Research
Research
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Introduction:
Colloidal metal nanocrystals have received ever-increasing interest because of their unique position in bridging bulk solids with atomic/molecular species. In addition, nanocrystals made of Au, Ag, Cu, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru, and Ir have distinctive properties for applications in photonics, electronics, catalysis, energy conversion, sensing, and biomedicine. Engineering a particular set of physical parameters such as their size, composition (e.g., solid-solution monometallic, multimetallic, high-entropy alloy, intermetallic, and phase-segregated), stacking phase (e.g., fcc, bcc, and hcp), crystal structure (e.g., single-crystal, singly-twinned, multiply-twinned, and stacking-fault lined), surface structure (e.g., exposed facet and twin boundary), and internal structure (e.g., solid, hollow box, cage, and frame) are central to the realization of their diverse applications.
Our group aim to bring revolutionary advances to the chemical synthesis of colloidal monometallic, bimetallic, multimetallic, and heterostructured nanocrystals with controlled physical parameters and thus physicochemical properties. We also focus on a long-standing problem in chemistry and physics--mechanistic understanding and control of nucleation and growth of colloidal metal nanocrystals by developing new tools and methods capable of capturing, identifying, and quantifying the nuclei, seeds, and nanocrystals. Furthermore, to build a bridge between academic research and industrial applications, our group also develop various batch and continuous flow reactors for the scale-up production of colloidal metal nanocrystals while keeping high quality and good uniformity sought for applications in catalysis, energy, and environmental issues.
Current Research Projects:
Chemical synthesis of colloidal monometallic, multimetallic, high-entropy alloy, and heterostructured nanocrystals with controlled physicochemical properties.
Development of new tools and methods capable of capturing, identifying, and quantifying the nucleation and growth of colloidal metal nanocrystals at different stages of a synthesis.
Design of batch and continuous flow reactors to scale up production of colloidal metal nanocrystals for chemical, energy, and automobile industries.
Applications of colloidal metal nanocrystals toward chemical catalysis (e.g., hydrogenation reaction and dehydrogenation reaction), photocatalysis (e.g., Suzuki coupling reaction), and electrocatalysis (e.g., fuel cell reactions: oxygen reduction reaction, methanol oxidation reaction, and formic acid oxidation reaction; water splitting reactions: hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction; carbon dioxide reduction).
Research Highlights
Toward a Quantitative Understanding of the Reduction Pathways of a Salt Precursor in the Synthesis of Metal Nanocrystals.
Nano Letters 2017, 17, 334.
Thermal stability of Metal Nanocrystals: An Investigation of the Surface and Bulk Reconstructions of Pd Concave Icosahedra.
Nano Letters 2017, 17, 3655.
Autocatalytic Surface Reduction and Its Role in Controlling Seed-Mediated Growth of Colloidal Metal Nanocrystals.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 2017, 114, 13619.
Our PNAS Paper Was Highlighted in Georgia Tech Research News: Project Will Provide Reaction Kinetics Data for Deterministic Synthesis of Metallic Nanocrystals, NSF, and Many Other News Media.
Enabling Complete Ligand Exchange on the Surface of Gold Nanocrystals through the Deposition and then Etching of Silver.
Journal of the American Chemical Society 2018, 141, 11898.
Electron Field Emission of Geometrically-Modulated Monolayer Semiconductors.
Advanced Functional Materials 2018, 28, 1706113. (Highlighted as Back Cover)
Decahedral Nanocrystals of Noble Metals: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications.
Materials Today 2019, 22, 108.
Surface Capping Agents and Their Roles in Shape-Controlled Synthesis of Colloidal Metal Nanocrystals.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2020, 59, 2.
Noble-Metal Nanoframes and Their Catalytic Applications.
Chemical Reviews 2021, 121, 796.
Understanding the Role of Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) in Stabilizing and Capping Colloidal Silver Nanocrystals
ACS Nano 2021, 15, 14242.
Toward controllable and predictable synthesis of high-entropy alloy nanocrystals
Science Advances 2023, 9, eadf9931.
Decreasing the O2-to-H2O2 Kinetic Energy Barrier on Dilute Binary Alloy Surfaces with Controlled Configurations of Isolated Active Atoms
Advanced Functional Materials 2024.
A Catalyst Family of Metastable High-Entropy-Alloy Atomic Layers with Square Atomic Arrangements Comprising Iron- and Platinum-Group Metals "
Science Advances 2024.
(亦受清大首頁故事: 清華大學建立全球第一個高熵合金奈米晶體資料庫及數個科學媒體報導)
A Library of Seed@High-Entropy-Alloy Core-Shell Nanocrystals with Controlled Facets for Catalysis.
Advanced Materials 2025.
Unconventional Hexagonal Close-Packed High-Entropy Alloy Surfaces Synergistically Accelerate Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution.
Advanced Science 2025.
Spectroscopic and Theoretical Insights into High-Entropy-Alloy Surfaces and Their Interfaces with Semiconductors for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production.
Small 2025.
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