RESEARCH INTERESTS

Our main research interests are using scanning transmission electron microscopy/electron energy loss spectroscopy to understand the atomic and electronic structure of 2D materials and applying focused electron beam together with in situ heating to engineer the atomic structure of low-dimensional materials. In addition, we focus on developing advanced image processing techniques to harness trivial topological features in atomic resolution electron microscopy images to develop structure-property relationships in functional nanomaterials.

EDUCATION

2014–2018, Ph.D., NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS) (Supervisors: Prof Stephen J. Pennycook & Prof Kian Ping Loh)

2010–2014, B.Eng (1^st Class Honours)., School of Materials Science & Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU)          

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2022–present, Assistant Professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University

2020–2022, Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) (Advisor: Prof. Zheng Liu)

2018–2020, Research Fellow, School of Materials Science & Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS) (Advisors: Prof. Stephen J. Pennycook & Prof Andrew T. S. Wee)

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

1. Zhao, X.; Song, P.; Wang, C.; A. C. Riis-Jensen.; Fu, W.; Deng, Y.; Wan, D.; Kang, L.; Ning, S.; Dan, J.; Venkatesan, T.; Liu, Z.; Zhou, W.; Thygesen, K.; Luo, X., Pennycook, S. J.; Loh, K. P., Engineering Covalently Bonded 2D Layered Materials by Self-Intercalation. Nature 2020, 581, 171-177

2. Hai, X.; Xi, S.; Mitchell, S.; Harrath, K.; Xu, H.; Akl, D. F.; Kong, D.; Li, J.; Li, Z.; Sun, T.; Yang, H.; Cui, Y.; Su, C.; Zhao, X.*; Li, J. *; Pérez-Ramírez, J. *; Lu, J. *, Scalable two-step annealing method for preparing ultra-high-density single-atom catalyst libraries. Nat. Nanotechnol., 2022, 17, 174–181

3. Zhao, X.; Ji, Y.; Chen, J.; Fu, W.; Dan, J.; Liu, Y.; Pennycook, S. J.; Zhou, W.; Loh, K. P., Healing of Planar Defects in Two-Dimensional Materials via Grain Boundary Sliding. Adv. Mater. 2019, 31, 1900237

4. Zhao, X.; Sun, W.; Geng, D.; Fu, W.; Dan, J.; Xie, Y.; Kent, Paul. R. C.; Zhou, W.; Pennycook, S. J.; Loh, K. P., Edge Segregated Polymorphism in Two-Dimensional Molybdenum Carbide. Adv. Mater. 2019, 31, 1808343

5. Zhao, X.; Dan, J.; Chen, J.; Ding, Z.; Zhou, W.; Loh, K. P.; Pennycook, S. J.; Atom-by-Atom Fabrication of Monolayer Molybdenum Membranes. Adv. Mater. 2018, 30, 1707281