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Research

Semiconductor nanowires,
from fundamentals to function.

Historically, nanoscience research has been centered around three classes of nanomaterials based on their dimensionalities: C60 & quantum dot (0-dimensional, 0D), nanotube and nanowire (1D), graphene and 2D materials (2D).

Semiconductor nanowires have witnessed an explosion of interest in the past two decades due to advances in synthesis and the unique thermal, optoelectronic, chemical, and physical properties of these materials. The potential applications of single-crystalline nanowires are truly impressive, including computational nanotechnology, telecommunications, spectroscopic sensing, renewable energy, and the biological sciences. This breadth of application naturally requires a multidisciplinary community, including but not limited to materials scientists, chemists, engineers, physicists, and microbiologists, all converging to solve challenging problems at nanometer length scales.

Semiconductor systems with photon, phonon and/or electron confinement in two dimensions (i.e. nanowires) offer a distinct way to study electrical, thermal, mechanical, and optical phenomena as a function of dimensionality and size reduction. These structures have cross-sectional dimensions that can be tuned from 5 to 500 nm, with lengths spanning hundreds of nanometers to millimeters. The vapor-liquid-solid crystal growth mechanism has been utilized for the general synthesis of nanowires of different compositions, sizes, and orientation. Achieving such high level of synthetic control over nanowire growth allows us to explore some of their very unique chemical and physical properties. For example, semiconductor nanowires can function as self-contained nanoscale lasers, sub-wavelength optical waveguides, photodetector and efficient nonlinear optical mixer. In addition, semiconductor nanowire arrays can be used as potential substrates to achieve high energy conversion efficiency in photovoltaics, thermoelectrics and artificial photosynthesis.

One emerging and exciting direction is their application for solar to fuel conversion, or more broadly defined, solar-powered production of value-added chemicals from CO2 and H2O. Semiconductor nanowires represent an important class of nanostructure building block for direct solar-to-fuel application because of their high surface area, tunable bandgap and efficient charge transport and collection. Nanowires can be readily designed and synthesized to deterministically incorporate heterojunctions with improved light absorption, charge separation and vectorial transport. Meanwhile, it is also possible to selectively decorate different oxidation or reduction catalysts onto specific segments of the nanowires to mimic the compartmentalized reactions in natural photosynthesis.

Research projects are active in the following areas (click to learn more):

01 Liquid Sunlight Project2002–2022 · 22 key publications

Liquid sunlight is a chemical energy form that stores solar energy in chemical bonds, inspired by natural photosynthesis. While artificial photosynthesis could enable renewable power and convert CO₂ into valuable chemicals, no fully integrated system yet meets efficiency, durability, and cost requirements. Learning from natural systems—which use organized light-harvesting, charge separation, and compartmentalized catalysis—requires better catalysts, new semiconductors, improved architectures, and integrated processes. Modern materials science must therefore prioritize system-level planning and the study of interfaces between components, as these often limit energy conversion efficiency, and as traditional disciplinary boundaries fade, integrated approaches will become increasingly essential for solving grand energy challenges.

Key publications

  1. “Photoelectrochemical CO2 Reduction Towards Multi-carbon Products with Silicon Nanowire Photocathodes Interfaced with Copper Nanoparticles”. Authors: Inwhan Roh, Sunmoon Yu, Chung-Kuan Lin, Sheena Louisia, Stefano Cestellos-Blanco, Peidong Yang.. Journal: J. Am. Chem. Soc. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  2. “Liquid Sunlight: The Evolution of Photosynthetic Biohybrids”. Authors: Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nano Letters. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  3. “Photosynthetic semiconductor biohybrids for solar-driven biocatalysis”. Authors: Stefano Cestellos-Blanco, Hao Zhang, Ji Min Kim, Yue-xiao Shen, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nature Catalysis. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  4. “Nanowires for Photonics”. Authors: Li Na Quan, Joohoon Kang, Cun-Zheng Ning, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Chem. Rev. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  5. “Nanowire Photoelectrochemistry”. Authors: Jiao Deng, Yude Su, Dong Liu, Peidong Yang, Bin Liu, Chong Liu.. Journal: Chem. Rev. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  6. “Semi-artificial photosynthesis: interfacing nature's catalytic machinery with synthetic materials”. Authors: Nikolay Kornienko, Jenny Zhang, Kelsey Sakimoto, Peidong Yang, Erwin Reisner.. Journal: Nature Nanotechnology. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  7. “Cyborgian Material Design for Solar Fuel Production: The Emerging Photosynthetic Biohybrid Systems”. Authors: Kelsey K Sakimoto, Nikolay Kornienko, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Acc. Chem. Res. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  8. “Directed assembly of nanoparticle catalysts on nanowire photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction”. Authors: Qiao Kong, Dohyung Kim, Chong Liu, Yi Yu, Yude Su, Yifan Li, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nano Letters. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  9. “Single nanowire photoelectrochemistry”. Authors: Y. Su, C. Liu, S. Brittman, J. Tang, A. Fu, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature Nano. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  10. “TiO2/BiVO4 Nanowire Heterostructure Photoanodes based on Type II Band Alignment”. Authors: J. Resasco, H. Zhang, N. Kornienko, N. Becknell, H. Lee, J. Guo, A. Briseno, P. Yang.. Journal: ACS Central Science. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  11. “Artificial Photosynthesis for Sustainable Fuel and Chemical Production”. Authors: D. Kim, K. K. Sakimoto, D. Hong, P. Yang.. Journal: Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  12. “Nanowire-Bacteria Hybrids for Unassisted Solar Carbon Dioxide Fixation to Value-Added Chemicals”. Authors: C. Liu, J. J. Gallagher, K. K. Sakimoto, E. M. Nichols, C. J. Chang, M. C. Y. Chang, P. Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  13. “Semiconductor nanowires for artificial photosynthesis”. Authors: C. Liu, N. Dasgupta, P. Yang.. Journal: Chem. Mater. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  14. “Introductory Lecture: Systems Materials Engineering Approach for Solar-to-Chemical Conversion”. Authors: C. Liu, P. Yang.. Journal: Faraday Discussions. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  15. “All Inorganic Semiconductor Nanowire Mesh for Direct Solar Water Splitting”. Authors: B. Liu, C. H. Wu, J. W. Miao, P. Yang.. Journal: ACS Nano. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  16. “A Fully Integrated Nanosystem of Semiconductor Nanowires for Direct Solar Water Splitting”. Authors: C. Liu, J. Tang, H. Chen, B. Liu, P. Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  17. “Atomic Layer Deposition of Platinum Catalysts on Nanowire Surfaces for Photoelectrochemical Water Reduction”. Authors: N. P. Dasgupta, C. Liu, S. Andrews, F. B. Prinz, P. Yang.. Journal: J. Am. Chem. Soc. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  18. “Towards Systems Materials Engineering”. Authors: P. Yang, J. Tarascon.. Journal: Nature Materials.. Why it matters: argues that system-level planning of theoretical and experimental work is increasingly central to modern materials science. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  19. “Light Induced Charge Transport within a Single Asymmetric Nanowire”. Authors: C. Liu, Y. J. Hwang, H. E. Jeong, P. Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett.. Why it matters: first demonstration of light-induced charge transport inside an asymmetric nanowire heterojunction. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  20. “Surfactant-Free, Large-Scale, Solution-Liquid-Solid (SLS) Growth of Gallium Phosphide Nanowires and Their Use for Visible-Light-Driven Hydrogen Production from Water Reduction”. Authors: J. Sun, C. Liu, P. Yang.. Journal: J. Am. Chem. Soc.. Why it matters: introduction of large-scale solution-synthesized semiconductor nanowires into photoelectrochemistry. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  21. “High density n-Si/n-TiO2 core/shell nanowire arrays with enhanced photoactivity”. Authors: Y. J. Hwang, A. Bukai, P. Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett.. Why it matters: first solar-to-fuel demonstration using semiconductor nanowires. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  22. “Semiconductor nanowire array: potential substrates for photocatalysis and photovoltaics”. Authors: Y. Wu, H. Yan, P. Yang.. Journal: Topics in Catalysis. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

