Research

My research focuses on nanostructured materials and can be summarized into two research programs. The first program is designing multiscale structures in the thin-film materials, such as two-dimensional materials. I studied how to introduce wrinkles structures in the nanomaterials and how these nanostructures affect their properties. The other program is core-shell nanoparticle lattices. I developed different core-shell nanoparticles, arrange them into lattice structures, and further study their plasmonic properties and applications like photocatalysis and nanolasing.

Funding Proposals

Leading proposals

  • “Core-shell Plasmonic Nanoparticle Lattices,” Cottrell Fellowship from Research Corporation for Science Advancement and National Science Foundation, 2020 (Awarded $75,000)

  • “Interactions Between Two-dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides and Bacteria,” Provost's Award for Graduate Research, 2016 (Awarded $1,200)

Proposals written with Prof. Teri W. Odom (PI)

  • NSF CMMI Advanced Manufacturing, 2020 (Awarded)

  • Argonne CNM User Proposals, 2019 and 2020 (Awarded)

  • NSF MRSEC, NSF ERC, NSF CCI (White paper)

Research Program 1: Multiscale Structures of Thin-Film Materials

Spatially defined chemistry: Spatially selective functionalization of graphene by tuning local curvature

Confined and directed graphene wrinkles: Controllable formation of graphene wrinkles via bacteria shrinkage process and anisotropic carrier transport in wrinkled graphene

Thin-film adhesion: Introduced wrinkling as a platform to study adhesion energy

Single-wrinkle devices: Electronic and optoelectronic modifications of single-wrinkle molybdenum disulfide

Hierarchical wrinkles: Formation mechanism of hierarchical wrinkles in thin films

Research Program 2: Nanostructures of Core-Shell NP Lattices

Ultranarrow lattice plasmon: Thermally annealed plasmonic NP lattices can support near theoretically narrow resonances

Plasmonic photocatalysis: Plasmonic photocatalysis in copper-platinum core-shell nanoparticle lattices

Plasmonic nanolasing: Aromatic interactions enhanced nanolasing in graphene encapsulated metal nanoparticle lattices

Invited Seminars and Conference Proceedings

1. [Invited] "Designing Higher-dimensional Structures in 2D Materials," The Institute for Micromanufacturing, Louisiana Tech University, April 2020

2. [Invited] "Designing Higher-dimensional Structures in 2D Materials," Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Utah, February 2020

3. [Invited] "Designing Higher-dimensional Structures in 2D Materials," Department of Chemical Engineering, Auburn University, February 2020

4. "Local Curvature Enables Spatially-Defined Properties in Graphene," 2020 AIChE Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, November 2020

5. "Nanoscale Structural Engineering of Metal Nanoparticle Lattices for Ultra-Narrow Plasmon Resonances," 2020 AIChE Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, November 2020

6. "Multiscale Nanostructures Enable Spatially-defined Graphene Properties," 2019 MRS Fall Meeting, Boston, MA, December 2019

7. "Wrinkled MoS2 Field-effect Transistors", 2017 AIChE Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, October 2017

8. [Invited] "Wrinkles in 2D Nanomaterials," Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, May 2017

9. "Wrinkled MoS2 Field-effect Transistors", 2016 MRS Fall Meeting, Boston, MA, December 2016

10. "Confined, Oriented and Electrically Anisotropic Graphene Wrinkles on Bacteria," 2016 MRS Fall Meeting, Boston, MA, December 2016

11. "Confined, Oriented and Electrically Anisotropic Graphene Wrinkles on Bacteria," 2016 AIChE Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, November 2016

12. "Electrical Properties of Controlled, Longitudinal Wrinkles on Graphene Produced," 2015 MRS Fall Meeting, Boston, MA, December 2015

13. "Floating Wrinkled Graphene on Liquid and Pseudo-liquid Surface," 2015 MRS Fall Meeting, Boston, MA, December 2015

14. "Longitudinal Wrinkles on Graphene Produced via Bacterial-scaffold Shrinkage," 227th ECS Meeting, Chicago, IL, May 2015

15. "Electronic Control via Precise Wrinkling of Graphene with Bacterial Cells," 2014 MRS Spring Meeting, San Francisco, CA, April 2014