Research：Smart soft matter, living matter, 3D 4D printing, nanomanufacturing, biomimetics, micro nanooptics

Qi-Huo Wei graduated from Department of Physics, Nanjing University in 1993 with a PhD in condensed matter physics. Prior to joining SUSTech, he was a tenured professor at the Liquid Crystal Institute and Department of Physics in Kent State University in US. He was a recipient of Alexander von Humboldt research fellow and the CAREER award of National Science Foundation. Prof. Wei has a broad research interest, covering statistics physics, optics, mechanics, material engineering, sensors, and biomimetics, and has made original contributions in single file diffusion, nanoparticle plasmonic coupling, Brownian motion of low symmetry particles, command of living matter, and photoalignment. He proposed the concept of plasmonic metamasks and invented a photopatterning technique allowing for photopatterning arbitrary designer molecular orientations in single exposure, just like photolithography. This technique is important for liquid crystal polymer flexible substrates, reconfigurable metamaterials, optoelectronic devices, liquid crystal elastomers and biomedical applications. His research has been supported by National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and Samsung Electronics.

Research Areas：
◆ Nanomanufacturing: large area molecular alignment techniques and instrumentation, programmable 3D origami, micro/nano optoelectronic devices
◆ Intelligent soft matter：collective behavior in artificial and biological living matter, 3D/4D printing of stimuli-responsive soft matter, colloidal matter
◆ Biomimetics: microfluidics and microoptics in biological systems, biosensors, and tissue engineering.

Working Experience:
◆ December 2019-, professor at the Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology,
◆ Sept. 2017-Nov. 2019, professor, Liquid Crystal Institute and Department of Physics, Kent State University
◆ Sept. 2011-Aug. 2017，associate professor, Liquid Crystal Institute and Department of Chemical Physics, Kent State University
◆ July 2006-Aug. 2011，assistant professor, Liquid Crystal Institute and Department of Chemical Physics, Kent State University
◆ June 2003-June 2006, staff scientist, Applied Nanobioscience Center, Arizona State University
◆ June 2001-May 2003, assistant research engineer, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, UCLA
◆ July 1999-July 2000, postdoctor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh
◆ Feb. 1997-June 1999, AvH research fellow, Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, Germany
◆ May 1993-Oct. 1996, lecturer-associate professor, Biomedical Engineering Dept, Southeast University, China.

Education:
◆ Nanjing University, PhD in Condensed Matter Physics, 1993
◆ Nanjing University, MS in Physics 1989
◆ Nanjing University, BS in Physics, 1986

Honors:
◆ 2017 Best Paper Award by Crystal
◆ 2011 CAREER award of National Science Foundation
◆ 2009 Farris Family Innovation Award, Kent State University
◆ 1996-1998 Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow
◆ 1995，Science and Technology Progress Award, Ministry of Education

Representative Publications:

Nanomanufacturing, intelligent soft matter
◆ Y. Guo, M. Jiang, C. Peng, K. Sun, O. Yaroshchuk, O. Lavrentovich, Q.H. Wei, “High-Resolution and High-Throughput Plasmonic Photopatterning of Complex Molecular Orientations in Liquid Crystals”, Adv. Mat. 28, 2353(2016)
◆ M. Jiang, Y. Guo, H. Yu, Z. Zhou, T. Turiv, O.D. Lavrentovich, Q.H. Wei, “Low f‐Number Diffraction-Limited Pancharatnam-Berry Microlenses Enabled by Plasmonic Photopatterning of Liquid Crystal Polymers”, Adv. Mat. 31, 1808028 (2019)
◆ M. Jiang, H. Yu, X. Feng, Y.Guo, I. Chaganava, T. Turiv, O.D. Lavrentovich, Q.H. Wei, “Liquid Crystal Pancharatnam-Berry Micro-Optical Elements for Laser Beam Shaping”, Adv. Opt. Mat. 6, 1800961(2019)
◆ G. Babakhanova, T. Turiv, Y. Guo, M. Hendrikx, Q.-H. Wei, A. PHJ Schenning, D. J. Broer, O. D. Lavrentovich “Liquid crystal elastomer coatings with programmed response of surface profile”, Nature Comm. 9, 1130 (2018)

