Our research focuses on developing programmable solid materials through the integration of rapid and precise manufacturing processes, multiscale property engineering, and device-level functional design. By bridging ultrafast material synthesis with hierarchical control of mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties, as well as real-world device applications, we aim to establish solid-state platforms that are both functionally adaptive and structurally robust. Looking forward, our work envisions convergent, industry-ready manufacturing frameworks that connect fundamental materials research with practical and sustainable technologies.

i) Solid materials manufacturing

We develop disruptive manufacturing processes for the rapid synthesis of solid materials, including metal oxides, carbon-based nanofilms, three-dimensional aerogels, and composites. By leveraging electrically driven thermal transients and gas-assisted delamination mechanisms, our approach enables ultrafast phase transformation, exfoliation, and hierarchical structuring of materials on the second timescale. This platform provides precise control over composition, morphology, and dimensionality, offering a versatile and scalable route for fabricating functional solids beyond conventional synthesis methods.

Key publications
[1] Electrothermally driven nucleation energy control of defective carbon and nickel–cobalt oxide-based electrodes. ACS nano, 2022, 16.6: 9772-9784. [Link]
[2] Electrothermally tailored lithiophilic Co/CoxOy@ porous graphite composites for high-performance Li-ion/metal hybrid batteries. Energy Storage Materials, 2025, 74: 103961. [Link]
[3] “Electrically Assisted Thermal Stamping of Tunable Carbon-Based Nanofilms for Direct Fabrication of Hydrophobic, Energy Harvesting, and Sensing Devices”, Advanced Materials, 2026, e16478. [Link]
[4] “A time-stamping tactile sensor enabled by pseudo-conductive interface design at dielectric heterojunctions”, Science Advances (Under review)

ii) Multiscale property and multifunctionality programming in solids

We develop strategies to program material properties and functionalities across multiple length scales within solid architectures, leveraging fast screening of manufacturing processes. By integrating atomic- and nanoscale engineering with microscale porous networks and macroscale structural integration, we enable hierarchical control over mechanical, electrical, and thermal behaviors within a single material system. This multiscale programming approach allows solids to exhibit system-level multifunctionality, including mechanical robustness, electrical transport modulation, thermal management, and stimuli-responsive behaviors, establishing a new platform for programmable solids.

Key publications
[1] Mechanical‐Stimuli‐Driven Pseudo‐Conductive Channels Along Dielectric Heterojunction Interfaces for Mechanoelectric Energy Conversion and Transmission. Advanced Materials, 2025, 37.8: 2416952. [Link]
[2] Mechanically Robust Phase‐Change Multiscale‐Architected Metastructures Integrating Asymmetric MXene/T‐CNF Aerogel for Thermal Energy Storage and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding. Advanced Functional Materials, 2025, e14180. [Link]
[3] Electrothermally tunable morphological and redox design of heterogeneous Pd/PdxOy/carbon for humidity-hydron-driven energy harvesters. Nano Energy, 2022, 95: 107053. [Link]

iii) Applications in solid devices

We apply our programmable solid materials to a broad range of functional solid devices, including energy harvesters, sensors, electromagnetic interference shielding systems, and energy storage components. By exploiting multichannel energy conversion mechanisms, such as coupled mechano-electric, thermo-electric, fluidic-electric, and electromagnetic processes, together with intrinsically robust multiphysical properties, our materials enable reliable functional performance and adaptive responses under real-world stimuli. These application-driven studies demonstrate seamless integration of multifunctional solids into wearable electronics, mobility platforms, and electronic systems, highlighting their potential for next-generation devices and systems.

Key publications
[1] Thermo‐Chemo‐Mechanically Robust, Multifunctional MXene/PVA/PAA‐Hanji Textile with Energy Harvesting, EMI Shielding, Flame‐Retardant, and Joule Heating Capabilities. Advanced Materials, 2024, 36.47: 2411248. [Link]
[2] Rational design for optimizing hybrid thermo-triboelectric generators targeting human activities. ACS Energy Letters, 2019, 4.9: 2069-2074. [Link]
[3] Humidity-thermoelectric bimodal energy harvester for sustainable power generation. Nano Energy, 2023, 107: 108120. [Link]
[4] Rationally designed micropixelation-free tactile sensors via contour profile of triboelectric field propagation. Nano Energy, 2023, 109: 108255. [Link]

iv) Convergent industry-ready manufacturing platforms

We aim to establish convergent, industry-ready solid design platforms by integrating sustainable feedstocks, scalable fabrication technologies, and AI-assisted optimization strategies. Our long-term vision is to upcycle waste plastics and low-cost carbon sources into functional feedstocks and to couple them with large-area manufacturing routes such as additive manufacturing, printing technologies, and roll-to-roll processing. In parallel, we seek to develop data-driven and AI-assisted frameworks that link processing parameters to material properties and device-level performance, enabling multi-objective optimization across mechanical, electrical, thermal, and functional metrics. Through this platform-oriented approach, we envision a pathway toward scalable, energy-efficient, and sustainable manufacturing systems that bridge fundamental materials research with real-world applications.

Key publications
In preparation