About

Jinglei Ping is an Associate Professor in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at UMass Amherst and also serves as an adjunct in Biomedical Engineering. His research focuses on the development of biosensing devices and systems based on two-dimensional (2D) materials, with applications in point-of-care diagnostics, drug testing, and healthcare. He has contributed to pioneering methods for detecting protein concentrations in assays and increasing DNA detection sensitivity significantly. His work has led to the development of groundbreaking DNA detection techniques with unmatched performance. Ping has received several prestigious awards, including the NSF CAREER Award in 2024, the NIH MIRA Award in 2023, and the NIH Trailblazer Award in 2022. He has also been recognized with the Air Force Office of Scientific Research YIP Award in 2020. His research has been supported by significant grants from the Department of Defense, and he has published influential papers on topics such as non-Newtonian fluids and cellular behavior inspired by WWI flying aces. His lab at UMass Amherst, known as Ping Lab, is dedicated to nano/bio interfaces and applications, advancing the fields of healthcare, biomedicine, materials, and nanotechnology.

Research topics

• Biochemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Chemistry
• Chromatography
• Materials science

Selected publications

• Intracellular sensing with transparent graphene-nanotube electrodes

  2D Materials · 2026-03-02

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Transparent electrodes based on graphene are ideal for multimodal cell sensing. However, the atomically flat basal plane of graphene limits the applications largely to capacitive detection of extracellular signals. Here, we develop a biocompatible graphene–carbon nanotube (CNT) hybrid (Bio-GCH), consisting of a graphene substrate covalently decorated with sparsely distributed CNT structures. Bio-GCH electrodes enable low-bias (∼4 V) nano-electroporation of cardiomyocytes and high-quality intracellular recordings, with CNTs serving as the dominant electrical transduction channel. At the same time, Bio-GCH electrodes retain the key advantages of graphene electrodes, including high optical transparency, electrical mobility, electrochemical stability, and biocompatibility.

  PublisherDOI

• <i>(Invited) </i>electronic Regulation of Extracellular pH for Real-Time Cell Control

  ECS Meeting Abstracts · 2025-07-11

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Regulation of extracellular pH is vital for controlling cell behaviors and functions, yet current methods are often slow, nondirectional, and lack the spatiotemporal resolution required for precise investigations. To address these limitations, we develop a microfabricated device capable of regulating microenvironmental pH within localized zones with high precision (uncertainty &lt; 0.1 pH units) and temporal resolution. The device integrates pulsatile electrochemical pH modulation and ultrasensitive graphene-electronic pH sensing, synchronized in antiphase to achieve real-time control. Using this device, we demonstrate dynamic regulation of bacterial motility and cardiomyocyte calcium signaling, revealing insights into dynamic cellular responses to extracellular pH variations that are challenging for conventional methods. Our device comprises a transparent chip built on fused silica, incorporating arrays of pH modulation-quantification units. Each unit features an inner microelectrode, an outer microelectrode, and a graphene field-effect transistor. During operation, the device performs sequential cycles of pH modulation and quantification. In the modulation phase, water electrolysis at the inner microelectrode generates a localized zone of acidity or basicity, controlled by the applied voltage. In the quantification phase, the graphene transistor interrogates the pH value in the localized zone. This synchronization strategy enables reliable pH control at physiologically significant scales. This approach allows concurrent optical microscopy and electronic pH regulation, enabling real-time characterization of pH-controlled cellular dynamics. We use the device to investigate the impact of pH on Bacillus subtilis motility. The swimming speed and directional correlation of bacterial movement are found to decrease with increasing pH, consistent with the pH-dependent activity of flagellar motor proteins. Our method requires a single bacterial sample and significantly less time compared to traditional pH-regulation techniques. We also apply this technology to cardiomyocyte cultures, dynamically modulating extracellular pH and monitoring calcium oscillations. The regulated acidic pH levels suppress calcium signaling amplitude and double oscillation frequency, highlighting the real-time interplay between extracellular pH and cardiomyocyte behavior. Furthermore, we found that cardiomyocytes can survive in extremely acidic environments if the exposure duration is well controlled, a capability enabled by our method. Our approach provides new insights into dynamic cellular responses to pH variations, offering potential applications in bioelectronics, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. This material is based upon work supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under award numbers FA9550-20-1-0125 and FA9550-23-1-0601. We also acknowledge support from the NIH NIGMS MIRA program (Award No. R35GM151128).