Micro/NanoOptics
◆ H. Yu, M. Jiang, Y. Guo, T. Turiv, W. Lu, V. Ray, O.D. Lavrentovich, Q.H.Wei, “Plasmonic Metasurfaces with High UV-Vis Transmittance for Photopatterning of Designer Molecular Orientations”，Adv. Opt. Mat. 9, 1900117(2019)
◆ F. Wang, A. Chakrabarty, F. Minkowski, K. Sun, Q.-H. Wei, “Polarization conversion with elliptical patch nanoantennas”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 101, 023101 (2012) (cover article, one of 20 most viewed papers)
◆ F. Minkowski, F. Wang, A. Chakrabarty, Q.-H. Wei, “Resonant Cavity Modes of Circular Plasmonic Patch Nanoantennas”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 104, 021111 (2014).
◆ Z.W. Liu, Q.-H. Wei, X. Zhang, “Surface Plasmon Interference Nanolithography (SPIN)”, NanoLett 5, 957(2005)
◆ Q.-H. Wei, K.-H. Su, S. Durant, X. Zhang, “Plasmon Resonance of Finite One-dimensional Nano Au Particle Chains”, NanoLett 4, 1067 (2004)
◆ K.-H. Su, Q.-H. Wei, X. Zhang, J. Mock, D.R. Smith, and S. Schultz, “Interparticle Coupling Effects on Plasmon Resonances of Nano Metallic Particles”, NanoLett 3, 1087 (2003)

Soft Matter Physics
◆ A. Chakrabarty, A. Konya, F. Wang, J.V. Selinger, K. Sun, Q.H. Wei, “Brownian motion of boomerang colloidal particles” Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 160603 (2013) (Covered by Physics Focus News, IOP Physics World News, physics.org, IOP 10 picture of the year)
◆ A. Chakrabarty, A. Konya, F. Wang, J.V. Selinger, K. Sun, Q.H. Wei “Brownian motion of arbitrarily shaped particles in two dimensions”, Langmuir 30, 13844-13853 (2014)
◆ Y. Guo, S. Afghah, J. Xiang, O.D. Lavrentovich, R.L.B. Selinger, Q.H. Wei, “Cholesteric liquid crystals in rectangular microchannels: skyrmions and stripes” Soft Matter 12, 6312-6320(2016).
◆ Q.-H. Wei, C. Bechinger, P. Leiderer, “Single-file diffusion of colloids in one-dimensional channels”, Science 287, 625(2000)
◆ Q.-H. Wei, C. Bechinger, D. Rudhardt, P. Leiderer, “Experimental study of laser induced melting in two-dimensional colloids”, Phys. Rev. Lett.  81, 2606 (1998)
◆ Q. H. Wei, and X.-L. Wu, “Grain Boundary Dynamics under Mechanical Annealing in Two-dimensional Colloids”, Phys. Rev. E 70: 020401 (2004)

Biomimetics, biosensors, living matter
◆ M. S. Lehnert and Q.-H. Wei, “Hierarchical Microstructures and Functions of Lepidopteran Proboscis Cuticle”, (Chapter for Book “Mouthparts of Insects” edited by Harald W. Krenn, 2019)
◆ F Wang, BP Joshi, A Chakrabarty, H Zhang, QH Wei, “Plasmonic Patch Nanoantennas for Reproducible and High-Sensitivity Chemical Detection with Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy” ECS Transactions 85, 77(2018)
◆ C. Peng, T. Turiv, Y. Guo, Q.H. Wei, O.D. Lavrentovich, “Command of active matter by topological defects and patterns”, Science 354, 882 (2016).
◆ F. S. Zhou, and Q.-H. Wei, “Scaling Laws for NanoFET Sensors”, Nanotechnology 19, 015504 (2008) (most downloaded papers in 3 months of publication)