02 Semiconductor Nanowire2015–2022 · 29 key publications

The term ‘nanowire’ is generally used to describe a large aspect ratio nanostructure with a diameter between 1-100 nm. Both descriptors are pertinent to the physical and technological significance of nanowires. Firstly, the diameter puts the radial dimension of these structures at or below the characteristic length scale of various interesting and fundamental solid-state phenomena: the exciton Bohr radius, wavelength of light, phonon mean free path, critical size of magnetic domains, exciton diffusion length, and others. As a result, many physical properties of semiconductors are significantly altered within the confines of the nanowire surfaces. In addition, their large surface-to-volume ratio allows for distinct structural and chemical behavior, as well as greater chemical reactivity. This two-dimensional confinement endows nanowires with unique properties that stray from those of their corresponding bulk material. Secondly, the large aspect ratio of nanowires imitates their technological application. The one unconstrained dimension can direct the conduction of quantum particles such as electrons, phonons, and photons. As a result, nanowires provide a convenient platform through which researchers may study confined transport phenomena. This control over various forms of energy transport makes nanowires ideal materials for advanced solid-state devices, especially when combined with the fact that nanowire lengths are normally sufficient to interface with top-down fabrication processes such as photolithography.

Key publications

  1. “Ferroelectricity in a Semiconducting All-inorganic Halide Perovskite”. Authors: Ye Zhang, Eric Parsonnet, Abel Fernandez, Sinéad M. Griffin, Huaixun Huyan, Chung-Kuan Lin, Teng Lei, Jianbo Jin, Edward S. Barnard, Archana Raja, Piush Behera, Xiaoqing Pan, Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Sci. Adv. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  2. “Controlling Phase Transition in CsPbI3 Nanowires”. Authors: Chung-Kuan Lin, Ye Zhang, Mengyu Gao, Jia-An Lin, Han Le, Zhenni Lin, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  3. “Vibrational relaxation dynamics in layered perovskite quantum wells”. Authors: Li Na Quan, Yoonjae Park, Peijun Guo, Mengyu Gao, Jianbo Jin, Jianmei Huang, Jason K. Copper, Adam Schwartzberg, Richard Schaller, David T. Limmer, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  4. “Structural and spectral dynamics of single-crystalline Ruddlesden-Popper phase halide perovskite blue light-emitting diodes”. Authors: Hong Chen, Jia Lin, Joohoon Kang, Qiao Kong, Dylan Lu, Jun Kang, Minliang Lai, Li Na Quan, Zhenni Lin, Jianbo Jin, Lin-wang Wang, Michael F. Toney, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Science Advances. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  5. “Two-Dimensional Halide Perovskite Lateral Epitaxial Heterostructures”. Authors: Enzheng Shi, Biao Yuan, Stephen B. Shiring, Yao Gao, Akriti, Yunfan Guo, Cong Su, Minliang Lai, Peidong Yang, Jing Kong, Brett M. Savoie, Yi Yu, Letian Dou.. Journal: Nature. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  6. “Scaling Laws of Exciton Recombination Kinetics in Low Dimensional Halide Perovskite Nanostructures”. Authors: Mengyu Gao, Hao Liu, Sunmoon Yu, Sheena Louisia, Ye Zhang, David P. Nenon, A. Paul Alivisatos, Peidong Yang.. Journal: J. Am. Chem. Soc. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  7. “Lead-free Cesium Europium Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals”. Authors: Jianmei Huang, Teng Lei, Martin Siron, Ye Zhang, Sunmoon Yu, Fabian Seeler, Ahmad Dehestani, Li Na Quan, Kerstin Schierle-Arndt, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nano Letters. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  8. “Liquid-like Interfaces Mediate Structural Phase Transitions in Lead Halide Perovskites”. Authors: Connor G. Bischak, Minliang Lai, Zhaochuan Fan, Dylan Lu, Philippe David, Dengpan Dong, Hong Chen, Ahmed S. Etman, Teng Lei, Junliang Sun, Michael Grünwald, David T. Limmer, Peidong Yang, Naomi S. Ginsberg.. Journal: Matter. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  9. “Solid-state ionic rectification in perovskite nanowire heterostructures”. Authors: Qiao Kong, Amael Obliger, Minliang Lai, Mengyu Gao, David Limmer, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nano Letters. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  10. “Phase Transitions and Anion Exchange in All-Inorganic Halide Perovskites”. Authors: Julian A. Steele, Minliang Lai, Ye Zhang, Zhenni Lin, Johan Hofkens, Maarten B. J. Roeffaers, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Acc. Mater. Res. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  11. “Quantitative imaging of anion exchange kinetics in halide perovskites”. Authors: Ye Zhang, Dylan Lu, Mengyu Gao, Minliang Lai, Jia Lin, Teng Lei, Zhenni Lin, Li Na Quan, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  12. “Copper(I)-Based Highly Emissive All-Inorganic Rare-Earth Halide Clusters”. Authors: Jia Lin, Hong Chen, Jun Kang, Li Na Quan, Zhenni Lin, Qiao Kong, Minliang Lai, Sunmoon Yu, Lei Wang, Lin-wang Wang, Michael F. Toney, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Matter. