Keynote Speaker
Prof. Lixing Kang (Research Fellow)
Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
E-mail: lxkang2013@sinano.ac.cn
Title: Tailoring Atomic Interfaces in One-Dimensional van der Waals Heterostructures for Semiconductor Applications
Profile:
Lixing Kang is a full professor and PhD supervisor at the Suzhou Institute of Nanotech and Nanobionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SINANO). He was selected for the National High-Level Young Talent Program in 2021 and currently serves as the principal investigator of a National Key R&D Project (2023). He has also received support from the CAS “Pioneer Initiative” Talent Program, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Suzhou Gusu Leading Talent Program, among others. His research focuses on the controlled synthesis and assembly of low-dimensional electronic materials, such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, and other two-dimensional atomic crystals. He is particularly interested in uncovering their unconventional physical and chemical properties and advancing their application in fields including nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, energy-related catalysis, and high-performance composite materials. Dr. Kang has published more than 70 SCI papers, including over 40 as (co-)first or corresponding author in top-tier journals such as Nature (1), Nature Communications (4), Science Advances (2), J. Am. Chem. Soc. (5), Nano Letters (4), and ACS Nano (2), with more than 3000 citations. He holds 11 patent applications (3 international), with 5 granted, and is co-author of the monograph Carbon Nanotube Growth and Applications. He serves as a peer reviewer for Nature Communications, ACS Nano, Small, InfoMat, and is a youth editorial board member of Carbon Energy and SmartMat (both IF > 20).
Abstract:
Owing to their pronounced nanoscale interfacial coupling effects, one-dimensional (1D) van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures exhibit highly distinctive electronic and magnetic behaviors. Among them, carbon nanotube (CNT)-derived 1D atomic crystal heterojunctions represent a novel class of vdW systems, where atomic-level interface engineering becomes possible. CNTs provide an ideal nanoconfinement platform due to their exceptional chemical stability, precisely defined inner cavities on the sub-nanometer to few-nanometer scale, and cylindrical surface topologies, enabling fine control over nanoscale heterointerface formation, phase stabilization, and interfacial orbital interactions.
Building on this principle, we have developed a general confinement-guided synthesis strategy to fabricate diverse 1D atomic chains and heterostructures within single-walled CNTs. The encapsulation not only drives the formation of metastable or previously inaccessible 1D phases but also induces strong interfacial charge redistribution between the guest atomic chains and the host CNTs. Using low-voltage aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (AC-TEM) and advanced spectroscopic analyses, we achieve atomic-resolution structural characterization and probe the nature of charge transfer and orbital hybridization at the heterointerface. Magnetic and transport measurements reveal that these 1D confined heterostructures exhibit emergent magnetic phases—such as spin-glass-like states, superparamagnetism, and enhanced ferromagnetic ordering—which are markedly distinct from their bulk counterparts.
These findings underscore the critical role of dimensional reduction and interfacial confinement in tuning quantum functionalities and offer new opportunities for interface-driven applications in nanoelectronics, spintronics, and surface engineering.