(3ir) Innovative Hybrid Materials for Next-Generation Infrared Sensing

Abstract (Research Interests ): Optical sensing in short-wave and mid-wave infrared (SWIR, MWIR) regions is of paramount importance for applications such as non-invasive medical diagnosis, bio-imaging, environmental monitoring, and communication. Existing technologies for infrared sensing mainly rely on epitaxially grown semiconductors, which require painstaking CMOS-incompatible fabrication processes. Solution-processed hybrid materials platforms will enable the success of high-performance, on-chip, infrared optoelectronic and photonic devices. In particular, hybrid materials with mixed dimensionality have the potential to overcome fundamental limitations and introduce emergent phenomena in single-material platforms. My group will create (a) innovative hybrid materials with tailorable energy landscape, (2) understand and manipulate the flow of energy in hybrid systems, and (3) deliver detailed chemical and photophysical knowledge that will enable the design of low-cost, transformative, infrared optoelectronics. This research program will guide the rational design of novel semiconductors, unveil energy loss mechanisms in electronic devices, and push device performance to the limits.

Research experience: My previous and current work focus on the area of electronic devices and materials for renewable energy. While earning my Ph.D., I devised novel chemical strategies to create nanoscale materials and structures for energy conversion and storage. I created and engineered printable quantum dot inks that can be deposited directly as a dense uniform active layer for light sensing and harvesting. I have also developed a novel solution-processed heterostructure in which quantum dots are epitaxially incorporated into bulk perovskite matrix to address the stability issue of both constituents and exhibit bright infrared emission. My post-doctoral experience at Cambridge further equipped me with a deeper understanding of the excited state dynamics in thin film semiconductors. Taking advantage of the cutting-edge transient absorption microscopy, I directly visualized the carrier transport in quantum-dot-in-perovskite heterostructures and revealed an unprecedented band-like transport regime. This study provides new strategies to improve carrier diffusion length and calls for a re-evaluation of existing device architectures.

Teaching experience: I have a keen interest in teaching and mentoring. I have taught Advanced Functional Materials and Semiconductor Physics, and am now served as an academic supervisor for first-year undergraduate students in Physics at the University of Cambridge. In the future, I am confident to teach a variety of courses in Chemical Engineering, including Transport Phenomena and Thermodynamics. Through the classroom opportunities that I have sought out in my academic career, I have developed a philosophy that effective instruction is inspiring, active, and connected. Further, my mentoring experiences so far with undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students have allowed me to develop leadership and management skills, and have fuelled my enthusiasm to guide students towards successful careers as scientists and engineers.