The sensors that are most needed in the Internet of Things era, and the solar cells needed for green energy, could all be made of DNA. The research teams of the department of Electrical Engineering, institute of Photonics Technologies of NTHU, receive support from the Ministry of Science and Technology. They extracted the DNA of fish to produce photoelectric materials, and developed the world's first "light-sensing DNA nano-composite technology." Successfully established the only natural DNA material processing platform in Taiwan. It is expected to replace petrochemical materials and be used in the field of optoelectronic components.

Prof. Hong’s research team received MOST’s support and founding. They successfully developed world’s first “Light sensing DNA nano-composite technology.”

And they further established natural DNA material process platform, gradually Built the DNA photoelectrical component.

Yesterday, a successful report is held in the Ministry of Science and Technology. This technology has obtained patents from the United States and Taiwan. Prof. Hong’s research has been published in the international journal “APL”, which is the authoritative international journal of physics. It has become a 50-year special issue, and the only one selected in the most recent breakthrough research in Taiwan.

At present, photoelectric components such as sensors and solar cells are mainly made of semiconductor materials. Prof. Hong said that the research team extracted DNA from fish eggs and fish gills that are easy to obtain. But it is not limited to fish, animal’s and plant’s DNA can all be applied. With an extraction ratio of about 10 percent, the team developed a series of new surfactant-modified DNA molecules and innovative process technologies to develop DNA bio-organic materials that are compatible with traditional polymer processes.

In addition to being made into photo-electronic components, Professor Hong also combined DNA molecules with metal ions such as gold, silver, and copper. These metal ions will also attach to specific positions of DNA, and then combine with light to initiate a reduction reaction to reduce metal ions into Nanoparticles, a new composite material with electrical and optical properties, are quite novel optoelectronic component materials.

In the past, scientists have been looking for solutions to make photoelectric components better and more efficient. The team of Professor Hong has been working with materials from raw material extraction, material synthesis, identification, component discovery, production, and measurement. Combining with biopolymer and nanotechnology, they successfully developed a high efficiency photovoltaic device manufacturing method. Prof. Hong ‘s innovative research has been reported by many international journals, media and websites such as Nature Photonics, American Institute of Physics (AIP) and IEEE Spectrum…etc, and was selected as the one of the 50 representative studies of the 50th anniversary of the publication of Applied Physics Letters. It is described as "the most notable APL articles that present ground-breaking research in recent years." The paper of Professor Hong's team is also the only paper selected in Taiwan, representing strong innovation and breakthroughs.

In the research process of DNA optoelectronics, Prof. Hong is also interested in the interaction between DNA and light. “DNA has a double-stranded spiral structure. How does this spiral medium or structure interact with light?” In recent years, starting from the double-stranded structure of DNA, Prof. Hong’s research further explores the optical properties of the rotating structural medium, such as the role of electromagnetic waves in single-strand, double-strand, left-handed, right-handed nanohelix structures. And explore the mechanism of these phenomena and the application of optoelectronic components.

People might think that cross-domain research is not easy, but Prof. Hong believes that the advantage of the EE background is flexibility. Regardless of the cross-domain to any field, the EE people can always learn, integrate and apply quickly. "This is the advantage of the EE people!" Professor Hong hopes that the cross-domain research that is going on in the future will generate more sparks and create more possibilities for technology.