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  13. “Self-Assembly of Two-Dimensional Perovskite Nanosheet Building Blocks into Ordered Ruddlesden–Popper Perovskite Phase”. Authors: Yong Liu, Martin Siron, Dylan Lu, Jingjing Yang, Roberto dos Reis, Fan Cui, Mengyu Gao, Minliang Lai, Jia Lin, Qiao Kong, Teng Lei, Joohoon Kang, Jianbo Jin, Jim Ciston, Peidong Yang.. Journal: J. Am. Chem. Soc. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  14. “Pressure Induced Semiconductor to Metal Phase Transition of a Charge-Ordered Indium Halide Perovskite”. Authors: Jia Lin, Hong Chen, Yang Gao, Yao Cai, Jianbo Jin, Ahmed S. Etman, Joohoon Kang, Teng Lei, Zhenni Lin, Maria C. Folgueras, Li Na Quan, Qiao Kong, Matthew Sherburne, Mark Asta, Junliang Sun, Michael F. Toney, Junqiao Wu, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  15. “Thermochromic Halide Perovskite Solar Cells”. Authors: Jia Lin, Minliang Lai, Letian Dou, Christopher S. Kley, Hong Chen, Fei Peng, Junliang Sun, Dylan Lu, Steven A. Hawks, Chenlu Xie, Fan Cui, A. Paul Alivisatos, David T. Limmer, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nature Mater. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  16. “Electrical and Optical Tunability in All-Inorganic Halide Perovskite Alloy Nanowires”. Authors: Teng Lei, Minliang Lai, Qiao Kong, Dylan Lu, Woochul Lee, Letian Dou, Vincen Wu, Yi Yu, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  17. “Phase transition induced p-n junction in single halide perovskite nanowire”. Authors: Qiao Kong, Woochul Lee, Minliang Lai, Connor G. Bischak, Guoping Gao, Andrew B. Wong, Teng Lei, Yi Yu, Lin-Wang Wang, Naomi S. Ginsberg, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  18. “Intrinsic Anion Diffusivity in Lead Halide Perovskites is Facilitated by a Soft Lattice”. Authors: Minliang Lai, Amael Obliger, Dylan Lu, Christopher S. Kley, Connor G. Bischak, Qiao Kong, Teng Lei, Letian Dou, Naomi S. Ginsberg, David T. Limmer, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  19. “Giant Light-Emission Enhancement in Lead Halide Perovskites by Surface Oxygen Passivation”. Authors: Dylan Lu, Ye Zhang, Minliang Lai, Alex Lee, Chenlu Xie, Jia Lin, Teng Lei, Zhenni Lin, Christopher S. Kley, Jianmei Huang, Eran Rabani, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  20. “Structural, optical, and electrical study of phase controlled cesium lead iodide nanowires”. Authors: Minliang Lai, Qiao Kong, Connor G. Bischak, Yi Yu, Letian Dou, Sam Eaton, Naomi S. Ginsberg, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nano Research.. Why it matters: CsPbI3 nanowire phase transition. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  21. “Spatially Resolved Multi-Color CsPbX3 Nanowire Heterojunctions via Anion Exchange”. Authors: Letian Dou, Minliang Lai, Christopher S. Kley, Yiming Yang, Connor G. Bischak, Dandan Zhang, Samuel W. Eaton, Naomi S. Ginsberg, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  22. “Ultralow thermal conductivity in all-inorganic halide perovskites”. Authors: Woochul Lee, Huashan Li, Andrew B. Wong, Dandan Zhang, Minliang Lai, Yi Yu, Qiao Kong, Elbert Lin, Jeffrey J. Urban, Jeffrey C. Grossman, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  23. “Bandgap engineering in semiconductor alloy nanomaterials with widely tunable bandgaps and compositions”. Authors: Cun-Zheng Ning, Letian Dou, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nature Reviews Materials. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  24. “Atomic Resolution Imaging of Halide Perovskites”. Authors: Yi Yu, Dandan Zhang, Christian Kisielowski, Letian Dou, Nikolay Kornienko, Yehonadav Bekenstein, Andrew B Wong, A Paul Alivisatos, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nano Letters.. Why it matters: atomic-resolution TEM imaging of 2D perovskite. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  25. “Ultrathin Colloidal Cesium Lead Halide Perovskite Nanowires”. Authors: Dandan Zhang, Yi Yu, Yehonadav Bekenstein, Andrew B Wong, A Paul Alivisatos, Peidong Yang.. Journal: J. Am. Chem. Soc.. Why it matters: ultrathin CsPbBr3 nanowires. (Note: author list as printed ends with a period after "Peidong Yang.") DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  26. “Lasing in Robust Cesium Lead Halide Perovskite Nanowires”. Authors: Samuel W Eaton, Minliang Lai, Natalie A Gibson, Andrew B Wong, Letian Dou, Jie Ma, Lin-Wang Wang, Stephen R Leone, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.. Why it matters: first CsPbX3 nanowire laser. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  27. “Atomically Thin Two-Dimensional Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Perovskites”. Authors: L. Dou, A. B. Wong, Y. Yu, M. Lai, N. Kornienko, S. W. Eaton, A. Fu, C. G. Bischak, J. Ma, T. Ding, N. S. Ginsberg, L. Wang, A. P. Alivisatos, P. Yang.. Journal: Science.. Why it matters: first atomically thin 2D perovskite. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  28. “Solution-phase Synthesis of Cesium Lead Halide Perovskite Nanowires”. Authors: Dandan Zhang, Samuel W Eaton, Yi Yu, Letian Dou, Peidong Yang.. Journal: J. Am. Chem. Soc.. Why it matters: first CsPbX3 nanowires made by colloidal synthesis. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  29. “Growth and Anion Exchange Conversion of CH3NH3PbX3 Nanorod Arrays for Light-Emitting Diodes”. Authors: Andrew Barnabas Wong, Minliang Lai, Samuel Wilson Eaton, Yi Yu, Elbert Lin, Letian Dou, Anthony Fu, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nano Letters.. Why it matters: first perovskite nanorod vertical array. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

