About

Professor Catherine J. Murphy is a principal investigator in the Murphy Research Group at the University of Illinois. She is involved in research within the Department of Chemistry, focusing on areas related to materials chemistry, analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, and inorganic chemistry. Her work encompasses the development and study of advanced materials, contributing significantly to the field through her leadership and research activities. Further details about her background, specific research interests, and key contributions are not provided in the page text.

Research topics

• Materials science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemistry
• Organic chemistry
• Chemical engineering
• Combinatorial chemistry
• Physical chemistry
• Photochemistry
• Optoelectronics

Selected publications

• Tribute for Robert Hamers

  The Journal of Physical Chemistry C · 2026-02-12

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• Metabolic Trojan Horse: Multivalent Glucose Ligand Modified Near-Infrared-Absorbing Gold Nanorods for Targeted Photothermal Therapy

  ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces · 2026-04-22

  articleCorresponding

  Nanoparticle-based photothermal therapy (PTT) provides localized tumor ablation but remains limited by off-target accumulation and the need for high systemic doses. To address these challenges, we developed gold nanorods (AuNRs) coated with a multivalent glucose ligand (mvGlu-AuNR) that engages glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT1) for selective tumor delivery. This design leverages the Warburg effect, using GLUT1 as a metabolic Trojan horse to enter glycolytic cancer cells. In 4T1 breast cancer models, mvGlu-AuNR showed an 8-fold increase in gold content and a 3-fold rise in photoacoustic signal compared to nontargeted controls. Notably, mvGlu-AuNRs converted light to heat more efficiently than mPEG-AuNRs under identical irradiation conditions. ICP-MS analysis confirmed tumor-to-liver ratios ranging from 1.56 to 4.88, which is consistent with strong tumor localization and minimal hepatic uptake. At a systemic dose of 1 mg/kg, mvGlu-AuNRs enabled efficient tumor heating and slowed tumor growth without signs of off-target toxicity. These findings establish metabolic targeting as an effective strategy to enhance PTT specificity, reduce off-target exposure, and enable markedly lower gold dosing.

  PublisherDOI

• In vivo transformations of positively charged nanoparticles alter the formation and function of RuBisCO photosynthetic protein corona

  Nature Nanotechnology · 2025-06-03 · 7 citations

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• Gold Nanoparticle Ligand Structure Investigated with Solution NMR: Effects of Ligand Length on Headgroup Dynamics and Ion Penetration

  Chemistry of Materials · 2025-06-18 · 2 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Herein, we report the synthesis of a library of 16 gold nanoparticle (AuNP) types (2, 4, 9, and 12 nm in diameter and appended with mercapto-(X-alkyl)-N,N,N-trimethylammonium bromide (MxTAB) ligands (X = 11, 16, 18, or 20)) and detailed characterization of their ligand shell with solution 1H NMR in deuterium oxide. The trimethylammonium headgroup is bulky, and the unique chemical shifts of its protons allow for systematic studies of ligand density and dynamics as a function of both nanoparticle size and ligand length for fully saturated surfaces. Chemical shift analysis of the solvent-exposed headgroup protons supports the notion that ligand headgroups pack closer together as the AuNP diameter increases for all ligands. Quantitative analysis shows that ligand density for the shorter ligands (MUTAB (X = 11) and MTAB (X = 16)) is dependent on nanoparticle size, ranging from ∼10 to ∼2 molecules/nm2 as the nanoparticle size increases, while ligand density is independent of size (∼2 molecules/nm2) for longer ligands (MOTAB (X = 18) and MITAB (X = 20)). T2 relaxation analysis shows less headgroup motion and therefore more ordering as both the NP diameter and the chain length increase. Gold etching experiments with potassium cyanide were performed to determine the ability of ions to penetrate the ligand layers; core protection and headgroup motion, as judged by T2, were negatively correlated for the two shorter ligands but not correlated with the two longer ligands. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that the longer ligands have a stronger tendency to form ligand islands on curved surfaces due to increased van der Waals interactions between the alkane portions of ligands, suggesting that the presence of patchy ligand islands displays hydrophobic character that prevents the cyanide ion from penetrating the AuNP cores. The relationship between ligand length and nanoparticle diameter/curvature leads to rudimentary predictions of ligand dynamics.

