Aerosol Intelligence Lab

Based on aerosol nanotechnology, our group harnesses the “artificial lightning” to create aerosol nanoparticles ranging from single metals to unprecedented alloys (e.g., high-entropy alloys and immiscible alloys). Using these nanoparticles as building blocks, we also control their dynamic interplay with “lines of forces” to print 3D architectures, with nanometer-scale control over the size, orientations, and position of each nanostructure. Based on the understanding of the complex aerosol systems, we weave together various possibilities for unprecedented forms of matter–from nanomanufacturing to 3D printing. The resulting structures can cover self-organized materials, active bio-inspired materials and metamaterials that have mechanical or optical or electrical properties that do not occur in nature. This highly promising discipline will open up new horizons in many fields, just name a few: nanoscale additive manufacturing (also known as 3D nanoprinting), chip technology, nanoelectronics, photonics, nanofinishing and catalysts.

Ongoing projects:

'Superatoms': Beyond the periodic table of elements

Clusters of atoms, named as atomic clusters or superatoms may behave just like solitary atoms, because they have electrons that ‘circle’ the entire cluster. Their properties change abruptly and nonpredictively, a stage in which even the addition of a single atom or electron may cause a drastic change. In this regime, the electron wavelength becomes comparable to the cluster size. The fact that properties of matter at this length scale are fundamentally different from their bulk behavior can be effectively used to create materials with tailored properties. Such clusters can also be assembled by our Faraday 3D nanoprinting, the resulting cluster-assembled materials are expected to expand the scope of materials science.

Faraday 3D nanoprinting: Electric field lines as a 3D drawing tool

We have sucessfully devise a system that enables the control of electric field lines into a 3D drawing tool. This foundamentally new 3D printing technique will help resolving the limits encoutered in lighograpic technologies. The 3D-printed architectures have nanometer-scale control over the size, orientations, and position of each nanostructure. Based on the understanding of the complex system, we weave together various possibilities for unprecedented forms of matter–from nanomanufacturing to 3D nanoprinting.

Faraday 3D nanoprinting: Electric field lines as a 3D drawing tool

3D-printed nanodevices: Powering nanoelectronics and photonics

Noble metal nanostructures display remarkable optical properties that arise from the coupling of incident light to the collective motion of the conduction electrons. The excitation, propagation, and localization of these plasmons can be tailored by the geometry and size of 3D-printed nanostructures. Their subwavelength optical confinement has enabled nanoscale photonic waveguides, modulators, enhancement of second-harmonic generation, light-trapping structures for photovoltaics, and biological labeling techniques. Considering the key advantages in printing speed, feature size and miltimaterials, we unlock the full pontieal of the Faraday 3D nanoprinting in optical metamaterials and nanoelectronics.The printed materials/nanodivecies can deliver new phenomena, new science, and new horizons that have been never conceived before!

3D-printed nanodevices: Powering nanoelectronics and photonics

Noble metal nanostructures display remarkable optical properties that arise from the coupling of incident light to the collective motion of the conduction electrons. The excitation, propagation, and localization of these plasmons can be tailored by the geometry and size of 3D-printed nanostructures. Their subwavelength optical confinement has enabled nanoscale photonic waveguides, modulators, enhancement of second-harmonic generation, light-trapping structures for photovoltaics, and biological labeling techniques. Considering the key advantages in printing speed, feature size and multi-materials, we unlock the full pontieal of the Faraday 3D nanoprinting in optical metamaterials and nanoelectronics. The resulting printed materials/nanodivecies can deliver new phenomena, new science, and new horizons that have been never conceived before!

We invented a new method for creating unprecedented alloys by carefully choosing a kinetic pathway of vapor-crystal transformation. The artificial lightning is manipulated to mix the vapors of different materials, which are then kinetically trapped to form random alloys. In this way, we break the miscibility limits, i.e., enforce immiscibile materials to form stable alloys. We also coined a 'light cone' diagram to show that the materials become mixable below a threshold size.

Spark mashup: 'Aritificial lightning' for unlimited materialization

We invented a new method for creating unprecedented alloys by carefully choosing a kinetic pathway of vapor-crystal transformation. The artificial lightning is manipulated to mix the vapors of different materials, which are then kinetically trapped to form random alloys. In this way, we break the miscibility limits, i.e., enfore immiscibile materials to form stable alloys. We also coined a 'light cone' diagram to show that the materials become mixable below a threshold size.

Spark mashup: 'Aritificial lightning' for unlimited mixing