Research Endeavors

Our current research, using AI-driven autonomous experiments, seeks to understand nonreciprocal and nonlinear responses in low-dimensional, hybrid and symmetry-breaking semiconductors.

Symmetry Breaking in Hybrid Crystals

Symmetry Breaking in Hybrid Crystals

Exploring emergent phenomena in noncentrosymmetric hybrid crystals.

Carrier dynamics experiment highlight

Low-Dimensional Materials for Nonlinear Optics

Discovering new low-dimensional materials with enhanced nonlinear optical responses.

Collaborative mentorship highlight

Next-Generation Optoelectronics

Developing advanced optoelectronic devices based on hybrid semiconductors.

Collaborative mentorship highlight

Autonomous Lab for Scientific Research

Designing and implementing AI-driven autonomous laboratories for high-throughput experimentation.

Selected Publications

Our research findings are published in 50+ peer-reviewed journal articles.

More publications
  • 2026A Predictive Framework for Discovering Organic Metal Halide Hybrids beyond Perovskites. Chem. Mater., 38, 371 (2026). 10.1021/acs.chemmater.5c02573
  • 2025Accelerating ion transport in polycrystalline conductors: On pores and grain boundaries. Sci. Adv., 11, eadt7795 (2025). 10.1126/sciadv.adt7795
  • 2025Long-distance remote epitaxy. Nature, 646, 584-591 (2025). 10.1038/s41586-025-09484-z
  • 2025The Beginning in the Darkroom. Nano Lett., 25, 16934-16935 (2025). 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c05289
  • 2025Nonreciprocal Transport with Quantum Geometric Origin in Layered Hybrid Perovskite. arXiv preprint, arXiv:2512.13663 (2025). arXiv:2512.13663
  • 2024Identifying Practical DFT Functionals for Predicting 0D and 1D Organic Metal-Halide Hybrids. J. Phys. Chem. C, 128, 17850-17858 (2024). 10.1021/acs.jpcc.4c05263
  • 2024Chirality-Induced Magnet-Free Spin Generation in a Semiconductor. Adv. Mater., 36, 2406347 (2024). 10.1002/adma.202406347
  • 2023Suppressing phase disproportionation in quasi-2D perovskite light-emitting diodes. Nat. Commun., 14, 397 (2023). 10.1038/s41467-023-36118-7
  • 2022Intrinsic Ion Migration Dynamics in a One-Dimensional Organic Metal Halide Hybrid. ACS Energy Lett., 7, 3753-3760 (2022). 10.1021/acsenergylett.2c01710
  • 2022Nanoscale Encapsulation of Hybrid Perovskites Using Hybrid Atomic Layer Deposition. J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 13, 4082-4089 (2022). 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c00862
  • 2020Phase segregation in inorganic mixed-halide perovskites: from phenomena to mechanisms. Photon. Res., 8, A56-A71 (2020). 10.1364/PRJ.8.000A56
  • 2019Two-/multi-wavelength light excitation effects in optical materials: From fundamentals to applications. Prog. Mater. Sci., 105, 100568 (2019). ScienceDirect article
  • 2019Could Nanocomposites Continue the Success of Halide Perovskites? ACS Energy Lett., 4, 1446-1454 (2019). 10.1021/acsenergylett.9b00580
  • 2019Suppressed Phase Separation of Mixed-Halide Perovskites Confined in Endotaxial Matrices. Nat. Commun., 10, 695 (2019). 10.1038/s41467-019-08610-6
  • 2019Light Emitting Diodes Based on Inorganic Composite Halide Perovskites. Adv. Funct. Mater., 29, 1807345 (2019). 10.1002/adfm.201807345
  • 2018Remote Phononic Effects in Epitaxial Ruddlesden-Popper Halide Perovskites. J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 9, 6676-6682 (2018). 10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b02763
  • 2018Highly Efficient Spectrally Stable Red Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes. Adv. Mater., 30, 1707093 (2018). 10.1002/adma.201707093
  • 2017Composite Perovskites of Cesium Lead Bromide for Optimized Photoluminescence. J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 8, 3266-3271 (2017). 10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b01302
  • 2017Dynamic Electronic Junctions in Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Perovskites. Nano Lett., 17, 4831-4839 (2017). 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b01665
  • 2017Van Der Waals Hybrid Perovskite of High Optical Quality by Chemical Vapor Deposition. Adv. Optical Mater., 5, 1700373 (2017). 10.1002/adom.201700373
  • 2016Enhanced Optical and Electrical Properties of Polymer-Assisted All-Inorganic Perovskites for Light-Emitting Diodes. Adv. Mater., 28, 8983-8989 (2016). 10.1002/adma.201602513
