Research Area: Femtosecond Laser Spectroscopy and Imaging, Optical Properties and Applications of Nanocomposite Materials, Photocatalysis, Biosensing, Bioimaging and Imaging-Guided-Therapy

Research Summary：Our research group focuses on investigation of optical and electronic properties of various nanocomposites, low-dimensional materials, and heterojuction nanostructures (semiconductor–semiconductor or metal–semiconductor). We explore their dynamics, interfacial processes and underlying mechanisms with the ultimate goal of developing applications in fields such as optoelectronics, energy, environment, and biomedicine. Our primary research areas include metal/semiconductor based nanocomposite materials, biomedical materials, nonlinear optical materials, photocatalysis, biological sensing, imaging and light-driven cancer therapy. Specific research directions include:：

i）Nanocomposite Materials with Plasmon Enhanced Optical Properties and Their Applications
Metal nanoparticles exhibit unique localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effects, which can be utilized to enhance the optical properties of the nanoparticles themselves or nearby small molecules，such as metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Our research group has previously developed techniques such as aggregation-induced two-photon luminescence enhancement (AI2E) of metal nanoparticles as well as aggregation-induced emission (AIE) enhancement in plasmonic metal–chromophore conjugates.


Building upon this foundation, we aim to construct diverse metal-based nanocomposites that leverage LSPR to boost optical performance—including excitation efficiency, luminescence quantum yield, and two-photon absorption. These materials will be utilized to detect biomarkers for various conditions (such as tumors, inflammation, and skin diseases), multimodal imaging (fluorescence, photothermal, photoacoustic, and two-photon imaging), and therapeutic interventions (including light-controlled drug release, photothermal therapy, and photodynamic therapy), ultimately achieving an integrated "theranostic" (diagnostic and therapeutic) approach.


ii）Photocatalysis (with focus on those relevant to life health)
Semiconductor materials can facilitate solar energy conversion through the generation of photo-induced electron-hole pairs. When the energy of incident light exceeds the bandgap threshold, the semiconductor generates photo-induced electrons (e⁻) and holes (h⁺), which possess strong reducing and oxidizing capabilities, respectively. These photo-induced electrons and holes can drive various redox reactions, such as water splitting, CO₂ reduction, nitrogen fixation, and the photochemical generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), with applications spanning the energy, environmental, and biomedical sectors. Traditional single-component semiconductors face two primary bottlenecks in practical applications: low light-absorption efficiency and rapid recombination of photo-induced electron-hole pairs, which typically result in low yields and poor selectivity. Our research focuses on constructing multi-component heterostructure systems—including semiconductor-semiconductor or metal-semiconductor heterojunctions. By engineering heterojunction interfaces between two or more semiconductors, we can achieve complementary light absorption (thereby broadening the spectral range) and facilitate the spatial separation of electrons and holes via interfacial charge transfer, ultimately enhancing charge utilization efficiency.

Building upon over two decades of expertise in noble-metal nanocomposites, photocatalysis, and two-photon excitation technology—along with its biomedical applications—our group aims to develop heterojunction-based photocatalysts tailored for health-related applications such as the remediation of volatile organic compound (VOC) pollution to foster healthy indoor environments. Furthermore, we will develop a new generation of nanocomposite photocatalysts that respond to red light, particularly under two-photon excitation, and can efficiently generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) under biological environments. We will also explore their potential biomedical applications for antibacterial treatments and cancer therapy.

iii）Biosensing, Bioimaging and Imaging-Guided-Therapy
To address the critical need for early, precise diagnosis, treatment efficacy evaluation, and recurrence monitoring of major diseases such as cancers, digestive system diseases, and skin infections, our research focuses on developing advanced biomedical materials and diagnostic imaging technologies. Building upon our prior work on aggregation-induced emission (AIE) enhancement of metal nanoparticles, we aim to engineer diagnostic agents and techniques, spanning fluorescence/near-infrared, ultrasound, and Raman modalities that feature disease-targeting capabilities, responsiveness to disease microenvironments, signal amplification, and multi-modal imaging. By integrating methods such as microfluidic enrichment and optical signal modulation for noise reduction, we will achieve highly sensitive detection of disease-related biomarkers, facilitating the early and accurate diagnosis of major diseases. Furthermore, leveraging imaging guidance, we will employ photothermal therapy, light-controlled drug release, and photocatalytic effects to precisely eliminate tumor cells or diseased tissues, thereby realizing an integrated "theranostic" (diagnostic and therapeutic) approach.


iv) Femtosecond Laser Spectroscopy and Imaging
In addition to synthesizing various nanocomposite mayerials, investigating their optical properties, and exploring their health-related applications, we will also develop and utilize a range of spectroscopic (e.g., multi-beam ultrafast spectroscopy, single-particle spectroscopy) and imaging (e.g., fluorescence, photoacoustic, two-photon-excitation) techniques. These tools are employed to characterize the linear and nonlinear optical properties of these materials, study their dynamic processes such as photo-responses (luminescence, photothermal, photoacoustic, photophysical, and photochemical phenomena), energy and electron transfer. Ultimately, we will develop various optical characterization, sensing, and multi-photon imaging technologies and instrumentation.