Scientific Research

GRANTS

1. China National Natural Science Fund for Overseas High-Level Talent Introduction Program Youth Project, “Laboratory Simulation of Planetary Atmospheric Chemistry”, 2024-2026

2. PI, NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Grants, “Graphite Haze Formation in sub-Neptune Atmospheres within the Graphite-stability Regime” ($536,661.00, 3 yrs), 2022 to 2025

3. PI, NASA Exoplanet Research Program, “Laboratory Exploration of Hazes in the Atmospheres of the Rocky Planets around M-dwarfs” ($367,964.00, 3 yrs), 2020 to 2022

4. Co-I, NASA Cassini Data Analysis Program, “Understanding Surface Material on Titan” (PI: Julie Brisset, $556,632.00, 3 yrs), 2021 to 2023

5. Co-I, NASA Cassini Data Analysis Program, “Comparing the material properties of Titan aerosols and laboratory-made aerosol analogs” (PI: Xinting Yu, $647,607, 3 yrs), 2022 to 2025

6. PI, HEMI Seed Grant, “Spectral signature of prebiotic molecules in Titan’s surface materials” ($25,000.00, 1 yrs), 2022 to 2023

7. PI, Space@Hopkins Seed Grant, “Electrification of Titan Sand Materials” ($25,000.00, 1 yrs), 2022 to 2023

REFEREED PUBLICATIONS (*indicates Corresponding Author)

[Google Scholar; Total Publications: 49 (19 First Author), H-index: 25, i10-index: 32, Total Citations: 1270 as 03/10/2024]

(1)     Ben K.D. Pearce*, Sarah M. Hörst, Christopher J. Cline, Mark J. Cintala, Chao He*, Joshua A. Sebree, Shannon M. MacKenzie, R. Terik Daly, Alexandra J. Pontefract, Cara Pesciotta, Toward Prebiotic Chemistry on Titan: Impact Experiments on Organic Haze Particles, The Planetary Science Journal, 2024, 5, 68.

(2)     Chao He*, Michael Radke, Sarah E Moran, Sarah M Hörst, Nikole K Lewis, Julianne I Moses, Mark S Marley, Natasha E Batalha, Eliza M-R Kempton, Caroline V Morley, Jeff A Valenti, Veronique Vuitton, Optical Properties of Organic Hazes in Water-rich Exoplanet Atmospheres Observable with JWST, Nature Astronomy, 2024, 8, 182–192.

(3)     Ben K.D. Pearce*, Sarah M. Hörst, Joshua A. Sebree, Chao He*, Organic hazes as a source of life’s building blocks to warm little ponds on the Hadean Earth, The Planetary Science Journal, 2024, 5, 23.

(4)     Cédric Wolters, Veronique Vuitton, François-Régis Orthous-Daunay, Laurène Flandinet, Chao He, Sarah E Moran, Sarah M Hörst, Molecular screening with liquid chromatography coupled to very high-resolution mass spectrometry: Chromatographic methods and data treatment for application to complex organic matter in astrophysical materials, ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 2023, 7 (9), 1661-1674.

(5)     Chao He*, Joseph Serigano,  Sarah M. Hörst, Michael Radke, Titan Atmospheric Chemistry Revealed by N2-CH4Plasma Discharge Experiments, ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 2022, 6(10), 2295-2304.

(6)     Ben K.D. Pearce, Chao He, Sarah M. Hörst, An experimental and theoretical investigation of HCN production in the Hadean Earth atmosphere, ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 2022, 6(10), 2385-2399.

(7)     J. Serigano,  Sarah M. Hörst, Chao He, Thomas Gautier, RV Yelle, TT Koskinen, MG Trainer, Michael Radke, Compositional Measurements of Saturn's Upper Atmosphere and Rings from Cassini INMS: An Extended Analysis of Measurements from Cassini's Grand Finale Orbits, JGR: Planets, 2022, 127, e2022JE007238.

(8)     Francesco Comola, Jasper Kok, Juan Lora, Kaylie Cohanim, Xinting Yu, Chao He, Patty McGuiggan, Sarah Hörst, Francis Turney. Titan’s prevailing circulation might drive highly intermittent, yet significant sediment transport, Geophysical Research Letters, 2022, 49(7), e2022GL097913.

(9)     Chao He*, Sarah M. Horst, Michael Radke, Marcella Yant, Optical Constants of Titan Haze Analogue from 0.4 to 3.5 μm Determined Using Vacuum Spectroscopy, The Planetary Science Journal, 2022, 3, 25.

