Research

Emergent Materials and Intelligent TEM (EMIT) Lab aims to advance the synthesis, characterization, and analysis of emergent functional materials via developing AI-driven combinational toolkit. Our research focuses on three interconnected areas:

1. Intelligent Synthesis: We develop automated robotic systems for high-throughput chemical synthesis and automated sample preparation for structural and functional characterization. Synthetic routes are dynamically optimized in real time based on AI-guided analysis of characterization data.

2. Intelligent Characterization: We develop intelligent transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques, including novel hardware for liquid-cell TEM and advanced data analysis algorithms for in situ and 4D TEM. These innovations enable us to uncover the fundamental structure-property relationships at the atomic scale..

3. Artificial Intelligence: We leverage AI techniques to design hierarchical materials, predict their structures and properties, and develop intelligent algorithms for analyzing complex characterization datasets, particularly from in situ and high-throughput experiments.




Multiscale hybridization of nanocrystals (e.g., quantum dots and nanosheets) and soft matrix (e.g., elastomers and liquid crystals), prepared through controllable self-assembly with emphasis on topology and strong electronic coupling, applications shown in the outer ring.
Combination of liquid-cell TEM and low-dose techniques enables the real-time in-situ imaging of synthesis and self-assembly of nanocrystals with atomic resolution and can also be used for e-beam sensitive materials such as soft matter and energy materials.
Artificial intelligence research in our lab consists of two interactive directions: developing algorithms to automatically identify materials structures from raw TEM data and optical spectra; developing learning networks to predict the products of chemistry in different environments.

TEAM

Principal Investigator

Dr. Yu Wang 王宇   |   pdf pdf mail
Professor, School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology

Postdoc Researchers

Zhihao Li 李之豪   |   mail
PhD from Xiamen Univ
Catassembly and DFT Calculations

Ph.D. Students

Yansong Jiang 姜岩松   |   mail
MSc from Jilin Univ
Nanocrystals and Applications

Xiang Zhou 周翔   |   mail
MSc from Shanxi Univ
TEM and Hybrid Materials

Xuehai Huang 黄雪海   |   mail
BSc from Tiangong Univ
Artificial Intelligence and TEM

Xianhang Huang 黄锨航   |   mail
MSc from SCUT
Catalysis and In-situ Characterizations

Hong Li 李宏   |   mail
MSc from Lanzhou Jiaotong Univ
Nanocrystals and Applications

Hang Zhang 张航   |   mail
MSc from Taiyuan Univ of Tech
Catalysis and In-situ Characterizations

Master Students and Research Assistants

Kefan Yang 杨可凡   |   mail
BSc from Dalian Univ of Tech
Emergent Materials

Huirong Liu 刘慧荣   |   mail
BSc from South China Univ of Tech
Emergent Materials

Yingyao Li 李滢耀   |   mail
BSc from Guangzhou Univ
Emergent Materials

Junjie Lin 林俊杰   |   mail
BSc from Central South Univ
AI for Science

Luyu Chen 陈露雨   |   mail
North China Univ of Sci Tech
Catalysis and In situ Characterizations

Shengnan Cheng 程胜南   |   mail
Wuhan Univ of Sci Tech
Nanocrystals and Applications

Yu Huang 黄瑜   |   mail
BSc from SCUT
AI for Science

Yeqing Liu 刘晔青   |   mail
BSc from Sichuan Univ
Catalysis and In situ Characterizations

Undergraduate Students

Zhenda He 何镇达   |   mail
School of Emergent Soft Matter 2021

Xinyi Pan 潘忻宜   |   mail
School of Emergent Soft Matter 2021

Wenxin Chang 常文馨   |   mail
School of Emergent Soft Matter 2021

Yang Zhang 张阳   |   mail
Department of Physics 2021

Yintong Liu 刘胤彤   |   mail
School of Emergent Soft Matter 2022

Shengmin Zhou 周盛旻   |   mail
School of Emergent Soft Matter 2023

Alumni

Panjing Zhang 张潘静
MSc 2021-2024
GBA Research Institute

Daiyue Sun 孙岱岳
BSc 2021-2023
Johns Hopkins Univ.