03 Photosynthetic Biohybrid2013–2022 · 18 key publications

Natural photosynthesis relies on light-harvesting proteins that are limited to narrow spectral absorption and prone to photodamage, whereas inorganic semiconductors used in photovoltaics absorb a broader spectrum but lack biological self-repair. To combine the strengths of both, researchers have developed a biotic–abiotic hybrid system—an artificial cell using inorganic light harvesters and bacteria—for artificial photosynthesis that converts CO₂ into diverse chemicals. This program focuses on selecting biological and inorganic components, exploring their synergistic effects, and studying the fundamental mechanisms at their interface using spectroscopy, microscopy, and analytical chemistry. The work establishes a general approach for making bacteria photosynthetic through inorganic light harvesters, couples microbial self-repair with semiconductor stabilization, and paves the way for next-generation inorganic–biological materials for renewable chemical production.

Key publications

  1. “Photosynthetic Biohybrid Co-culture for Tandem and Tunable CO2 and N2 Fixation”. Authors: Stefano Cestellos-Blanco, Rachel R. Chan, Yue-xiao Shen, Ji Min Kim, Tom A. Tacken, Rhesa Ledbetter, Sunmoon Yu, Lance C. Seefeldt, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  2. “Liquid Sunlight: The Evolution of Photosynthetic Biohybrids”. Authors: Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nano Letters. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  3. “Towards a Biomanufactory on Mars”. Authors: A. Berliner et al.. Journal: Front. Astron. Space Sci. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  4. “Production of PHB from CO2-derived acetate with minimal processing assessed for space biomanufacturing”. Authors: Stefano Cestellos-Blanco, Skyler Friedline, Kyle Benjamin Sander, Anthony J Abel, Ji Min Kim, Douglas S Clark, Adam Paul Arkin, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Front. Microbiol. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  5. “Photosynthetic semiconductor biohybrids for solar-driven biocatalysis”. Authors: Stefano Cestellos-Blanco, Hao Zhang, Ji Min Kim, Yue-xiao Shen, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nature Catalysis. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  6. “Close-packed nanowire-bacteria hybrids for efficient solar-driven CO2 fixation”. Authors: Yude Su, Stefano Cestellos-Blanco, Ji Min Kim, Yue-xiao Shen, Qiao Kong, Dylan Lu, Chong Liu, Hao Zhang, Yuhong Cao, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Joule. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  7. “Microbes 2.0: Engineering Microbes with Nanomaterials”. Authors: Rong Cai, Ji Min Kim, Stefano Cestellos-Blanco, Jianbo Jin, Peidong Yang.. Journal: AsiaChem. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  8. “Semiconductor-Cell Bio-interface Roadmap: Semiconductor-Microorganism Catalytic Biohybrid Systems For Artificial Photosynthesis”. Authors: Stefano Cestellos-Blanco, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Phys. Biol. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  9. “Physical Biology of the Materials-Microorganism Interface”. Authors: Kelsey Sakimoto, Nikolay Kornienko, Stefano Cestellos-Blanco, Jongwoo Lim, Chong Liu, Peidong Yang.. Journal: J. Am. Chem. Soc. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  10. “Cytoprotective metal-organic frameworks for anaerobic bacteria”. Authors: Zhe Ji, Hao Zhang, Hao Liu, Omar M. Yaghi, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  11. “Bacteria photosensitized by intracellular gold nanoclusters for solar fuel production”. Authors: Hao Zhang, Hao Liu, Zhiquan Tian, Dylan Lu, Yi Yu, Stefano Cestellos-Blanco, Kelsey Sakimoto, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nature Nanotechnology. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  12. “Semi-artificial photosynthesis: interfacing nature's catalytic machinery with synthetic materials”. Authors: Nikolay Kornienko, Jenny Zhang, Kelsey Sakimoto, Peidong Yang, Erwin Reisner.. Journal: Nature Nanotechnology. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  13. “Cyborgian Material Design for Solar Fuel Production: The Emerging Photosynthetic Biohybrid Systems”. Authors: Kelsey K Sakimoto, Nikolay Kornienko, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Acc. Chem. Res. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  14. “Self-photosensitization of Nonphotosynthetic Bacteria for Solar-to-chemical Production”. Authors: K. K. Sakimoto, A. B. Wong, P. Yang.. Journal: Science. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  15. “Spectroscopic elucidation of energy transfer in hybrid inorganic-biological organisms for solar-to-chemical production”. Authors: Nikolay Kornienko, Kelsey K. Sakimoto, David M Herlihy, Son C Nguyen, A. Paul Alivisatos, Charles B. Harris, Adam Schwartzberg, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  16. “Nanowire-Bacteria Hybrids for Unassisted Solar Carbon Dioxide Fixation to Value-Added Chemicals”. Authors: C. Liu, J. J. Gallagher, K. K. Sakimoto, E. M. Nichols, C. J. Chang, M. C. Y. Chang, P. Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  17. “Salt-Induced Self-Assembly of Bacteria on Nanowire Arrays”. Authors: K. K. Sakimoto, C. Liu, J. Lim, P. Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  18. “Bacterial Recognition of Silicon Nanowire Arrays”. Authors: H. Jeong, I. Kim, P. Karam, H. Choi, P. Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

04 Electrocatalysis2007–2022 · 23 key publications

Catalysis research ultimately aims to achieve 100% selectivity for desired products at maximum turnover rate (activity) without generating unwanted byproducts. Methods for optimizing activity and selectivity have been explored at the atomic and nanoscopic levels through shape, size, and composition control in nanocrystal synthesis. Incorporating two or more elements into a material can create multifunctional surface sites or properties unattainable with a single element, while compositional gradients and specific elemental positioning can further tune surface properties, as can shape and size control to expose desired facets. Atomically sensitive characterization techniques, both ex situ and in situ, enable elucidation of the mechanisms underlying selectivity and activity enhancement for a given nanocrystal design. CO₂ recycling powered by renewable energy offers an attractive way to limit harmful carbon emissions while enabling the synthesis of useful chemicals and fuels, ultimately allowing renewable electricity to be stored in chemical form. Advancing this technology toward practical deployment requires fundamental and applied research to perfect catalysts for electrochemical CO₂ conversion—catalysts that produce valuable reduced-carbon products with vastly improved selectivity, operate at order-of-magnitude higher current densities, and demonstrate stable operation. Our group is actively working on such catalysts to enable a carbon-neutral, renewable-powered future.