  PublisherDOI

• Robotic Transabdominal Preperitoneal Inguinal Hernia Repair Is Feasible and Efficient: A Prospective Cohort Study of a Day‐Only Protocol From a High‐Volume Robotic Surgery Centre Evaluating Short‐Term Outcomes

  ANZ Journal of Surgery · 2025-07-21 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Inguinal hernia repair (IHR) is one of the most frequently performed procedures in general surgery. There is clinical equipoise regarding the increasing global adoption of robotic IHR as a safe minimally invasive option. We present the short-term outcomes of robotic transabdominal (R-TAPP) preperitoneal IHR as a protocol-driven day-only procedure within a high-volume centre. METHODS: Single institution prospective cohort study of 200 consecutive patients using the da Vinci Xi system from July 2023 to April 2025. Elective adult patients with index or recurrent unilateral or bilateral inguinal hernias were eligible. Postoperative day (POD) 1.7 and 28 pain scores and analgesia use were recorded. Thirty-day operative complications were tabulated. RESULTS: Eighty-nine percent were male and 66% underwent unilateral R-TAPP IHR. Six percent had redo surgery for recurrent inguinal hernia. For unilateral IHR, the median console time was 29 min (IQR: 21-39.5), knife to skin and skin closure time was 49 min (IQR: 37-59.5) and total time into and out (wheels in to wheels out) of theatre was 77 min (IQR: 66.5-88.5). The median length of stay was 0 days (range: 0-2). Median POD 1.7 and 28 pain scores were 4, 2, and 0 (out of 10). Clavien-Dindo 1-2 complications occurred in 4%. There were no hernia recurrences. CONCLUSIONS: R-TAPP IHR is feasible and safe, with comparatively lower operative time than the reported literature. Most patients were discharged as a day-only procedure, with minimal postoperative pain. Future studies will investigate the cost and longer-term outcomes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• US must support chemistry research

  Science · 2025-06-19

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• 33 Unresolved Questions in Nanoscience and NanotechnologyArticle link copied!

  RWTH Publications (RWTH Aachen) · 2025-01-01

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• 33 Unresolved Questions in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

  ACS Nano · 2025-09-04 · 22 citations

  articleOpen access

  Significant advances in science and engineering often emerge at the intersections of disciplines. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are inherently interdisciplinary, uniting researchers from chemistry, physics, biology, medicine, materials science, and engineering. This convergence has fostered novel ways of thinking and enabled the development of materials, tools, and technologies that have transformed both basic and applied research, as well as how we address critical societal challenges. In this Nano Focus, we pose and explore 33 questions whose answers could profoundly impact fields such as energy, electronics, the environment, optics, and medicine. These questions highlight the need for deeper foundational understanding, improved tools and techniques, and innovative applications─each with significant societal relevance. Together, they represent a global call-to-action for the scientific community.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Machine Learning to Adaptively Predict Gold Nanorod Sizes on Different Substrates

  The Journal of Physical Chemistry C · 2025-03-18 · 4 citations

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  Correlating a nanoparticle’s morphology with its optical properties is essential and is achieved by a combination of electron microscopy and optical spectroscopy. Machine learning has gained attention for enhancing in situ measurements and enabling inverse nanoparticle design. However, new training data for each specific condition are often required when testing data differ from training data. We propose a method to adapt existing training data for predicting the size of gold nanorods (AuNRs) on different substrates. This method is based on simulated spectra of AuNRs on glass and indium tin oxide-coated glass (ITO), adapting the resonance energy between substrates. Using the adapted data, we train a decision tree regressor to predict AuNR sizes on ITO and test it with experimental data on ITO. This correction achieves comparable accuracy in predicting AuNR length to a decision tree trained directly on ITO. In addition, we apply the correction method to predict AuNR sizes on Al2O3, despite the lack of extensive training data, leading to an improvement in length prediction as well. Our analysis reveals that length prediction is more sensitive to the change in the resonance energy, suggesting that substrate differences mostly affect the length prediction. Overall, adapting training data enables real-time size determination across various environments without additional training data.