Puquan Pan 潘朴泉
BSc 2021-2023
UIUC

Haotian Long 龙浩天
BSc 2022-2024
Univ. of Pennsylvania

Welcome to our charming Campus!

GuangZhou International Campus of South China University of Technology

Gallery of Lab

Publications

[30] C. Chen, L. Cao, Y. Liu, Z. Li, Z. Li, G. Zhou, D. Zhang, X. Huang, Y. Wang*, G. Li, L. Liu, Y. Yuan, Y. Zhang, Q. Wang, Y. Chen, Z. Shi, Q. Fang, Z. Huang, Z. Lai, and Y. Han*
Investigating a Seemingly Simple Imine-Linked Covalent Organic Framework Structure.
J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2024, 146, 35504.

[29] Y. Meng, M. Wang, J. Wang, X. Huang, X. Zhou, M. Sajid, Z. Xie, R. Luo, Z. Zhu, Z. Zhang, N. Khan, Y. Wang*, Z. Li*, and W. Chen*
Robust bilayer solid electrolyte interphase for Zn electrode with high utilization and efficiency.
Nat. Commun., 2024, 15, 8431

[28] X. Liu, X. Yan*, Y. Liu, H. Qu, Y. Wang, J. Wang, Q. Guo, H. Lei, X. Li, F. Bian, X. Cao, R. Zhang, Y. Wang, M. Huang, Z. Lin, E. W. Meijer, T. Aida, X. Kong*, and S. Z.D. Cheng*
Self-assembled soft alloy with Frank–Kasper phases beyond metals.
Nat. Mater., 2024, 23, 570.

[27] Y. Meng, M. Wang, K. Li, Z. Zhu, Z. Liu, T. Jiang, X. Zheng, K. Zhang, W. Wang, Q. Peng, Z. Xie, Y. Wang, and W. Chen*
Reversible, dendrite-free, high-capacity aluminum metal anode enabled by aluminophilic interface layer.
Nano Lett., 2023, 23, 2295.

[26] Y. Xie, J. Wang, B. Savitzky, Z. Chen, Y. Wang, S. Betzler, K. Bustillo, K. Persson, Y. Cui, L. Wang, C. Ophus*, P. Ercius*, and H. Zheng*
Spatially resolved structural order in low-temperature liquid electrolyte.
Sci. Adv., 2023, 9, eadc9721.

[25] Y. Wang,# Z. Song,# J. Wan, S. Betzler, Y. Xie, C. Ophus, K. Bustillo, P. Ercius, L. Wang, and H. Zheng∗
Strong structural and electronic coupling in metavalent PbS moiré superlattices.
J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2022, 144, 23474.

[24] Z. Song,# Y. Wang,# H. Zheng, P. Narang,* and L. Wang*
Deep quantum-dot arrays in moiré superlattices of non-van der Waals materials.
J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2022, 144, 14657. 

[23] Q. Zhang,# Z. Song,# Y. Wang,# Y. Nie, J. Wan, K. Bustillo, P. Ercius, L. Wang, L. Sun, and H. Zheng*
Swap motion–directed twinning of nanocrystals.
Sci. Adv., 2022, 8, eabp9970.

[22] Y. Liu, Tong Liu, X. Yan, Q. Guo, H. Lei, Z. Huang, R. Zhang, Y. Wang, J. Wang, F. Liu, F. Bian, E.W. Meijer, T. Aida, M. Huang*, and Stephen Z.D. Cheng*
Expanding quasiperiodicity in soft matter: Supramolecular decagonal quasicrystals by binary giant molecule blends.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2022, 119, e2115304119.
 

Prior to joining SCUT (2021.08)

[21] J. Jiang, Y. Wang, L. Jin, C-H Hsu, S. Zhang, J. Mao, W. Yin, T. Li, B. Ni, Z. Su, J. Huang, C. Wesdemiotis, K. Yue, W. Zhang*, and S. Z. D. Cheng*.
Modularly constructed polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-based giant molecules for unconventional nanostructure fabrication.
ACS Appl. Nano Mater., 2020, 3, 2952.
 