Key publications

  1. “The Presence and Role of the Intermediary CO Reservoir in Heterogeneous Electroreduction of CO2”. Authors: Sheena Louisia, Dohyung Kim, Yifan Li, Mengyu Gao, Sunmoon Yu, Inwhan Roh, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  2. “The Interactive Dynamics of Nanocatalyst Structure and Microenvironment during Electrochemical CO2 Conversion”. Authors: Sunmoon Yu, Sheena Louisia, Peidong Yang.. Journal: J. Am. Chem. Soc. Au. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  3. “Nanoparticle Assembly Induced Ligand Interactions for Enhanced Electrocatalytic CO2 Conversion”. Authors: Sunmoon Yu, Dohyung Kim, Zhiyuan Qi, Sheena Louisia, Yifan Li, Gabor A. Somorjai, Peidong Yang.. Journal: J. Am. Chem. Soc. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  4. “Surface and Interface Control in Nanoparticle Catalysis”. Authors: Chenlu Xie, Zhiqiang Niu, Dohyung Kim, Mufan Li, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Chem. Rev. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  5. “Electrochemically scrambled nanocrystals are catalytically active for CO2-to-multicarbons”. Authors: Yifan Li, Dohyung Kim, Sheena Louisia, Chenlu Xie, Qiao Kong, Sunmoon Yu, Tom Lin, Shaul Aloni, Sirine C. Fakra, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  6. “Cu-Ag tandem catalysts for high-rate CO2 electrolysis towards multicarbons”. Authors: Chubai Chen, Yifan Li, Sunmoon Yu, Sheena Louisia, Jianbo Jin, Mufan Li, Michael B. Ross, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Joule. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  7. “Selective CO2 electrocatalysis at the pseudocapacitive nanoparticle/ordered-ligand interlayer”. Authors: Dohyung Kim, Sunmoon Yu, Fan Zheng, Inwhan Roh, Yifan Li, Sheena Louisia, Zhiyuan Qi, Gabor A. Somorjai, Heinz Frei, Lin-Wang Wang, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nature Energy. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  8. “Electrocatalytic Rate Alignment Enhances Syngas Generation”. Authors: Michael B. Ross, Yifan Li, Phil De Luna, Dohyung Kim, Edward H. Sargent, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Joule. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  9. “Designing Materials for Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Recycling”. Authors: Michael Ross, Phil De Luna, Yifan Li, Cao-Thang Dinh, Dohyung Kim, Peidong Yang, Edward Sargent.. Journal: Nature Catalysis. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  10. “Co-feeding copper catalysts couple carbon”. Authors: Yifan Li, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nature Nanotechnology. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  11. “Room-Temperature Dynamics of Vanishing Copper Nanoparticles Supported on Silica”. Authors: Dohyung Kim, Nigel Becknell, Yi Yu, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nano Letters. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  12. “Structure-sensitive CO2 electroreduction to hydrocarbons on ultrathin five-fold twinned copper nanowires”. Authors: Yifan Li, Fan Cui, Michael B. Ross, Dohyung Kim, Yuchun Sun, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nano Letters. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  13. “Electrochemical Activation of CO2 through Atomic Ordering Transformations of AuCu Nanoparticles”. Authors: Dohyung Kim, Chenlu Xie, Nigel Becknell, Yi Yu, Mohammadreza Karamad, Karen Chan, Ethan Crumlin, Jens Norskov, Peidong Yang.. Journal: J. Am. Chem. Soc. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  14. “Tandem catalysis for CO2 hydrogenation to C2-C4 hydrocarbons”. Authors: Chenlu Xie, Chen Chen, Yi Yu, Ji Su, Yifan Li, Gabor Somorjai, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  15. “Tunable Cu Enrichment Enables Designer Syngas Electrosynthesis from CO2”. Authors: Michael B Ross, Cao Thang Dinh, Yifan Li, Dohyung Kim, Phil De Luna, Edward H Sargent, Peidong Yang.. Journal: J. Am. Chem. Soc. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  16. “Control of Architecture in Rhombic Dodecahedral Pt-Ni Nanoframe Electrocatalysts”. Authors: Nigel Becknell, Yoonkook Son, Dohyung Kim, Dongguo Li, Yi Yu, Zhiqiang Niu, Teng Lei, Brian Sneed, Karren More, Nenad Markovic, Vojislav Stamenkovic, Peidong Yang.. Journal: J. Am. Chem. Soc. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  17. “Copper nanoparticle ensembles for selective electroreduction of CO2 to C2–C3 products”. Authors: Dohyung Kim, Christopher S. Kley, Yifan Li, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  18. “Anisotropic phase segregation and migration of Pt in nanocrystals en route to nanoframe catalysts”. Authors: Zhiqiang Niu, Nigel Becknell, Yi Yu, Dohyung Kim, Chen Chen, Nikolay Kornienko, Gabor A Somorjai, Peidong Yang.. Journal: Nature Mater. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  19. “Highly Crystalline Multimetallic Nanoframes with Three-Dimensional Electrocatalytic Surfaces”. Authors: C. Chen, Y. Kang, Z. Huo, Z. Zhu, W. Huang, H. Xin, J. D. Snyder, D. Li, J. A. Herron, M. Mavrikakis, M. Chi, K. L. More, Y. Li, N. M. Markovic, G. A. Somorjai, P. Yang, V. R. Stamenkovic.. Journal: Science. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  20. “Synergistic Geometric and Electronic Effects for Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Using Gold–copper Bimetallic Nanoparticles”. Authors: D. Kim, J. Resasco, Y. Yu, A.M. Asiri, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature Comm. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  21. “Nanocrystal Bilayer for Tandem Catalysis”. Authors: Y. Yamada, C. Tsung, W. Huang, Z. Huo, S. E. Habas, T. Soejima, C. E. Aliaga, G. A. Somorjai, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature Chem. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  22. “Thermally Stable Nanocatalyst for High Temperature Reactions: Pt-Mesoporous Silica Core-Shell Nanoparticles”. Authors: S. Joo, J. Park, C. Tsung, Y. Yamada, P. Yang, G. A. Somorjai.. Journal: Nature Mater. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  23. “Shaping binary metal nanocrystals through epitaxial seeded growth”. Authors: S. Habas, H. Lee, V. Radmilovic, G. Somorjai, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature Mater. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

