Materials Chemistry Frontiers Blog

Materials Chemistry Frontiers Early Career Advisory Board – Open for Nominations

09 Jul 2024

We are delighted to announce that we are now eagerly welcoming nominations for our inaugural Early Career Advisory Board of Materials Chemistry Frontiers. This initiative aims to provide a direct channel for engaging with early-career researchers, supporting their professional development, and infusing our journal with fresh innovative perspectives from the younger generation.

We warmly invite you to nominate emerging investigators to the board or encourage your colleagues to self-nominate before 31 July 2024.

Role of the Early Career Advisory Board

At Materials Chemistry Frontiers, we value the voices of early-career researchers. Joining the board, you will be part of a dynamic group of emerging investigators, helping shape the future of a leading materials chemistry journal and benefiting from networking opportunities with the journal’s Editorial and Advisory Board members.

Your insights will be invaluable as you provide feedback on the journal’s scientific standards, suggest emerging topics and researchers worth featuring, and contribute to promotional and visibility initiatives within your community.

Terms of Service

Normally, members of the Early Career Advisory Board will serve a term of two years, with the possibility of reappointment for a maximum of two consecutive terms.

Eligibility

Nominations are open to researchers of any nationality from academia or industry.
Candidates should typically be under 40 years old and have obtained an academic faculty position or equivalent. Appropriate consideration will be given to those who have taken a career break, followed a different career path or research evaluation system.
Candidates should possess prior experience in publishing articles in reputable academic journals.
Candidates should demonstrate a commitment to advancing materials chemistry through developing high-quality journals.

How to Nominate

Please email the following information to MaterChemFrontiersED@rsc.org for your nominations.

Self-nominations are very welcome. If you are interested in joining our Early Career Advisory Board, please provide:

An up-to-date CV which highlights your engagements in academic activities (representative publications, conferences participation etc.) and services to the wider community (journals, societies, etc.)
Any supplementary materials, such as a personal statement and reference letters.

To nominate someone else, please provide:

Candidate’s name, position, affiliation, website URL and contact details, along with a brief description of the candidate’s research contribution and community engagement
Nominator’s name, position, affiliation and contact details
Any supporting materials, such as an up-to-date CV of the candidate

Selection Criteria

Editorial Board of the journal will consider the following aspects of all nominations as appropriate:

Profile within institute and/or community
Involvement in community and advocacy activities
Area and quality of research
Motivation to join the Early Career Advisory Board

We look forward to receiving your nominations!

Kind Regards,

Professor Shu-Hong Yu
Editor-in-Chief, Materials Chemistry Frontiers
Southern University of Science and Technology

Dr Wenjun Liu
Executive Editor, Materials Chemistry Frontiers
Royal Society of Chemistry

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Materials Chemistry Frontiers Best Covers of 2023

01 Feb 2024

By Yu Zhang, Assistant Editor.

We are proud to announce the three best covers of Materials Chemistry Frontiers in 2023! The awarded works were chosen by our readers through a worldwide vote. To learn more about the science behind the winning pieces, read the cover articles below for free until 29 February 2024.

Functional conductive hydrogels: from performance to flexible sensor applications

Quancai Li, Bin Tian, Jing Liang and Wei Wu *

Mater. Chem. Front., 2023, 7, 2925-2957

https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QM00109A

Enhancement of interfacial sodium ion transport stability in quasi-solid-state sodium-ion batteries using polyethylene glycol

Minjie Hou, Jie Zi, Lanqing Zhao, Yingjie Zhou, Fupeng Li, Zhipeng Xie, Da Zhang, Bin Yang and Feng Liang *

Mater. Chem. Front., 2023, 7, 2027-2037

https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QM00054K

Recent advances of stimuli-responsive viologen-based nanocomposites

Xin Li, Jie Yang * and Ying-Wei Yang *

Mater. Chem. Front., 2023, 7, 1463-1481

https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QM00151B

Congratulations to the winners!

We would like to express our sincere appreciation for all the support and contribution from our authors, reviewers, and readers during 2023.

Looking forward to receiving your high-quality work in 2024.

Happy New Year!

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Emerging Investigator: Gengtao Fu at Nanjing Normal University

15 Sep 2023

By Yu Zhang, Assistant Editor.

