We are developing methods and softwares that are capable of simulating time-dependent phenomena in condensed matter with non-Born-Oppenheimer quantum electron-nucleus dynamics, for the sake of understanding fundamental properties of materials in (laser, electron, heat-driven) electronic excited states. The processes can be non-perturbative, non-equilibrium, and non-adabatic ...
Green plants have an extraordinary ability to harvest sunlights. Inspired by the beauty of the nature, we construct a smallest "tree" that ever exists: tiny TiO2 nanowires are interconnected in a way like tree branches, organic molecules with a sensible light-absorbing property self-assemble onto the surface of these branches serving as "molecular leaves". Photons from the Sun which strike onto these nanostructures could squeeze electrons, in turn, electricity, out of the nanotree.
The nonequilibrium electronic structures under a periodic field of laser can lead to intriguing topological optoelectronic properties. Under the irradiation of circularly polarized light, black phosphorus exhibits continuously tuned topological phase transition...
It is hidden in the dark, to whatever temperature you would heat it. It comes out only if what God would say, "Let there be light!" See a mysterious photoinduced state here ...
Ultrafast electron-nuclear dynamics of water splitting on gold nanoparticles upon exposure to femtosecond laser pulses was directly simulated, where the changes in molecular orbitals of a single water molecule was uncovered for the first time...
A new kind of membrane has been discovered, which is "transparent" for proton transport when immensed in water. It is more surprising that it does not conduct any other ions or molecules including water itself ...
The new ice structure identified by a joint theoretical and experimental effort exhibits an exceedingly high density (1.2 g/cm3, instead of 0.92 g/cm3 for ordinary ice Ih), which resembles the high-pressure phase ice-II, a stable phase of ice found at a pressure of 0.6 GPa
It seems rather simple to ask whether the arrangements of surface atoms of a crystal affect wetting? The answer however is not straightforward until now. Graduate student Chongqin Zhu finds a new type of wetting arises from lattice matching...
The new transistor is as thin as a single molecule. Most interestingly, it can be easily gated by a chemical side group, via either electricity or light ...
Building M712
Institute of Physics
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190