05 Nanowire-Cell Interface2007–2016 · 5 key publications

A fully integrated, highly sensitive nanowire probe platform is being developed for single-cell endoscopy, enabling in vivo monitoring of biological processes within individual living cells and advancing fundamental understanding of cell functions, intracellular physiological processes, and cellular signaling pathways. Key features of these nanowire–cell interfaces include minimal invasiveness, high flexibility, a high refractive index, evanescent-wave optical sensing with highly localized excitation and detection, and nonlinear optical conversion capability. Such probes promise intracellular imaging with greatly enhanced three-dimensional spatial and temporal resolution, and could also enable spot-delivery or extraction of chemicals such as proteins and DNA from single living cells with far better spatial resolution than conventional methods.

Key publications

  1. “Self-photosensitization of Nonphotosynthetic Bacteria for Solar-to-chemical Production”. Authors: K. K. Sakimoto, A. B. Wong, P. Yang.. Journal: Science (as printed, no trailing period). DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  2. “Single nanowire photoelectrochemistry”. Authors: Y. Su, C. Liu, S. Brittman, J. Tang, A. Fu, N. Kornienko, Q. Kong, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature Nanotech. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  3. “Nanowire-Bacteria Hybrids for Unassisted Solar Carbon Dioxide Fixation to Value-Added Chemicals”. Authors: C. Liu, J. J. Gallagher, K. K. Sakimoto, E. M. Nichols, C. J. Chang, M. C. Y. Chang, P. Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  4. “Nanowire-based Single Cell Endoscopy”. Authors: R. Yan*, J. Park*, Y. Choi, C. Heo, S. Yang, L. P. Lee, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature Nanotech. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  5. “Interfacing silicon nanowires with mammalian cells”. Authors: W. Kim, J. K. Ng, M. E. Kunitake, B. R. Conklin, P. Yang.. Journal: J. Am. Chem. Soc. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

06 Nanowire Photonics2001–2013 · 15 key publications

To complement nanoelectronics, optical components have undergone decades of miniaturization, and maintaining and improving modern society is directly tied to advances in nanophotonic devices and circuits. As with transistors, reducing laser size would enable higher device packing density and lower power consumption per device. The discovery of the first room-temperature ultraviolet nanowire nanolaser launched nanowire photonics as an exciting new field of fundamental research. Nanowires can also interface directly with mammalian cells for electrical and optical stimulation, and developing flexible nanowire probes would allow researchers to monitor in vivo biological processes within single living cells, greatly improving fundamental understanding of cell functions, intracellular physiological processes, and cellular signaling pathways. These unique nanowire intracellular probes have already enabled novel single-cell endoscopy and efficient cell cargo delivery tools. Developing highly stable, wavelength-tunable coherent light sources at the nanoscale could unlock commercial applications in optical computing and communications, displays, sensing, imaging, and data storage, and the ability to manipulate light pulses within sub-micron volumes is vital for highly integrated photon-based devices such as optical computers. Chemically synthesized nanowires represent an important class of photonic building blocks exhibiting sub-wavelength optical functionalities, and vertical-emitting nanowire nanolasers also served as the prototypical demonstration of the nanoLED and nanolaser diodes now being pursued by the display industry.

Key publications

  1. “Cleaved-Coupled Nanowire Lasers”. Authors: H. Gao*, A. Fu*, S. C. Andrews, P. Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA.. Why it matters: precise control of lasing modes in nanowires by coupling cavities. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  2. “Imaging Single ZnO Vertical Nanowire Laser Cavities Using UV-laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy”. Authors: D. Gargas, M.E. Toimil-Molares, P. Yang.. Journal: J. Am. Chem. Soc.. Why it matters: imaging emission along a single vertical ZnO nanowire laser. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  3. “Nanowire Photonics”. Authors: R. Yan, D. Gargas, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature Photonics (Invited Review). DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  4. “Direct Photonic-Plasmonic Coupling and Routing in Single Nanowires”. Authors: R. Yan, P. Pausauskie, J. Huang, P. Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA.. Why it matters: coupling a plasmon excitation into a photonic waveguide in nanowires. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  5. “Dynamic manipulation and separation of individual semiconducting and metallic nanowires using optoelectronic tweezers”. Authors: A. Jamshidi*, P. J. Pauzauskie*, P. J. Schuck, A. T. Ohta, P. Chiou, J. Chou, P. Yang, M. C. Wu.. Journal: Nature Photonics.. Why it matters: assembling and manipulating metallic nanowires with light. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  6. “Tunable nanowire nonlinear optical probe”. Authors: Y. Nakayama*, P. J. Pauzauskie*, A. Radenovic*, R. M. Onorato*, R. J. Saykally, J. Liphardt, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature.. Why it matters: nanowire of nonlinear material used as a tunable-emission nanoscale optical probe. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  7. “Complete Composition Tunability of InGaN Nanowires using a Combinatorial Approach”. Authors: T. Kuykendall, P. Ulrich, S. Aloni, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature Materials.. Why it matters: alloying InGaN across the full composition range to get band gaps across the visible spectrum, exploiting nanowire geometry. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  8. “Optical Trapping and Integration of Semiconductor Nanowire Assemblies in Water”. Authors: P. Pauzauskie, A. Radenovic, E. Trepagnier, H. Shroff, P. Yang, J. Liphardt.. Journal: Nature. Materials.. Why it matters: using light to assemble nanowires in water. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  9. “Semiconductor Nanowire Ring Resonator Laser”. Authors: P. Pauzauskie, D. Sirbuly, P. Yang.. Journal: Phys. Rev. Lett.. Why it matters: new geometry to modify optical modes in nanowire lasers. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  10. “Optical routing and sensing with nanowire assemblies”. Authors: D. J. Sirbuly*, M. Law*, P. Pauzauskie, H. Yan, A. V. Maslov, K. Knudsen, R. J. Saykally, P. Yang.. Journal: Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 102, 7800, 2005.. Why it matters: assembling optical networks with nanowires. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  11. “Crystallographic Alignment of High Density Gallium Nitride Nanowire Arrays”. Authors: T. Kuykendall*, P. J. Pauzauskie*, Y. Zhang, J. Goldberger, D. Sirbuly, J. Denlinger, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature Materials.. Why it matters: epitaxial growth of high-density GaN nanowire arrays. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  12. “Nanoribbon Waveguides for Subwavelength Photonics Integration”. Authors: M. Law*, D. Sirbuly*, J. Johnson, J. Goldberger, R. Saykally, P. Yang.. Journal: Science.. Why it matters: nanoribbons used as nanoscale photonic elements. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  13. “Self-organized GaN quantum wire UV lasers”. Authors: H. Choi, J. Johnson, R. He, S. Lee, F. Kim, P. Pauzauskie, J. Goldberger, R. Saykally, P. Yang.. Journal: J. Phys. Chem. B.. Why it matters: first quantum wire laser. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  14. “Single gallium nitride nanowire lasers”. Authors: J. Johnson, H. J. Choi, K. P. Knutsen, R. D. Schaller, P. Yang, R. J. Saykally.. Journal: Nature Materials.. Why it matters: first GaN nanowire laser. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  15. “Room-temperature ultraviolet nanowire nanolasers”. Authors: M. Huang, S. Mao, H. Feick, H. Yan, Y. Wu, H. Kind, E. Weber, R. Russo, P. Yang.. Journal: Science.. Why it matters: first nanowire laser. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