Emerging Investigator: Gengtao Fu

Position Professor

Postdoc 2019–2021 The University of Texas at Austin (USA)

2017–2019 Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)

Education 2014–2017 Nanjing Normal University Ph.D.

2011–2014 Nanjing Normal University M.Sc.

ORCID 0000-0003-0411-645X Google Scholar

Read Gengtao Fu’s Emerging Investigator Series article in Materials Chemistry Frontiers and learn more about him.


	Universal synthesis of rare earth-doped FeP nanorod arrays for the hydrogen evolution reaction
	Minnan Chen, Zijing Lin, Yi Ren, Xuan Wang, Meng Li, Dongmei Sun,* Yawen Tang * and Gengtao Fu *
	A universal plasma-assisted strategy is proposed for the fabrication of rare earth-doped FeP as a kind of potential electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction.

	From the themed collection: Frontiers Emerging Investigator Series
	The article was first published on 06 Jul 2023
	Mater. Chem. Front., 2023, 7, 4132-4141
	https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QM00516J

My research interests

Key words: energy storage and conversion, electrocatalysis, rare-earth functional materials, catalytic mechanism

My research interests focus on the rational design and the synthesis of advanced rare-earth functional materials for electrocatalysis, electrochemical energy storage, and conversion. Particularly, I have made great efforts in solving the difficult doping of rare earth elements uniformly in transition metals, ambiguous catalytic mechanisms, and undefined structure-activity relationships, to gradually realize the industrialization and marketization of rare-earth-doped transition metal electrocatalysts in energy conversion devices, such as fuel cells and rechargeable batteries.

10 Facts about me

I published my first academic article on the synthesis and catalytic properties of porous palladium nanospheres in Journal of Materials Chemistry in 2012.

An accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is the pioneering work on identifying the active sites of rare-earth-based transition metal oxides towards electrocatalytic oxygen evolution, published in Advanced Materials, 2023.

The person who has had the greatest influence on my research career is my postdoctoral supervisor Prof. John B. Goodenough at The University of Texas at Austin.

I always feel lucky that my Ph.D. and M.S. advisors directed me to the cutting-edge research fields.

I received the first funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2021.

Good work depends not only on good ideas and results but also on great writing and logic skills.

I advise my students to develop abilities including diligence, strong will, and thinking independently, which are crucial to success in their beginning research career.

A recent epiphany: where there is a will there is a way.

It is my favorite time when I travel with my wife and lovely son.

Click to find out our Emerging Investigators and their work

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Emerging Investigator: Yu Zhou at Nanjing Tech University

15 Sep 2023

By Yu Zhang, Assistant Editor.

Emerging Investigator: Yu Zhou

Position Professor

Visiting Scholar 2016 National University of Singapore

Education 2009–2012 Nanjing University Ph.D.

2006–2009 Nanjing University M.Sc.

Group Website http://www.groupwangjun.com/

ORCID 0000-0003-1757-3705

Read Yu Zhou’s Emerging Investigator Series article in Materials Chemistry Frontiers and learn more about him.


	Ionic polyamide boosting Ru efficiency in reductive amination of carbonyl compounds
	Qizhi Hu, Hongzhong Xu, Yue Wu, Shi Jiang,* Jun Wang* and Yu Zhou*
	Ionic polyamide-stabilized ruthenium nanoparticles for ultra-efficient reductive amination of carbonyl compounds to primary amines with NH₃ and H₂.

	From the themed collection: Frontiers Emerging Investigator Series
	The article was first published on 19 Mar 2023
	Mater. Chem. Front., 2023, 7, 2266-2276
	https://doi.org/10.1039/D2QM01234K

My research interests

Key words: zeolite molecular sieves, ionic liquid-derived materials, heterogeneous catalysis, adsorption and separation, CO₂ capture and conversion

Our research interests focus on the development of functional zeolite molecular sieves and their application in adsorption, separation and catalysis. We developed a unique acid co-hydrolysis route for the synthesis of metal-doped zeolites with varied topology, Si/Al molar ratio and different kinds of metal species such as single atoms, clusters, and nanoparticles. We developed various new synthetic routes for the construction of porous poly(ionic liquid)s, ionic metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), and ionic covalent organic frameworks (COFs). In addition, we evaluated the performance of these molecular sieves in CO₂ capture and conversion, gas separation, biomass conversion, acid-base catalysis, oxidation and hydrogenation reactions, and photo-electrocatalysis.

