Abstract:

Our materials world is characterized by the dynamic interactions among electrons, ions, and their environment. Accelerating the discovery and design of electronic materials for efficient energy utilization therefore demands coherent and integrative framework to effectively quantify and engineer the charge and energy transport across different time and length scales. However, there remains critical gaps between fundamental understandings of atomic-level structural details and scalable practical applications; between isolated experimental probes and the complexity of emerging correlated phenomenal and between snapshots of quenched structures and dynamic chemical processes occurring in real time.

In this talk, I will mainly focus on the development of hybrid molecular solids with emerging physical and electrochemical properties, enabled by the precise integration of two dissimilar atomically thin systems: two-dimensional (2D) molecular crystals and 2D covalent crystals. I will explain how this platform allows simultaneous control of localized molecular states and dispersive band states within a single material, enabling switchable charge localization at room temperature. I will demonstrate how such hybrid systems could unlock powerful potentials of molecular design and electron transport, offering new opportunities to transform novel condensed-matter phases for practical development in energy technology and microelectronics.

To uncover structural and dynamical aspects of these novel low-dimensional systems, I will also introduce powerful in situ electrochemical and transport platforms, cutting-edge transmission microscopy, and novel nanofabrication techniques. This multiscale and dynamical approach enables correlated structural and property interrogation across wide spatial and temporal regimes, revealing emergent behaviors arising from correlated electronic and ionic interactions. Together, these advances establish a pathway toward practically relevant, integrated electronic systems for energy and computation technologies.

Bio:

Mengyu Gao is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Chemistry and James Franck Institute at the University of Chicago, working with Jiwoong Park, where his research pioneers electron transport and electrochemical investigation of atomically thin hybrid electronic solids. He received his Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, under the supervision of Peidong Yang. His Ph.D. work focused on the development of synthesis and transmission electron microscopy techniques for nanoscale semiconductor materials. Prior to that, he received a B.S.E. degree at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. His work has been published in journals including Science, Nature Nanotechnology, and JACS. His research has been recognized by awards including MRS Graduate Student Award, James Franck Institute Director's Award, Suzuki Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, etc.