  PublisherDOI

• High-precision micro-total analysis of sodium ions in breast milk

  Sensors and Actuators B Chemical · 2024-09-17 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Spatiotemporal Cell Control via High-Precision Electronic Regulation of Microenvironmental pH

  Nano Letters · 2024-11-26 · 1 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Accurate regulation of extracellular pH is crucial for controlling cell behaviors and functions. However, typical methods, which primarily rely on replacing cell culture media or using ionic diffusion, are slow, nondirectional, and lack spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we develop a microfabricated device that regulates microenvironmental pH within specific localized zones with high precision (uncertainty <0.1 pH units) and temporal resolution. The device uses a synchronization strategy that coordinates two processes: pulsatile modulation of pH through microelectrolysis and ultrasensitive graphene-electronic pH sensing, which operates in antiphase to the modulation. Using this device, we show real-time control of the dynamic behaviors of microscale clusters of bacteria (motility) and cardiomyocytes (calcium signaling and necrotic injury) in response to precisely regulated extracellular pH variations. Our device addresses the limitations of typical pH-altering techniques and holds significant potential to advance cell biology, physiology, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.

  PublisherDOI

• On-chip microscale isoelectric focusing enhances protein detection limit

  Applied Physics Letters · 2024-03-04 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Enhancing the detection limit in protein analysis is essential for a wide range of biomedical applications. In typical fluorescent protein assays, this limit is constrained by the detection capacity of the photon detector. Here, we develop an approach that significantly enhances the protein detection threshold by using microscale isoelectric focusing implemented directly at the detection site on a protein sensor chip. We demonstrate that by electrically generating a localized pH environment within a radius of ∼60 μm, protein molecules can be concentrated within this range and be detected at levels over four times lower than those achieved by measurements without on-chip isoelectric focusing. We find that this detection-limit enhancement results from a dual effect: the concentrating of the protein molecules and a reduction in the diffusion-induced fluctuation. Our approach offers a simple, yet highly effective ultra-low-power all-electronic solution for substantially improving protein analysis detection limits for diverse applications, including healthcare, clinical diagnostics, and therapeutics.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Neural network–enabled, all-electronic control of non-Newtonian fluid flow

  Applied Physics Letters · 2024-10-14 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Real-time, all-electronic control of non-Newtonian fluid flow through a microscale channel is crucial for various applications in manufacturing and healthcare. However, existing methods lack the sensitivity required for accurate measurement and the real-time responsiveness necessary for effective adjustment. Here, we demonstrate an all-electronic system that enables closed-loop, real-time, high-sensitivity control of various waveforms of non-Newtonian fluid flow (0.76 μl min−1) through a micro-sized outlet. Our approach combines a contactless, cuff-like flow sensor with a neural-network control program. This system offers a simple, miniaturized, versatile, yet high-performance solution for non-Newtonian fluid flow control, easily integrated into existing setups.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Nanomechanoelectrical approach to highly sensitive and specific label-free DNA detection

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2023-08-07 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Electronic detection of DNA oligomers offers the promise of rapid, miniaturized DNA analysis across various biotechnological applications. However, known all-electrical methods, which solely rely on measuring electrical signals in transducers during probe-target DNA hybridization, are prone to nonspecific electrostatic and electrochemical interactions, subsequently limiting their specificity and detection limit. Here, we demonstrate a nanomechanoelectrical approach that delivers ultra-robust specificity and a 100-fold improvement in detection limit. We drive nanostructural DNA strands tethered to a graphene transistor to oscillate in an alternating electric field and show that the transistor-current spectra are characteristic and indicative of DNA hybridization. We find that the inherent difference in pliability between unpaired and paired DNA strands leads to the spectral characteristics with minimal influence from nonspecific electrostatic and electrochemical interactions, resulting in high selectivity and sensitivity. Our results highlight the potential of high-performance DNA analysis based on miniaturized all-electronic settings.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Graphene-Enabled High-Performance Electrokinetic Focusing and Sensing