10 Facts about me

I published my first academic article in Chem. Eur. J. in 2009.

The most important academic article that I published was in Science in 2021.

I received the first funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2013.

My favourite sport is swimming.

I enjoy thinking freely.

One of my favourite activities is playing with my kids.

One of my hidden talents is my patience.

One thing I cannot live without is hope.

An accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is that I have two daughters.

I am most passionate about my work in exploring a new research field because it is full of unknowns, fulfilling my curiosity.

Click to find out our Emerging Investigators and their work

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Achieving high near-room-temperature thermoelectric performance through compositionally tuned hybridization of n-type Ag0:Ag2Se

26 May 2023

By Jie Gao, Assistant Editor.

Thermoelectric materials enable the direct conversion of thermal to electric energy, and as such, have received considerable attention as a source of sustainable clean energy. The performance of a thermoelectric material is characterized by the dimensionless figure of merit, zT = S²σT/κ, where S is the Seebeck coefficient, σ is the electrical conductivity, κ is the thermal conductivity, and T is the absolute temperature. Achieving high zT requires careful design of low thermal conductivity and high power factor (PF = S²σ). Typically, thermoelectric materials with a high zT are heavily doped semiconductors, which have been extensively studied at medium and high temperatures, but less so at near room temperature. Recently, orthorhombic Ag₂Se has attracted much interest for near-room-temperature thermoelectric applications as they are anticipated to catalyze tremendous growth in energy harvesting for advancing internet of things appliances, self-powered wearable medical systems, and self-powered wearable intelligent devices. In order to optimize the thermoelectric performance of orthorhombic Ag₂Se, it is vital to understand the correlation between composition, structure, and transport properties. A variety of methods have been successfully developed for the preparation of Ag₂Se thermoelectric materials, including high-temperature solid-state reactions, room-temperature grinding, high‐energy mechanical milling, and pulsed hybrid reactive magnetron sputtering techniques. In comparison, solution‐based approaches are relatively less investigated for the synthesis of Ag₂Se, though widely used for generating CdSe, ZnSe and Cu_2-xSe compounds, as these methods offer the unique advantage of excellent control over material stoichiometry with high production throughputs at ambient conditions.

Recently, researchers at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and Tianjin University, demonstrated a high ZT value of near unity at near-room-temperature through compositionally tuned hybridization of n-type Ag⁰:Ag₂Se (Fig. 1). A series of n-type Ag⁰:Ag₂Se materials has been systematically prepared through a surfactant-free, aqueous solution-based approach under ambient conditions. This strategy enables fine control over phases and compositions through nanoscale hybridization, yet remains applicable to large-scale production methods. By prolonging reaction times, the synthetic process is carefully developed/optimized to adjust the stoichiometry of Ag and Se by modulating the oxidation states of Ag and Se in the reaction medium, producing a series of Ag⁰:Ag₂Se (Ag⁰ excess at 50.86%, 45.80%, 15.97%, 6.10%, 4.31% and 1.96%) with enhanced thermoelectric properties.

Fig. 1 Schematic synthesis of Ag0:Ag2Se hybrids for a period of 7 days at room temperature under aqueous condition, with different molar ratios of Ag:Se.

After hot-processing the powder by spark plasma sintering, the temperature-dependent electrical conductivity of 45.80% Ag⁰:Ag₂Se prepared by reaction for 1 day was significantly higher than the rest of the Ag⁰:Ag₂Se samples, which relates to its augmented carrier concentration due to hybridization with more Ag⁰. When the reaction time was prolonged, more Ag₂Se was converted from Ag⁰, resulting in a drastic decrease in electrical conductivity for all the Ag⁰:Ag₂Se samples including 6.10%, 4.31%, and 1.96% Ag⁰ from 3, 5 and 7 days of reaction, respectively. The temperature-dependent trends in Seebeck coefficient of Ag⁰:Ag₂Se are opposite to those of electrical conductivity. These attributes lead to the lowest power factor for 45.80% Ag⁰:Ag₂Se, in comparison to the rest of the Ag⁰:Ag₂Se samples (Fig. 2a). In conjunction with fine-grained structure, which effectively scattered phonons at grain boundaries, the optimal excessive Ag⁰ of 1.96% after 7 days of reaction exhibited a high ZT value of close to unity (Fig. 2b).

