Research
2D Materials
2D materials represent a fascinating class of materials which exhibit rich physics and remarkable electronic, optical, thermal, mechanical and elastic properties. We are interested in the optical properties of 2D materials in their pristine free-standing form and their point defects and vertically stacked or laterally stitched heterostructures, as well as in the presence of substrate and capping layers. We are also interested in the interfacial exciton dynamics (charge and energy transfer) in 2D heterostructures.
CPE for Neuromorphic Computing
Neuromorphic computing represents a potentially disruptive technology that breaks away from the conventional Turing-von Neumann paradigm and necessitates the development of biologically-inspired devices to construct machines with artificial intelligence capabilities. We integrates high-throughput computation, machine learning, multiscale modeling to accelerate the discovery of novel conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) with chemical structures tailored for the demands of neuromorphic engineering. CPE genome: https://cpegenome.com/
Catalysis
The use of mechanical stress or strain to augment traditional alloying methods provides an avenue both for fine-tuning reaction specificity and/or selective and active control during chemical processes. We are currently working on computational design of new nanostructures (e.g., nanoparticles, nanowires, nanorods, nanoplates, nanorings) for catalytic reactions including oxygen reduction reaction, hydrogen evolution reaction, and CO2 electro-reduction, in a close collaboration with experimental groups.
Plasmonics
Local surface plasmon resonances formed by electronic collective excitations in nanostructures, enable strong optical absorption and scattering in the subwavelength scale, leading to novel applications in chemical and biological sensing, optoelectronics, photovoltaics. We are interested in the dependence of plasmonic spectrum on the shape, size, and array of nanostructures. We are also interested in plasmonic-enhanced photo catalysis, for examples, plasmonic metal induced enhancements in the rates of photo catalytic water splitting (or related oxygen- and hydrogen- evolution half reactions) on composite plasmonic metal/semiconductor photo catalysts; direct, energetic electron-driven photo catalysis on plasmonic nanostructures.