(10)  Sarah E. Moran, Sarah M. Hörst, Chao He, Michael J Radke, Joshua A Sebree, Noam R Izenberg, Véronique Vuitton, Laurène Flandinet, François‐Régis Orthous‐Daunay, Cédric Wolters, Triton Haze Analogues: the Role of Carbon Monoxide in Haze Formation, JGR: Planets, 2022, 127, e2021JE006984.

(11)  Jialin Li, Xinting Yu, Ella Sciamma-O’Brien, Chao He, Joshua A Sebree, Farid Salama, Sarah M Hörst, Xi Zhang, A Cross-laboratory Comparison Study of Titan Haze Analogs: Surface Energy, The Planetary Science Journal, 2022, 3, 2. 

(12)  Xinting Yu, Chao He, Xi Zhang, Sarah M. Hörst, et al., Haze evolution in temperate exoplanet atmospheres through surface energy measurements, Nature Astronomy, 2021, 5(8), 822-831

(13)  Veronique Vuitton, Sarah E Moran, Chao He, Cédric Wolters, Laurène Flandinet, François-Régis Orthous-Daunay, Sarah M. Horst, H2SO4 and organosulfur compounds in laboratory analogue aerosols of warm high metallicity exoplanet atmospheres, The Planetary Science Journal, 2021, 2, 2.

(14)  Xinting Yu, Sarah M. Horst, Chao He, Patricia McGuiggan, Kai Kristiansen, Xi Zhang, Surface Energy of the Titan Aerosol Analog ‘Tholin’, The Astrophysical Journal, 2020, 905, 88. 

(15)  Chao He*, Sarah M. Horst, Nikole K. Lewis, Xinting Yu, Julianne I. Moses, Eliza M-R Kempton, Mark S. Marley, Patricia McGuiggan, Caroline V. Morley, Jeff A. Valenti, Veronique Vuitton, Haze Formation in Warm H2-rich Exoplanet Atmospheres, The Planetary Science Journal, 2020, 1, 51. 

(16)  J. Serigano,  Sarah M. Hörst, Chao He, Thomas Gautier, RV Yelle, TT Koskinen, MG Trainer Compositional Measurements of Saturn’s Upper Atmosphere and Rings from Cassini INMS, JGR: Planets, 2020, e2020JE006427.

(17)  Sarah E Moran, Sarah M Hörst, Véronique Vuitton, Chao He, Nikole K Lewis, Laurène Flandinet, Julianne I Moses, Nicole North, François-Régis Orthous-Daunay, Joshua Sebree, Cédric Wolters, Eliza M-R Kempton, Mark S Marley, Caroline V Morley, Jeff A Valenti, Chemistry of Temperate Super-Earth and Mini-Neptune Atmospheric Hazes from Laboratory Experiments, The Planetary Science Journal, 2020, 1, 17.

(18)  Chao He*, Sarah M. Hörst, Nikole K. Lewis, Xinting Yu, Julianne I. Moses, Patricia McGuiggan, Mark S. Marley, Eliza M-R Kempton, Sarah E. Moran, Caroline V. Morley, Veronique Vuitton, Sulfur-driven haze formation in warm CO2-rich exoplanet atmospheres, Nature Astronomy, 2020, 4, 986–993.

(19)  Xinting Yu, Sarah M Hörst, Chao He, Patricia McGuiggan, Single particle triboelectrification of Titan sand analogs, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2020, 530, 115996.

(20)  Cédric Wolters, Laurène Flandinet, Chao He, Junko Isa, François-Régis Orthous-Daunay, Roland Thissen, Sarah Hörst, Véronique Vuitton, Enhancing data acquisition for the analysis of complex organic matter in direct infusion Orbitrap mass spectrometry using microscans, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 2020, 34 (15), e8818.

(21)  Chao He*, Sarah M. Hörst, Nikole K. Lewis, Julianne I. Moses, Eliza M.-R. Kempton, Mark S. Marley, Caroline V. Morley, Jeff A. Valenti, & Véronique Vuitton, Gas Phase Chemistry of Cool Exoplanet Atmospheres: Insight from Laboratory Simulations, ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 2019, 3, 39–50.

(22)  Jason J. Benkoski, William L. Luedeman, John O. Teehan, Sarah M. Hörst, Chao He, Ralph D. Lorenz, Experimental Investigation of Surface Adhesion of Titan Analog Materials: Mitigation by Dust-Repellent Coatings, Planetary and Space Science, 2019, 179, 104721. 

(23)  Xinting Yu, Sarah M Hörst, Chao He, Patricia McGuiggan, Bryan Crawford, Where does Titan Sand Come From: Insight from Mechanical Properties of Titan Sand Candidates, JGR Planets, 2018, 123, 2310–2321. 