Fig. 2 (a) Temperature dependence of power factors of the hot- pressed pellets of 45.80%, 6.10%, 4.31%, and 1.96% Ag0:Ag2Se, synthesized after reactions for 1, 3, 5, and 7 days. (b) Temperature dependence of ZT value of the 1.96% Ag0:Ag2Se pellet in comparison with the 4.31% Ag0:Ag2Se pellet.

Instead of doping or alloying, our work presents an effective way to organize different nanoscale building blocks by precise hybridization at nanoscale, preserving the intrinsic properties of Ag₂Se without incorporating different elements. On this basis, it would be of great interest in extending this solution strategy to the synthesis of hybridized multinary silver-based chalcogenides for further enhancing thermoelectric properties. Additionally, this solution approach could also find uses in the general synthesis of other metal chalcogenides, particularly useful for large-scale production.

Corresponding authors:

Tee Si Yin obtained her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from National University of Singapore. Currently, she is working as a research scientist at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR. Her research focuses on the development of functional metal and semiconductor nanostructures for biomedical, environmental and energy applications.

Han Ming-Yong worked with IBM and Indiana University, followed by time spent at the National University of Singapore as a faculty member, before his current appointments with the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering and Tianjin University. His research addresses problems at the interfaces of nanoscience, nanotechnology, biotechnology and energy/biomedical applications. He has published >220 papers and filed >100 patents including national entries, with ~28,000 citations and >300 research highlights. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) and a Web of Science / Scopus highly cited researcher.

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Emerging Investigator: Jianyu Yuan at Soochow University, China

24 Apr 2023

By Yu Zhang, Assistant Editor.

Emerging Investigator: Jianyu Yuan

Position Professor

Education 2011–2016 Soochow University Ph.D.

Read Jianyu Yuan’s Emerging Investigator Series article in Materials Chemistry Frontiers and learn more about him.


	Efficient and stable hybrid conjugated polymer/perovskite quantum dot solar cells
	Hehe Huang, Xuliang Zhang, Chenyu Zhao and Jianyu Yuan *
	Emerging lead halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs) have attracted great research interest relative to conventional metal chalcogenide-based QDs for applications like solar cells.

	From the themed collection: Frontiers Emerging Investigator Series
	The article was first published on 09 Feb 2023
	Mater. Chem. Front., 2023, 7, 1423-1430
	https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QM00015J

My research interests

Key words: conjugated polymers, inorganic nanocrystals, organic–inorganic hybrid nanomaterials, solar cells

My research interests currently center on the molecular design and synthesis of innovative, functional organic and inorganic nanomaterials for applications in photovoltaics. The main research direction in our group is to develop novel organic conjugated polymers, colloidal nanocrystals with tunable features, and to understand the impact of their structure, the surface chemistry environment as well as the aggregation state in the solid film on the relevant photovoltaic performance. Particularly, we strive to explore more efficient hybrid nanomaterials systems, aiming to overcome the limit in materials synthesis, processing, and device fabrication in individual systems, and to further provide a suitable platform for accelerating next-generation solar cells to solve the big energy challenges.

10 Facts about me

I chose my current job because I enjoy every part of my current position.

I published my first academic article on the design and the synthesis of three new wide-bandgap conjugated polymers for efficient organic solar cells with a record-high open circuit voltage over 1 volt in Adv. Funct. Mater. back in 2012.

An accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is being hand in hand with my first love for over 15 years and building our warm family with a lovely daughter.

I am most passionate about my work in training young students because it is the core issue of education.

The most challenging part of my job is teaching students efficiently in accordance with their aptitude.

My favourite clothing brand is Arc’teryx, an outdoor brand utilizing the most advanced and functional materials for clothing design.

If I were not a scientist, I would bea sports player, dreaming to be drafted by the professional leagues.

One thing I cannot live without is my family, since home is a warm harbour.

The most important thing I learnt is that hard work pays off.