07 Nanowire-based Solar Cells2005–2011 · 5 key publications

The scientific significance of nanowire-based photovoltaics lies in their unique ability to fundamentally alter how light is absorbed and processed, bypassing long-standing efficiency constraints of conventional planar solar cells. By utilizing a core-shell geometry that functions as a radial p-n junction, nanowires decouple the optical absorption path from the electrical collection path. Light is absorbed vertically down the length of the wire, while charge carriers (electrons and holes) only need to travel a tiny fraction of that distance radially to reach the electrodes. This structural paradigm drastically mitigates carrier recombination—the main “efficiency killer” where charges lose energy before collection. Furthermore, because their diameters are smaller than the wavelength of incoming solar rays, nanowires trigger unique optical resonances that can concentrate sunlight. This extraordinary light-trapping capability allows the devices to push past the traditional Shockley-Queisser efficiency limit while requiring much less semiconductor material per square meter, providing a scalable path to ultralight, high-efficiency, and cost-effective next-generation energy conversion.

Key publications

  1. “Solution processed core-shell nanowires for efficient photovoltaic cells”. Authors: J. Tang*, Z. Huo*, S. Brittman, H. Gao, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature Nanotech.. Why it matters: efficient heterojunction single-nanowire solar cell made with solution-processed cation-exchange chemistry. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  2. “Absorption of Light in a Single-nanowire Silicon Solar Cell Decorated with an Octahedral Silver Nanocrystal”. Authors: S. Brittman*, H. Gao*, E. C. Garnett, P. Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett.. Why it matters: a plasmonic nanocrystal shown to modify the photocurrent of a single-nanowire silicon solar cell. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  3. “Light Trapping in Silicon Nanowire Solar Cells”. Authors: E. Garnett, P. Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett.. Why it matters: enhanced solar-cell performance via light trapping in silicon nanowire arrays. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  4. “Silicon Nanowire Radial p-n Junction Solar Cells”. Authors: E. C. Garnett, P. Yang.. Journal: J. Am. Chem. Soc.. Why it matters: silicon nanowire-array solar cells with radial p-n junctions made by wafer-scale electroless etching. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  5. “Nanowire dye-sensitized solar cells”. Authors: M. Law*, L. E. Greene*, J. C. Johnson, R. Saykally, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature Materials.. Why it matters: improved electron injection and transport in a dye-sensitized solar cell using ZnO nanowires. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

08 Nanowire Thermoelectrics2002–2012 · 8 key publications

Phonon transport is expected to be strongly impeded in thin (i.e., d<Λ, where d is the diameter and Λ is the phonon mean free path) 1D nanostructures because increased boundary scattering and reduced phonon group velocities due to phonon confinement limit transport. Detailed models of phonon heat conduction in cylindrical semiconducting nanowires that consider modified dispersion relations and all important scattering processes predict a large decrease in the lattice thermal conductivity of wires tens of nanometers in diameter. Size-dependent thermal conductivity in nanostructures remains a major hurdle in the semiconductor industry’s drive toward miniaturization. Yet poor heat transport is advantageous for thermoelectric materials, which are characterized by a figure of merit (ZT = α2T/[ρ(κp + κe)], with α, T, ρ, κp and κe the Seebeck coefficient, absolute temperature, electronic resistivity, lattice thermal conductivity and electronic thermal conductivity, respectively) that improves as phonon transport worsens. In the 1990s, the Dresselhaus group predicted that ZT could exceed bulk values in thin nanowires by carefully tailoring their diameters, compositions, and carrier concentrations. Our work has focused on understanding the thermal transport properties of pure silicon and Si/SiGe superlattice nanowires as a first step toward experimentally verifying enhanced ZT values in these complex nanostructures.