(24)  Joshua A. Sebree, Madeline Roach, Emma R. Shipley, Chao He, Sarah M. Hörst, Detection of prebiotic molecules in plasma and photochemical aerosol analogs using GC/MS/MS techniques, The Astrophysical Journal, 2018, 865, 133.  

(25)  Chao He*, Sarah M. Horst, Nikole K. Lewis, Xinting Yu, Julianne I. Moses, Eliza M-R Kempton, Mark S. Marley, Patricia McGuiggan, Caroline V. Morley, Jeff A. Valenti, Veronique Vuitton, Photochemical Haze Formation in the Atmospheres of Super-Earths and Mini-Neptunes, The Astronomical Journal 2018, 156, 38. 

(26)  Chao He*, Sarah M. Horst, Nikole K. Lewis, Xinting Yu, Julianne I. Moses, Eliza M-R Kempton, Patricia McGuiggan, Caroline V. Morley, Jeff A. Valenti, Veronique Vuitton, Laboratory Simulations of Haze Formation in the Atmospheres of Super-Earths and Mini-Neptunes: Particle Color and Size Distribution, The Astrophysical Journal Letters 2018, 856, L3. 

(27)  Sarah M. Hörst, Chao He, Melissa S. Ugelow, et al., Exploring the Atmosphere of Neoproterozoic Earth: The Effect of O2 on Haze Formation and Composition, The Astrophysical Journal 2018, 858, 119.

(28)   Sarah M. Hörst, Chao He, Nikole K. Lewis, et al., Haze Production in the Atmospheres of super-Earths and mini-Neptunes: Insights from the Lab, Nature Astronomy, 2018, 2, 303.

(29)  Xinting Yu, Sarah M. Hörst, Chao He, Patricia McGuiggan and Nathan T. Bridges, Direct Measurement of Interparticle Forces of Titan Aerosol Analogs (‘Tholin’) Using Atomic Force Microscopy, JGR Planets, 2017, 122, 12, 2610-2622.

(30)  Chao He*, Sarah M. Hörst, Sydney Riemer, Joshua A. Sebree, Nicholas Pauley and Véronique Vuitton, Carbon Monoxide Affecting Planetary Atmospheric Chemistry, The Astrophysical Journal Letters 2017, 841, L31.

(31)  Xinting Yu, Sarah M. Hörst, Chao He, Nathan T. Bridges, Devon Burr, Joshua A. Sebree and James K. Smith, The Effect of Adsorbed Liquid and Material Density on Saltation Threshold: Insight from Laboratory and Wind Tunnel Experiments. Icarus 2017, 297, 97–109. 

(32)  Chao He* and Mark A. Smith, NMR study of potential compositions in Titan’s lakes, Planetary and Space Science 2015, 110/111, 149–153.

(33)  Chao He* and Mark A. Smith, A comprehensive NMR structural study of Titan aerosol analogs: Implications for Titan’s atmospheric chemistry, Icarus 2014, 243, 31–38.

(34)  Chao He* and Mark A. Smith, Identification of Aminoacetonitrile and adenine in Titan Aerosols Analogs: Implication for Prebiotic Chemistry on Titan and Early Earth, Icarus, 2014, 238, 86–92.

(35)  Morgan L. Cable, Sarah M. Hörst, Chao. He, A. M. Stockton, M. F. Mora, M. A. Tolbert, M. A. Smith and P. A. Willis, Identification of Primary Amines in Titan Tholins using Nonaqueous Microchip Capillary Electrophoresis. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 2014, 402, 99–107. 

(36)  Chao He* and Mark A. Smith, Solubility and Stability Investigation of Titan Aerosol Analogs: New Insight from NMR Analysis, Icarus, 2014, 232, 54–59.

(37)  Ziwei Liu, Ge Tian, Shiyao Zhu, Chao He, Huijuan Yue and Shouhua Feng*, Ready hydrothermal reactions from carbon dioxide to methane, ACS Sustainable chemistry & Engineering 2013,1 (3) 313–315

(38)  Chao He* and Mark A. Smith, Identification of nitrogenous organic species in Titan aerosols analogs: Nitrogen fixation route in early atmospheres. Icarus, 2013, 226, 33–40. 

(39)  Chao He*, Guangxin Lin and Mark A. Smith, NMR identification of hexamethylenetetramine and its precursor in Titan tholins: Implications for Titan prebiotic chemistry, Icarus, 2012, 220, 627–634.

(40)  Chao He, Guangxin Lin, Kathleen T. Upton, Hiroshi Imanaka and Mark A. Smith*, Structural investigation of Titan tholins by solution-state 1H, 13C, and 15N NMR: one-dimensional and decoupling experiments, J. Phys. Chem. A 2012, 116, 4760–4767.