I advise my students to make their research work meaningful, useful and impactful.

Click to find out our Emerging Investigators and their work

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Recent developments in transition metal-based MOFs for electrocatalytic water splitting emphasizing fundamental and structural aspects

21 Apr 2023

By Jie Gao, Assistant Editor.

To combat global warming and the climate issue, clean and sustainable energy alternatives to fossil fuels must be developed. Due to the high energy density (142 kJ/mol) and lack of environmental effects, hydrogen is regarded as a clean fuel. Besides this optimistic view, there is still an urgent need for a green, sustainable, and efficient technique for mass production of hydrogen. Electrochemical water splitting is the only method to produce enormous quantities of highly pure hydrogen under favourable conditions, with only a by-product of water. The two half-reactions involved in electrochemical water splitting are the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The nominal breakdown voltage for splitting water is 1.23 V in theory, but in real electrolytic experiment, an extra energy (overpotential) is required to overcome the kinetic barrier and produce hydrogen at a fast enough rate. Overpotential causes energy consumption to rise, which reduces electrochemical water splitting efficiency and a system’s capacity to compete economically. So, the use of electrocatalyst would increase the current density at a given voltage by minimizing the overpotential and further catalysing the electrochemical processes. Hence, a powerful electrocatalyst with high catalytic performance and good static stability is essential for the commercially sustainable production of hydrogen on a wide scale using an electrochemical process. Apart from noble metals, an earth-abundant non-noble metal-based electrocatalyst has been developed significantly over the past few years to minimize the practical cost of the electrocatalyst.

Recently, researchers at the Materials Chemistry Laboratory for Energy, Environment and Catalysis at CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), India has constructed a review on Metal-Organic Framework (MOFs) based materials as electrocatalyst for water splitting especially focusing on OER with brief description over the fundamental and structural aspects (Fig. 1). MOF will be used as a viable contender for many applications, including catalysis, sensing, luminescence, drug administration and imaging, adsorption and separation, gas and energy storage, due to the cage-like structure. The primary benefits of these MOFs include flexible and tunable chemical functions with a variety of organic linkers, tunable shape, high specific surface area, and configurable pore size. Again in this review, they briefly deliberated the most recent advancements in MOF-based electrocatalyst in terms of design and fabrication, characterisation, and catalytic mechanism towards water splitting reaction. In addition, this review also emphasized the challenges and potential of employing a MOF-based materials for water splitting.

Fig.1. Schematic representation of the recent advancement of MOF based materials towards electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER).

Corresponding Author:

Dr. Subrata Kundu

Dr. Subrata Kundu received his Ph.D from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, India in early 2005. Then he moved to University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA and later to Texas A &M University, College station, Texas, USA as a post-doc fellow (from 2005 to 2010). He is currently working as a Principal Scientist at CSIR-CECRI, Karaikudi, India. Dr. Kundu is serving as an associate editor of prestigious ‘Journal of Materials Chemistry A’ and ‘Materials Advances‘ from RSC publishers since 2022. Dr. Kundu and his co-workers are working in the forefront area of Material Sciences with emphasizes on energy, environment, catalysis and electrocatalysis applications.

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Emerging Investigator: Haoke Zhang at Zhejiang University, China

27 Mar 2023

By Yu Zhang, Assistant Editor.

Emerging Investigator: Haoke Zhang

Position Assistant Professor

Education 2015–2018 Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Ph.D.

2012–2015 Zhejiang University M.Eng.

2008–2012 Zhengzhou University B.Eng.

Group Website http://aie-zju.cn/

ORCID 0000-0001-7309-2506 Google Scholar

Read Haoke Zhang’s Emerging Investigator Series article in Materials Chemistry Frontiers and learn more about him.


	In situ monitoring of protein aggregation via clusteroluminescence
	Zhiming Zhang,‡ Longchen Zhu,‡ Jiahui Feng,‡ Haoke Zhang,* Xin Zhang,* Jing Zhi Sun* and Ben Zhong Tang*
	The protein aggregation is successfully monitored using the intrinsic abnormal visible emission at the clustering state, namely clusteroluminescence (CL).

