On December 29th, 2023, Prof. Zhihong Nie from Fudan University, was invited to deliver a lecture at the 203rd Wuhan Optoelectronics Forum titled Nanoscale Colloidal Molecular Functional Materials.
Prof. Guoli Tu gave an introduction to Prof. Zhihong Nie, including his research direction and academic contributions, and then the lecture officially began.
Prof Zhihong Nie's report was introduced by the fact that the world of matter and life is formed by atoms. By breaking the traditional limitation of the size and composition of atoms, nanoparticles of different sizes, elements and shapes are regarded as nanoscale atoms and assembled and arranged in a certain way to form accurate nanostructures with molecular spatial configuration called colloidal molecules. This report mainly introduces the synthesis of colloidal molecules. Through the functional group modification of polymer chains, the interaction between nanoparticles can be realized to form colloidal molecules, such as one-dimensional colloidal molecular chains, two-dimensional colloidal molecular planes and three-dimensional colloidal molecular materials. He also describes in detail the application of colloidal molecules in sensing, catalysis, metamaterials and optoelectronic devices by manipulating physical properties of light, electricity, magnetism and heat, such as planar hyperlenses, optical imaging, flexible sensing and cancer therapy.
The presentation evoked a lively interaction among the attendees, with researchers and scholars actively engaging in thoughtful exchanges with Prof. Zhihong Nie on hot issues.
Nie Zhihong is a distinguished professor at the State Key Laboratory of Polymer Molecular Engineering, Department of Polymer Science, Fudan University and winner of the National Outstanding Youth Fund. He received his PhD from the University of Toronto in 2008 and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University from 2008 to 2010. He was hired as an assistant professor at the University of Maryland in 2011 and received tenure in 2017 before joining Fudan University full time. His research interests include polymer and nanoparticle self-assembly, bioimaging and drug release, and plasma functional materials. More than 140 academic papers have been published in Science, Nat. Mater., J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Adv. Mater. and so on, and these papers have been cited more than 21,000 times. He is also an associate editor of Soft Matter. He has received the National Science Foundation Career Award, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund Young Professor Award, 3M Company Young Professor Award and other honors.