(41)  Chao He, Guangxin Lin, Kathleen T. Upton, Hiroshi Imanaka and Mark A. Smith*, Structural investigation of HCN polymer isotopomers by solution-state multidimensional NMR, J. Phys. Chem. A 2012, 116 (19), 4751–4759.

(42)  Chao He, Bin Hu, Ziwei Liu, Yu Wang, Bohui Lv, Hongming Yuan, Ge Tian* and Shouhua Feng, Some heterocyclic compound formation under hydrothermal conditions: implications for prebiotic chemistry, Heterocycl. Commun., 2012, 18(1), 7–10.    

(43)  Ge Tian, Chao He, Yan Chen, Hongming Yuan, Ziwei Liu, Zhan Shi and Shouhua Feng*, Hydrothermal Reactions from Carbon Dioxide to Phenol, Chemsuschem. 2010, 3(3), 323–324.

(44)  Gull Maheen, Ge Tian, Zhiguang Song, Chao He, Zhan Shi, Ziwei Liu, Hongming Yuan, Shouhua Feng*, A Novel Synthetic Route to Synthesize 2,4,8,10-Tetraoxaspiro[5.5]-Undecane from Formaldehyde under Hydrothermal Conditions, J. Heterocyclic Chem. 2010, 47(2), 483–485.

(45)  Chao He, Ge Tian, Ziwei Liu and Shouhua Feng*, A mild hydrothermal route to fix carbon dioxide to simple carboxylic acids, Organic Letters 2010, 12(4), 649–651.

(46)  Gull Maheen, Ge Tian, Yingwu Wang, Chao He, Zhan Shi, Hongming Yuan and Shouhua Feng*, Resolving the Enigma of Prebiotic C-O-P Bond Formation: Prebiotic Hydrothermal Synthesis of Important Biological Phosphate Esters, Heteroatom Chemistry 2010, 21(3), 161–167.

(47)  Shouhua Feng*, Ge Tian, Chao He, Hongming Yuan, Hydrothermal Biochemistry, Jilin Normal University Journal (Natural Science Edition), 2009, 4.

(48)  Shouhua Feng*, Ge Tian, Chao He, Hongming Yuan, Ying Mu, Yingwu Wang and Ling Wang, Hydrothermal biochemistry: from formaldehyde to oligopeptides, Journal of Material Science 2008, 43, 2418–2425.

(49)  Ge Tian, Hongming Yuan, Ying Mu, Chao He, and Shouhua Feng*, Hydrothermal reactions from sodium hydrogen carbonate to phenol, Organic Letters 2007, 9(10), 2019–2021.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

(1)     Book Chapter: Ge Tian, Chao He, Ziwei Liu and Shouhua Feng, Hydrothermal Reduction of CO2 to Low-Carbon Compounds, Chapter 6 in Hydrothermal Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Low-Carbon Fuels edited by Fangming Jin, CRC Press 2017.

(2)     White Paper: Erika Kohler, Chao He, Sarah E. Moran, S-H Dan Shim, Karalee K. Brugman, Aleisha C. Johnson, Pilar C. Vergeli, Maggie A. Thompson, Heather Graham, Murthy S. Gudipati, Benjamin Fleury, Bryana L. Henderson, The importance of prioritizing exoplanet experimental facilities, A White Paper for the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032, 2020, https://arxiv.org/pdf/2007.13924.pdf

INVITED TALKS

(1)    Chao He, Planetary Atmospheric Chemistry Explored through Lab Simulations. The “Tiandu” Forum, 2024. Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/ University of Science and Technology of China. 

(2)    Chao He, Planetary Atmospheric Chemistry Explored through Lab Simulations. The ET Science Seminar Series, 2023. Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences. 

(3)    Chao He, Laboratory Simulations of Chemistry in (Exo)Planetary Atmospheres, 2023 Kavli-IAU Astrochemistry Symposium. Astrochemistry VIII - From the First Galaxies to the Formation of Habitable Worlds, Traverse City , MI, USA. 

(4)    Chao He, Laboratory Simulations of Chemistry in Planetary Atmospheres. 2022. University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China. 

(5)    Chao He, Photochemical haze formation in exoplanetary atmospheres: Insight from laboratory simulations, ACS Spring 2021 National Meeting & Expo, ACS astrochemistry symposium. 

(6)    Chao He, Photochemistry in Exoplanet Atmospheres: Insight from Lab Experiments, Astrochemistry discussion, 2020, The Chemistry of (Exo)Planetary Atmospheres.

PUBLIC EVENTS

(1)    Participate in live Q&A at the American Museum of Natural History’s Frontiers Lecture: Toxic Titan, Jan 27, 2021