	From the themed collection: Frontiers Emerging Investigator Series
	The article was first published on 30 Dec 2022
	Mater. Chem. Front., 2023, 7, 713-719
	https://doi.org/10.1039/D2QM01032A

My research interests

Key words: through-space interactions, clusteroluminescence, aggregation-induced emission

My research interests focus on the mechanistic study of clusteroluminescence (CL) which is the nonconventional luminescence at the clustering state from non-conjugated structures, with the goal of systematically studying the aggregate photophysics based on through-space interactions. Based on the new theories, we are committed to designing high-efficiency and long-wavelength luminogens with CL properties and developing their biological applications, such as bio-imaging and monitoring of biological processes.

10 Facts about me

I published my first academic article in J. Mater. Chem. C., published by the RSC.

An accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is having organized the 1st International Conference on Clusteroluminescence (ICC).

I am most passionate about my work in developing novel materials because I can create new things from nothing.

One of my dreams is to pursue pure and free academic research without external “noise”.

The motivation for my academic career is an irreparable Walkman in my childhood.

My favourite sport is swimming.

My favourite book is Ordinary World.

If I were not a scientist, I would be an aerospace engineer.

If I have a half-year holiday, I will go on a self-drive tour through Xinjiang and Tibet with my family.

The most important thing I learnt is self-discipline.

Click to find out our Emerging Investigators and their work

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Emerging Investigator: Xiaogang Liu at Singapore University of Technology and Design

27 Mar 2023

By Yu Zhang, Assistant Editor.

Emerging Investigator: Xiaogang Liu

Position Assistant Professor

Education 2010–2014 University of Cambridge Ph.D.

ORCID 0000-0002-2553-2068 Google Scholar

Read Xiaogang Liu’s Emerging Investigator Series article in Materials Chemistry Frontiers and learn more about him.


	The fluorescence quenching mechanism of tetrazine-functionalized fluorogenic labels with integrated π-conjugations: internal conversion to a dark state
	Tianruo Shen, Wenda Zhang, Priya Yadav, Xiao Wei Sun and Xiaogang Liu*
	We formalized a unique working mechanism – internal conversion to a dark state (ICDS) to rationalize the fluorogenicity of the tetrazine-fused fluorophores with integrated π-conjugations.

	From the themed collection: Frontiers Emerging Investigator Series
	The article was first published on 19 Jan 2023
	Mater. Chem. Front., 2023, 7, 1082-1092
	https://doi.org/10.1039/D2QM01264B

My research interests

Key words: dye chemistry, photochemistry, computational chemistry, fluorophores, fluorescent probes

We conduct both computational and experimental studies on fluorescent dyes and sensors. We use both “bottom-up” and “top-down” approaches to systematically summarize molecular design rules. In the “bottom-up” approach, we employ quantum chemical calculations and experimental characterizations to understand the molecular origins of a particular dye, before generalizing such knowledge to a wide range of compounds. In the “top-down” approach, we perform “data mining” in chemical databases and search patterns between molecular structures and their properties; subsequently, we validate these patterns using quantum chemical calculations, and thereby generate molecular design rules.

These rational molecular design rules enable us to develop novel fluorescent dyes and sensors with enhanced performance. A deep understanding of the structure–property relationships of fluorophores also permits us to reveal the photophysics and photochemistry of various fluorescent compounds.

Our research vision is to shift the chemistry of fluorophores from “trial-and-error” to molecular engineering, such that one gains the ultimate abilities to “design” tailored fluorescent properties to suit a given application.

10 Facts about me

An accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is the discovery of a new charge transfer mechanism (twisted intramolecular charge shuttle).

I am most passionate about my work in understanding the working mechanism of fluorescent compounds because it is fascinating to play with light at the molecular scale.

I published my first academic article on the invisibility cloak in 2010, as a research engineer. It teaches me the importance of teamwork. I have since switched my research directions several times, for curiosity and fun!

My biggest motivation to do research is to uncover the secrets of the natural world.

I advise my students to be critical about any views in the pursuit of science, including those from me.

If I were not a scientist, I would be a teacher. I enjoy teaching and interacting with students.

My passion besides work is reading and travel.

My favorite time of day is early morning at home, with the sunrise and music.

One thing I cannot live without is my family.

The most important thing I learned from my parents is caring for others.