[20] Y. Wang,† X. Peng,† A. Abelson, P. Xiao, C. Qian, L. Yu, C. Ophus, P. Ercius, L-W. Wang, M. Law, and H. Zheng*.
Dynamic deformability of individual PbSe nanocrystals during superlattice phase transitions.
Sci. Adv., 2019, 5, eaaw5623
Highlighted by Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

[19] H. L. Zhang,† Y. Wang,† H. Zhang,† X. Liu,† A. Lee, Q. Huang, F. Wang J. Chao, H. Liu, J. Li, J. Shi, X. Zuo, L. Wang, L. Wang, X. Y. Cao, C. Bustamante, Z. Q. Tian*, and C. H. Fan*.
Programming chain-growth co-polymerization of DNA hairpin tiles for in-vitro hierarchical supramolecular organization.
Nat. Commun., 2019, 10, 1006
 

[18] Y. Wang,† Y. Sun,† P. Shi, X. Lin, P. Zhang, H. Fang, P. Peng, Z. Q. Tian, and X. Cao*.
Chaperone-like chiral cages for catalyzing enantioselective supramolecular polymerization.
Chem. Sci., 2019, 10, 8076
Selected as Front Cover, Editor’s Pick of the Week, and 2019 Chemical Science HOT Article Collection.
Highlighted by RSC news as “Coaching catalysis”.

[17] Y. Wang, X. Peng, A. Abelson, B. Zhang, P. Ercius, L-W. Wang, M. Law, and H. Zheng*.
Atomic-resolution in situ observation of the necking phenomenon during oriented attachment of PbSe nanocrystals
Nano Res., 2019, 12, 2549
 

[16] Z. Su, C. Hsu, Z. Gong, X. Feng, J. Huang, R. Zhang, Y. Wang, J. Mao, C. Wesdemiotis, T. Li, S. Seifert, W. Zhang, T. Aida, M. Huang*, and S. Z.D. Cheng*.
Identification of a Frank–Kasper Z phase from shape amphiphile self-assembly.
Nat. Chem., 2019, 11, 899.
 

[15] R. Lu, X. Yan, L. Zhu, L. Yang, H. Qu, X. Wang, M. Luo, Y. Wang, R. Chen, X. Wang, Y. Lan, J. Pei, W. Weng, H. Xia, and X. Cao*.
Unveiling how intramolecular stacking modes of covalently linked dimers dictate photoswitching properties.
Nat. Commun., 2019, 10, 5480.
 

[14] Q. Zhang, G. Gao, Y. Shen, X. Peng, J. Shangguan, Y. Wang, H. Dong, K. Bustillo, L. Wang, L. Sun, and H. Zheng*.
Anomalous shape evolution of Ag2O2 nanocrystals modulated by surface adsorbates during electron beam etching.
Nano Lett., 2019, 19, 591.
 

[13] X. X. Peng, A. Abelson, Y. Wang, C. Qian, J. Shangguan, Q. Zhang, L. Yu, Z. W. Yin, W. Zheng, K. C. Bustillo, X. Guo, H. G. Liao, S. G. Sun, M. Law, and H. M. Zheng*.
In situ TEM study of the degradation of PbSe nanocrystals in air.
Chem. Mater., 2019, 31, 190.
 

[12] Y. Wang,† H. X. Fang,† I. Tranca, H. Qu, X. C. Wang, A. J. Markvoort*, Z. Q. Tian, and X. Y. Cao*.
Elucidation of the origin of chiral amplification in discrete molecular polyhedra.
Nat. Commun., 2018, 9, 488 

[11] Z. A. Nan, Y. Wang*, Z. X. Chen, S. F. Yuan, Z. Q. Tian, and Q. M. Wang*.
Catalyzed assembly of hollow silver-sulfide cluster through self-releasable anion template.
Commun. Chem. 2018, 1, 99.
 

[10] X. C. Wang, P. X. Peng, W. Xuan, Y. Wang, Y. B. Zhuang, Z. Q. Tian, and X. C. Cao*.
Narcissistic chiral self-sorting of molecular face-rotating polyhedra.
Org. Biomol. Chem., 2018, 16, 34.
 