  PublisherDOI

• Copper-Cross-Linked Alginate-Based Hydrogel Nanoparticles for Sustainable Slow-Release Fertilizer Applications

  Langmuir · 2025-07-08 · 4 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Controlled-release materials are desirable for many delivery applications and have been used to improve the efficiency of fertilizers and pesticides in crop management. Due to their potential to reduce application of toxic chemicals while prolonging exposure to active agents, controlled-release nanomaterials are currently being investigated for increasing agricultural production and preventing overfertilization. Hydrogels are underexplored as controlled-release nanomaterials and can deliver many types of cargo, from metal ions to small molecules. Alginate-based hydrogels are biocompatible and their internal carboxylic acids coordinate agriculturally valuable micronutrients like Cu2+, Zn2+, and Ca2+. Hydrogels comprising ionic and nonionic polymers can coordinate agriculturally valuable micronutrients, and the combination of ionic and nonionic polymers results in hydrogels with tunable release profiles. Alginate, for example, contains carboxylates that ionically cross-link with divalent cations like Cu2+, Zn2+, and Ca2+, while polar moieties on chitin enable nonionic coordination. To our knowledge, soft-material copper-loaded nanoparticles have not yet been applied as controlled-release materials for foliar delivery. In this work, we present the synthesis and micronutrient release characteristics of hydrogel nanoparticles containing Cu2+, which is coordinated by ionic and nonionic polymers. Hydrogel nanoparticles (HNPs) were prepared by liquid–liquid emulsion techniques and cross-linked with Cu2+ to form double-network hydrogels made from alginate and non-cross-linking chitin. Nanoparticles (100–300 nm in diameter) were characterized by cryogenic electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The copper release profiles of HNPs with different polymer compositions were compared. HNPs containing both chitin and alginate released 8–20 times more copper than HNPs with alginate alone, suggesting that the presence of non-cross-linking polymers improves copper release. Thus, HNP delivery characteristics can be tuned by manipulating intraparticle bond dynamics in the hydrogel polymer matrix.

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Recent grants

• A "Gold" Standard for Understanding Protein-Nanoparticle Interactions

  NSF · $435k · 2013–2016

• NIH Grant R01EY012253

  NIH · $2.1M · 2006

• NIH Grant RC2AR058971

  NIH · $4.0M · 2012

• Nanoparticle Intervention in Cell Behavior

  NIH · $1.2M · 2018–2023

• Conformational Proteomics on Nanoparticle Surfaces

  NSF · $610k · 2016–2020

Frequent coauthors

• Anne B. McCoy

  University of Washington

  68 shared

• Joan‐Emma Shea

  University of California, Santa Barbara

  57 shared

• Sharon Hammes‐Schiffer

  Yale University

  48 shared

• Samuel E. Lohse

  Central Washington University

  47 shared

• Gregory D. Scholes

  Princeton University

  44 shared

• Prashant V. Kamat

  University of Notre Dame

  41 shared

• George C. Schatz

  Northwestern University

  40 shared

• Martin T. Zanni

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  40 shared

Labs

• Murphy Research GroupPI

Education

• Ph.D., chemistry

  University of Wisconsin Madison

  1990

• B.S. , chemistry

  University of Illinois

  1986

• B.S., biochemistry

  University of Illinois

  1986

Awards & honors

• NANOSMAT Prize (2025)
• Centenary Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry (2022)
• ACS Award in Inorganic Chemistry (2020)
• Remsen Award (2019)
• Linus Pauling Medal (2019)