Click to find out our Emerging Investigators and their work

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Emerging Investigator: Nan Jiang at the University of Illinois Chicago, USA

27 Mar 2023

By Yu Zhang, Assistant Editor.

Emerging Investigator: Nan Jiang

Position Associate Professor

Postdoc 2010–2015 Northwestern University (USA)

Education 2004–2010 Institute of Physics, CAS Ph.D.

2000–2004 University of Science and Technology of China B.Sc.

Website https://jiang.lab.uic.edu/

ORCID 0000-0002-4570-180X Google Scholar

Read Nan Jiang’s Emerging Investigator Series article in Materials Chemistry Frontiers and learn more about him.


	The selective blocking of potentially catalytically active sites on surface-supported iron oxide catalysts
	Dairong Liu, Linfei Li, Buddhika S. A. Gedara, Michael Trenary and Nan Jiang*
	Selective growth of Pd and Pt on the edges of Au(111) supported FeO islands was observed. The complicated interfaces formed in selective growth raise a platform for the research of edge involved catalytic reactions.

	From the themed collection: Frontiers Emerging Investigator Series
	The article was first published on 23 Dec 2022
	Mater. Chem. Front., 2023, 7, 476-482
	https://doi.org/10.1039/D2QM01025A

My research interests

Key words: scanning probe microscope, Raman spectroscopy, tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, nanoscience, nanomaterials

The goals of my research group are to develop and apply scanning probe-based nanotechnology, including scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) to provide angstrom-scale mechanistic insights for complex chemical systems. My research is at the interface of Chemistry and Materials Science and provides the needed information about environmental heterogeneity in complex chemical systems such as nanostructures on metal surfaces and the surfaces of two-dimensional (2D) materials. My group is uniquely positioned to characterize these systems both spatially and chemically using STM and TERS. With the optical set-up which I designed, my group is now able to: (1) observe weak vibrational modes that would be lost with less sensitive Raman techniques, (2) improve the signal-to-noise ratio for TERS to investigate subtle changes in molecular binding at the atomic level, and (3) achieve spatial resolution of TERS below 1 nm. These findings will guide the rational design of nanoscale systems.

10 Facts about me

I published my first academic article as an undergraduate research assistant at the University of Science and Technology of China.

An accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is developing a hybrid technique by combining scanning probe microscopy with optical spectroscopy to understand and predict the single-molecule processes at the angstrom scale.

I am most passionate about my work in pushing the spatial limit of chemical imaging because single-bond chemistry can be ultimately observed.

I have the highest respect for Prof. Richard P. Van Duyne. He was a role model and leader who asked hard questions and provided enthusiastic suggestions for paths forward while also appreciating each student or postdoc for who they were. Although Prof. Van Duyne passed away in 2019, his legacy lives on in the minds he molded where his passion for science lives on.

My favourite thing to do outside of work is traveling. I can explore the unknown world and learn more.

I chose chemistry as a career because chemistry can create new things.

A key experience in my education was having done multiple-major studies in multiple countries.

The biggest challenge for me is to convince others to believe in my crazy scientific proposals.

One thing that can make me happy for sure is visiting a new country (maybe a new planet in the future).

I advise my students to be valuable men, which is more important than just being successful men.

Click to find out our Emerging Investigators and their work

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Materials Chemistry Frontiers Blog

Materials Chemistry Frontiers Early Career Advisory Board – Open for Nominations

Role of the Early Career Advisory Board

Terms of Service

Eligibility

How to Nominate

Selection Criteria

Materials Chemistry Frontiers Best Covers of 2023

Emerging Investigator: Gengtao Fu at Nanjing Normal University

Emerging Investigator: Yu Zhou at Nanjing Tech University

Achieving high near-room-temperature thermoelectric performance through compositionally tuned hybridization of n-type Ag0:Ag2Se

Emerging Investigator: Jianyu Yuan at Soochow University, China

Recent developments in transition metal-based MOFs for electrocatalytic water splitting emphasizing fundamental and structural aspects

Emerging Investigator: Haoke Zhang at Zhejiang University, China

Emerging Investigator: Xiaogang Liu at Singapore University of Technology and Design

Emerging Investigator: Nan Jiang at the University of Illinois Chicago, USA

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