2010).

“Tamoxifen-PEG-Thiol Gold Nanoparticle Conjugates: Enhanced Potency and Selective Delivery for Breast Cancer Treatment,” Dreaden ,E. C.; Mwakwari, S. C.; Sodji, Q. H.; Oyelere, A. K.; El-Sayed, M. A., Bioconjugate Chemistry, 20, 2247–2253 (2009).

“Exciton Lifetime Tuning by Changing the Plasmon Field Orientation with Respect to the Exciton Transition Moment Direction: CdTe-Au Core-Shell Nanorods,” Neretina, S.; Qian, W.; Dreaden, E. C.; El-Sayed, M. A.; Hughes, R. A.; Preston, J. S.; Mascher, P., Nano Letters, 9, (3), 1242-1248 (2009).

“Photocatalysis in Gold Nanocage Nanoreactors,” Yen, C. W.; Mahmoud, M. A.; El-Sayed, M. A., Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 113(16), 4340-4345 (2009).

"Gold nanorod assisted near-infrared plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT) of squamous cell carcinoma in mice," Erin B. Dickerson, Erik C. Dreaden, Xiaohua Huang, Ivan H. El-Sayed, Hunghao Chu, Sujatha Pushpanketh, John F. McDonald, Mostafa A. El-Sayed, Cancer Letters 269, 57-66 (2008).

"A new catalytically active colloidal platinum nanocatalyst: The multiarmed nanostar single crystal," Mahmoud A. Mahmoud, Christopher Tabor, Mostafa A. El-Sayed, Ding, Y. & Zhong Lin Wang, Journal of the American Chemical Society 130, 590 (2008).

"Plasmon Field Effects on the Nonradiative Relaxation of Hot Electrons in an Electronically Quantized System: CdTe-Au Core-Shell Nanowires," Svetlana Neretina, Wei Qian, Erik C. Dreaden, Robert A. Hughes, John S. Preston, Peter Mascher, Mostafa A. El-Sayed, Nano Letters 8(8), 2410-2418 (2008).

“Noble Metals on the Nanoscale: Optical and Photothermal Properties and Some Applications in Imaging, Sensing, Biology, and Medicine,” Prashant K. Jain, Xiaohua Huang, Ivan H. El-Sayed, Mostafa A. El-Sayed, Accounts of Chemical Research, 41 (12), 1578–1586 (2008).

“Gold nanoparticles and nanorods in medicine: From cancer diagnostics to photothermal therapy,” Xiaohua Huang, Prashant K. Jain, Ivan H. El-Sayed, Mostafa A. El-Sayed, Invited Review, Nanomedicine, 2(5), 681-693, (2007).

"On the universal scaling behavior of the distance decay of plasmon coupling in metal nanoparticle pairs: A plasmon ruler equation," Prashant K. Jain, Wenyu Huang, and Mostafa A. El-Sayed, Nano Letters, 7(7), 2080-2088, (2007).

"Calculated absorption and scattering properties of gold nanoparticles of different size, shape, and composition: applications in biological imaging and biomedicine," Jain, Prashant K.; Lee, Kyeong Seok; El-Sayed, Ivan H.; El-Sayed, Mostafa A., J. Phys. Chem. B, 110(14), 7238-7248, (2006).

"Why gold nanoparticles are more precious than pretty gold: noble metal surface plasmon resonance and its enhancement of the radiative and nonradiative properties of nanocrystals of different shapes," Susie Eustis and Mostafa A. El-Sayed; Chem. Society Review, 35(3), 209-217, (2006).

"Cancer cell imaging and photothermal therapy in near-infrared region by using gold nanorods," Xiaohua Huang; Ivan H. El-Sayed; Wei Qian and Mostafa A. El-Sayed, J. Am. Chem. Soc.., 128, 2115-2120, (2006).

"Observation of optical gain in solutions of CdS quantum dots at room temperature in the blue region," Qusai Darugar, Wei Qian, and Mostafa A. El-Sayed, Applied Physics Letters, 88, 261108, (2006).

"Gold and silver nanoparticles in sensing and imaging: sensitivity of plasmon response to size, shape, and metal composition," Kyeong-Seok Lee and Mostafa A. El-Sayed, J. Phys. Chem. B, 110(39), 19220-19225, (2006).

"Selective laser photo-thermal therapy of epithelial carcinoma using anti-egfr antibody conjugated gold nanoparticles," El-Sayed, Ivan; Huang, Xiaohua; El-Sayed, Mostafa A., , Cancer Letters, 239(1), 129-135 ( 2005).

"Surface plasmon resonance scattering and absorptin of anti-EGFR antibody conjugated gold nanoparticles in cancer diagnostics: applications in oral cancer," I.H. El-Sayed; X.H Huang; M.A. El-Sayed, Nano Letts, 5 (5), 829-834, (2005).

"The chemistry and properties of nanocrystals of different shapes," Burda, C.; Chen, X.; Narayanan, R.; El-Sayed, M.A., Chem. Rev. 105, (4), 1025-1102, (2005). Invited Review Article.

"Some interesting properties of metals confined in time and nanometer space of different shapes," Mostafa A. El-Sayed, Acc. Chem. Research, 34, (4), 257-264, (2001).

"Shape and size dependence of radiative, non-radiative and photothermal properties of gold nanocrystals," Stephan Link and Mostafa A. El-Sayed, Int. Reviews in Physical Chemistry, 19 (3), 409-453, (2000).

"The 'lightning' gold nanorods: fluorescence enhancement of over a million compared to the gold metal," Mona B. Mohamed, Victor Volkov, Stephan Link, Mostafa A. El-Sayed, Chem. Phys. Lett., 317, 517-523, (2000).