[9] H. Qu, Y. Wang*, Z. H. Li, X. C. Wang, H. X. Fang, Z. Q. Tian, and X. Y. Cao*.
Molecular face-rotating cube with emergent chiral and fluorescence properties.
J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2017, 139, 18142.

[8] Y. Wang, H. X. Fang, W. Zhang, Y. B. Zhuang, Z. Q. Tian, and X. Y. Cao*.
Interconversion of molecular face-rotating polyhedra through turning inside out.
Chem. Commun., 2017, 53, 8956
 

[7] Y. Wang, Y. B. Sun, X. B. Ding, J. H. Liang, X. Y. Cao, and Z. Q. Tian*.
A combined electro- and photo-chemical approach to repeatedly fabricate 2D molecular assemblies.
Electrochim. Acta., 2017, 246, 823.
 

[6] Z. W. Lin, J. Sun, Y.B. Zhou, Y. Wang, H. Xu, X. Yang, H. Su, H.G. Cui, T. Aida, W. Zhang*, and S. Z.D. Cheng*.
A noncrystallization approach toward uniform thylakoids-like 2D “nano-coins” and their grana-like 3D suprastructures.
J. Am. Soc. Chem., 2017, 139, 5883.
 

[5] X. C. Wang,† Y. Wang,† H. Y. Yang, H. X. Fang, R. X. Chen, Y. B. Sun, N. F. Zheng, K. Tan, X. Lu, Z. Q. Tian, and X. Y. Cao*.
Assembled molecular face-rotating polyhedra to transfer chirality from two to three dimensions.
Nat. Commun., 2016, 7, 12469.
 

[4] L. Q. Xie, T. Y. Zhang, L. Chen, N. Guo, Y. Wang, G. K. Liu, J. R. Wang, J. Z. Zhou, J. W. Yan, Y. X. Zhao, B. W. Mao*, and Z. Q. Tian.
Organic–inorganic interactions of single crystalline organolead halide perovskites studied by Raman spectroscopy.
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2016, 18, 18112.
 

[3] H. X. Lin, L. Chen, D. Y. Liu, Z. C. Lei, Y. Wang, X. S. Zheng, B. Ren, Z. X. Xie, Galen D. Stucky*, and Z. Q. Tian*.
Constructing two-dimensional nanoparticle arrays on layered materials inspired by atomic epitaxial growth.
J. Am. Soc. Chem., 2015, 137, 2828.
 

[2] Y. Wang, H. X. Lin, L. Chen, S. Y. Ding, Z. C. Lei, D. Y. Liu, X. Y. Cao*, H. J. Liang, Y. B. Jiang, and Z. Q. Tian*.
What molecular assembly can learn from catalytic chemistry.
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2014, 43, 399.
 

[1] Y. Wang, H. X. Lin, S. Y. Ding, D. Y. Liu, L. Chen, Z. C. Lei, F. R. Fan, and Z. Q. Tian*.
Some thoughts about controllable assembly (I) — From catalysis to catassembly.
关于可控组装的一些思考(一)——从催化到催组装

Sci. Sin. Chim., 2012, 4, 525; 中国科学:化学, 2012, 4, 525.

Teaching

Prof. Wang is currently lecturing three courses:

1. Introduction of Smart Materials (undergraduate)

2. Scientific Writing and Illustration (undergraduate)

3. Scientific Writing and Academic Intgrety (graduate)

Related students, please click the above links to get course materials.

Funding

Positions

Postdoctoral Researcher
We are always looking for talented postdoctoral fellows interested in our integrated research field. All postdocs receive internationally competitive financial support packages and superior benefits from local governments. Please contact EMIT Lab PI with your cover letter, CV, and representative publications. 

Graduate Students
We have vacancies for both Ph.D. students and Master students. You can contact EMIT Lab PI even before getting your postgraduate recommendation or entrance examination.

Undergraduate Students
Undergraduates are welcome to join our group meeting, and we have some interesting projects suitable for you! Just shoot us an email or come to the office directly!

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    • 381 Wushan Rd, South China University of Technology, Tianhe Dist, Guangzhou, China, 510641

    • 020-22237368
    • 广州市天河区华南理工大学(五山校区)北区科技园2号楼304室;广州市番禺区华南理工大学(国际校区)C2-b402室