Key publications

  1. “Quantifying Surface Roughness Effects on Phonon Transport in Silicon Nanowires”. Authors: J. Lim*, K. Hippalgaonkar*, S. Andrews, A. Majumdar, P. Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett.. Why it matters: methodology to quantify surface-roughness effects on heat transport in Si nanowires. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  2. “Atomic-Level Control of the Thermoelectric Properties in Polytypoid Nanowires”. Authors: S. C. Andrews*, M. A. Fardy*, M. C. Moore*, S. Aloni, M. Zhang, V. Radmilovic, P. Yang.. Journal: Chem. Sci.. Why it matters: facile conversion chemistry yielding enhanced thermoelectric performance. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  3. “Holey Silicon as an Efficient Thermoelectric Material”. Authors: J. Tang*, H. Wang*, D. H. Lee, M. Fardy, Z. Huo, T. P. Russell, P. Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett.. Why it matters: efficient thermoelectric from a 2D-structured silicon. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  4. “Enhanced thermoelectric performance of rough silicon nanowires”. Authors: A. I. Hochbaum*, R. Chen*, R. D. Delgado, W. Liang, E. C. Garnett, M. Najarian, A. Majumdar, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature.. Why it matters: first demonstration of rough nanowires for enhanced thermoelectric performance. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  5. “Thermal Conductance of Thin Silicon Nanowires”. Authors: R. Chen, A. I. Hochbaum, P. Murphy, J. Moore, P. Yang, A. Majumdar.. Journal: Phys. Rev. Lett.. Why it matters: heat transport examined in a quasi-1D structure. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  6. “Thermal conductivity of individual silicon nanowires”. Authors: D. Li, Y. Wu, P. Kim, L. Shi, N. Mingo, Y. Liu, P. Yang, A. Majumdar.. Journal: Appl. Phys. Lett.. Why it matters: first measurement of silicon nanowire thermal conductivity. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  7. “Thermal conductivity of individual Si/SiGe superlattice nanowires”. Authors: D. Li, Y. Wu, P. Kim, L. Shi, N. Mingo, Y. Liu, P. Yang, A. Majumdar.. Journal: Appl. Phys. Lett.. Why it matters: first measurement of superlattice nanowire thermal conductivity. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  8. “Block-by-Block Growth of Single-Crystalline Si/SiGe Superlattice Nanowires”. Authors: Y. Wu, R. Fan, P. Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett.. Why it matters: growth of Si/SiGe superlattice nanowires for potential thermoelectrics applications. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

09 Nanotube Nanofluidics2003–2009 · 8 key publications

Nanotubes offer a unique, high-aspect-ratio platform for investigating ion transport and fluid flow within highly confined geometries. Theoretical analysis of ion behavior in gated silica nanotubes indicates that when the channel diameter is smaller than the Debye length, an applied gate bias can completely exclude co-ions, yielding a unipolar solution of counter-ions within the channel. Leveraging a novel nanowire-templating method, we synthesized single-crystalline nanotubes of GaN and other advanced compositions. This enabled us to demonstrate, for the first time, functional p-, n-, and ambipolar ionic nanofluidic transistors, achieving electrical gating of ion transport analogous to traditional electronic field-effect transistors. Furthermore, we successfully translated these nanofluidic control principles to a more complex, realistic system: mesoporous silica. By demonstrating that proton transport through aligned mesoscale channels can be electrostatically regulated, this work opens transformative possibilities for biological sensing, nanofluidic processing and computing, seawater desalination, and salinity gradient energy harvesting.

Key publications

  1. “Nanofluidic diodes based on heterojunction nanotubes”. Authors: R. Yan, W. Liang, R. Fan, P. Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  2. “Gated proton transport in aligned mesoporous silica films”. Authors: R. Fan, S. Huh, R. Yan, J. Arnold, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature Materials. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  3. “Inorganic Nanotubes: A Novel Platform for Nanofluidics”. Authors: J. Goldberger, R. Fan, P. Yang.. Journal: Acct. Chem. Res. (as printed). DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  4. “Electrostatic Control of Ions and Molecules in Nanofluidic Transistors”. Authors: R. Karnik*, R. Fan*, M. Yue, D. Li, P. Yang, A. Majumdar.. Journal: Nano Lett. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  5. “DNA translocation in inorganic nanotubes”. Authors: R. Fan, R. Karnik, M. Yue, D. Li, A. Majumdar, P. Yang.. Journal: Nano Lett. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  6. “Polarity switching and transient responses in single nanotube nanofluidic transistors”. Authors: R. Fan, R. Karnik, M. Yue, A. Majumdar, P. Yang.. Journal: Phys. Rev. Lett. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  7. “Ion transport in nanofluidic channels”. Authors: H. Daiguji, P. Yang, A. Majumdar.. Journal: Nano Lett. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  8. “Single crystal gallium nitride nanotubes”. Authors: J. Goldberger, R. He, S. Lee, Y. Zhang, H. Yan, H. Choi, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

10 Plasmonics2004–2013 · 6 key publications

First identified by the ancient Greeks, the five Platonic solids—the tetrahedron, octahedron, hexahedron (cube), icosahedron, and dodecahedron—represent the only convex polyhedra constructed from identical regular polygons meeting at uniform vertices. The aesthetic symmetry and fundamental simplicity of these shapes continue to inspire mathematicians and physicists alike, while echoing throughout nature in the morphology of certain viruses and radiolaria. Recently, the principles of geometric shape control have revitalized the centuries-old field of colloidal metal synthesis. While various methodologies have yielded diverse nanoparticles—such as rods, wires, prisms, and cubes—precise shape regulation has remained a challenge, particularly for silver and platinum. We have demonstrated a systematic shape-evolution strategy for metal nanocrystals spanning 5 to 300 nm using a modified polyol process. By introducing surface-regulating polymers and foreign ions, we readily access highly uniform, high-yield populations of tetrahedra, cubes, octahedra, and icosahedra. Possessing perfect structural symmetry, these nanocrystals offer ideal building blocks for two- and three-dimensional close-packed assemblies, enabling the rational tuning of their optical (surface plasmon) and catalytic properties.

Key publications

  1. “Oriented Assembly of Polyhedral Plasmonic Nanoparticle Clusters”. Authors: J. Henzie, S. Andrews, X. Ling, Z. Li, P. Yang.. Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  2. “Self-assembly of uniform polyhedral silver nanocrystals into densely packed supercrystals”. Authors: J. Henzie, M. Grünwald, A. Widmer-Cooper, P. L. Geissler, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature Mater. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  3. “Membrane-Protein Binding Measured with Solution-Phase Plasmonic Nanocube Sensors”. Authors: H. Wu, J. Henzie, W. Lin, C. Rhodes, Z. Li, E. Sartorel, J. Thorner, P. Yang, J. T. Groves.. Journal: Nature Methods. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  4. “Tunable plasmonic lattices of silver nanocrystals”. Authors: A. R. Tao, P. Sinsermsuksakul, P. Yang.. Journal: Nature Nanotech. DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  5. “Spontaneous formation of nanoparticlestripe patterns through dewetting”. Authors: J. Huang*, F. Kim*, A. Tao*, S. Conner, P. Yang.. Journal: rendered across a link boundary as "Nature" + "Mater" (i.e., Nature Materials). DOI ↗ DOI ↗

  6. “Platonic Gold Nanocrystals”. Authors: F. Kim, S. Connor, H. Song, T. Kuykendall, P. Yang.. Journal: Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. DOI ↗ DOI ↗