  ACS Nano · 2022-06-17 · 4 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Transverse isoelectric focusing, i.e., isoelectric focusing that is normal to the fluid-flow direction, is an electrokinetic method ideal for micro total analysis. However, a major challenge remains: There is no electrode system integrable in a microfluidic device to allow reliable transverse isoelectric focusing and electrokinetic sensing. Here, we overcome this barrier by developing devices that incorporate microelectrodes made of monolayer graphene. We find that the electrolysis stability over time for graphene microelectrodes is >103× improved compared to typical microfabricated inert-metal microelectrodes. Through transverse isoelectric focusing between graphene microelectrodes, within minutes, specific proteins can be separated and concentrated to scales of ∼100 μm. Based on the concentrating effect and the high optical transparency of graphene, we develop a three-dimensional multistream microfluidic strategy for label-free detection of the proteins at same processing position with a sensitivity that is ∼102× higher than those of the state-of-the-art label-free sensors. These results demonstrate the advantage of monolayer-graphene microelectrodes for high-performance electrokinetic analysis to allow lab-on-a-chips of maximal time and size efficiencies.

  PublisherDOI

• Defect Healing in Graphene via Rapid Thermal Annealing with Polymeric “Nanobandage”

  Small · 2022-12-22 · 12 citations

  article

  Overcoming throughput challenges in current graphene defect healing processes, such as conventional thermal annealing, is crucial for realizing post-silicon device fabrication. Herein, a new time- and energy-efficient method for defect healing in graphene is reported, utilizing polymer-assisted rapid thermal annealing (RTA). In this method, a nitrogen-rich, polymeric "nanobandage" is coated directly onto graphene and processed via RTA at 800 °C for 15 s. During this process, the polymer matrix is cleanly degraded, while nitrogen released from the nanobandage can diffuse into graphene, forming nitrogen-doped healed graphene. To study the influence of pre-existing defects on graphene healing, lattice defects are purposefully introduced via electron beam irradiation and investigated by Raman microscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals successful healing of graphene, observing a maximum doping level of 3 atomic nitrogen % in nanobandage-treated samples from a baseline of 0-1 atomic % in non-nanobandage treated samples. Electrical transport measurements further indicate that the nanobandage treatment recovers the conductivity of scanning electron microscope-treated defective graphene at ≈85%. The reported polymer-assisted RTA defect healing method shows promise for healing other 2D materials with other dopants by simply changing the chemistry of the polymeric nanobandage.

  PublisherDOI

• Electrical contactless microfluidic flow quantification

  Applied Physics Letters · 2022-01-24 · 3 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Precise sensing of microfluidic flow is essential to advancing lab-on-a-chip development and the downstream medical applications. Contactless microfluidic flow interrogation is noninvasive, nonperturbative, and fouling-free. However, known real non-contact flow sensing technologies are limited to quantifying bulk fluids. Here, we develop an electrical approach to contactless quantification of aqueous microfluidic flow. We found that the electric potential generated by the ubiquitous contact electrification of a microfluidic flow with fluidic channel walls is interrogatable by using a probe electrode at a distance over centimeters from the microfluidic flow, and the measured voltage response demonstrates linear relationship to the microfluidic flow rate with a resolution of sub-microliter per minute (in a 1-Hz bandwidth), providing an ideal, high-precision contactless flow transduction pathway. In addition to this primary finding, by using a monolayer-graphene coated probe electrode, in comparison with a typical bare probe electrode, an overall enhancement in flow-sensory resolution of 36.4% is attained.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• A. T. Charlie Johnson

  40 shared

• Ramya Vishnubhotla

  Material Measurement Laboratory

  35 shared

• Emmeline Adu-Beng

  California State Polytechnic University

  16 shared

• Jeffery G. Saven

  University of Pennsylvania

  14 shared

• Zhaoli Gao

  Chinese University of Hong Kong

  10 shared

• Katherine W. Pulsipher

  University of Pennsylvania

  9 shared

• José A. Villegas

  University of Illinois Chicago

  9 shared

• Ivan J. Dmochowski

  California University of Pennsylvania

  9 shared

Awards & honors

• NSF CAREER Award (2024)
• NIH MIRA Award (2023)
• NIH Trailblazer Award (2022)
• Air Force Office of Scientific Research YIP Award (2020)