  • 2016A Solution-Processed Organometal Halide Perovskite Hole Transport Layer for Highly Efficient Organic Light-Emitting Diodes. Adv. Electron. Mater., 2, 1600165 (2016). 10.1002/aelm.201600165
  • 2016Fully Printed Halide Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes with Silver Nanowire Electrodes. ACS Nano, 10, 1795-1801 (2016). 10.1021/acsnano.5b07506
  • 2016Bright Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Organometal Halide Perovskite Nanoplatelets. Adv. Mater., 28, 305-311 (2016). 10.1002/adma.201503954
  • 2015Distinguishing the Photothermal and Photoinjection Effects in Vanadium Dioxide Nanowires. Nano Lett., 15, 7037-7042 (2015). 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b03086
  • 2015Specific Effects in Microwave Chemistry Explored through Reactor Vessel Design, Theory, and Spectroscopy. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 17, 27317-27327 (2015). 10.1039/C5CP03961D
  • 2015Widely Tunable Distributed Bragg Reflectors Integrated into Nanowire Waveguides. Nano Lett., 15, 6909-6913 (2015). 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b02839
  • 2015Strong Chiroptical Activities in Gold Nanorod Dimers Assembled Using DNA Origami Templates. ACS Photonics, 2, 392-397 (2015). 10.1021/ph500434f
  • 2014Semiconductor Nanowires-Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications. Adv. Mater., 26, 2137-2184 (2014). 10.1002/adma.201303123
  • 2013Cleaved-Coupled Nanowire Lasers. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 110, 865-869 (2013). 10.1073/pnas.1217335110
  • 2013Femtosecond M2,3-Edge Spectroscopy of Transition Metal Oxides: Photoinduced Oxidation State Change in alpha-Fe2O3. J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 4, 3667-3671 (2013). 10.1021/jz401997d
  • 2013Effect of Thermal Annealing in Ammonia on the Properties of InGaN Nanowires with Different Indium Concentrations. J. Phys. Chem. C, 117, 3627-3634 (2013). 10.1021/jp311685x
  • 2012Plasmon Enhanced Water Splitting Efficiency of Iron Oxide on Au Nanopillars. ACS Nano, 6, 234-240 (2012). 10.1021/nn203457a
  • 2012Metal-Dielectric Photonic Crystal Superlattice: 1D and 2D Models and Empty Lattice Approximation. Physica B: Condensed Matter, 407, 4037-4042 (2012). 10.1016/j.physb.2012.06.032
  • 2011Solution-Processed Core-Shell Nanowires for Efficient Photovoltaic Cells. Nat. Nanotechnol., 6, 568-572 (2011). 10.1038/nnano.2011.139
  • 2011High Quantum Efficiency of Band-Edge Emission from ZnO Nanowires. Nano Lett., 11, 3792-3796 (2011). 10.1021/nl201899r
  • 2011Absorption of Light in a Single-Nanowire Silicon Solar Cell Decorated with an Octahedral Silver Nanocrystal. Nano Lett., 11, 5189-5195 (2011). 10.1021/nl202862d
  • 2011Surface Plasmon Biosensing with 3D Plasmonic Crystals. Plasmonics and Plasmonic Metamaterials, G. Shvets and I. Tsukerman, Eds. (World Scientific Publishing Co. Inc.), ISBN 9789814355278 (2011).
  • 2010Broadband Plasmonic Microlenses Based on Patches of Nanoholes. Nano Lett., 10, 4111-4116 (2010). 10.1021/nl1022892
  • 2010Using the Angle-Dependent Resonances of Molded Plasmonic Crystals to Improve the Sensitivities of Biosensors. Nano Lett., 10, 2549-2554 (2010). 10.1021/nl101165r
  • 2010Enhanced Optical Transmission Mediated by Localized Plasmons in Anisotropic, Three-Dimensional Nanohole Arrays. Nano Lett., 10, 3173-3178 (2010). 10.1021/nl102078j
  • 2010Plasmonic Crystals: A Platform to Catalog Resonances from Ultraviolet to Near-Infrared Wavelengths in a Plasmonic Library. Adv. Funct. Mater., 20, 529-539 (2010). 10.1002/adfm.200901623
  • 2010Toward Broadband Plasmonics: Tuning Dispersion in Rhombic Plasmonic Crystals. ACS Nano, 4, 1241-1247 (2010). 10.1021/nn901590p
  • 2009Plasmonic Superlattices: Hierarchical Subwavelength Hole Arrays. Chem. Phys. Lett., 483, 187-192 (2009). 10.1016/j.cplett.2009.10.084
  • 2009Refractive Index Sensing Using Quasi One-Dimensional Nanoslit Arrays. Nano Lett., 9, 2584-2588 (2009). 10.1021/nl900773m
  • 2009Rayleigh Anomaly-Surface Plasmon Polariton Resonances in Palladium and Gold Subwavelength Hole Arrays. Opt. Express, 17, 2334-2340 (2009). 10.1364/OE.17.002334
  • 2008Screening Plasmonic Materials Using Pyramidal Gratings. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 105, 20146-20151 (2008). 10.1073/pnas.0809034105
  • 2008Near-Field Optical Characterization of Plasmonic Materials. Nano-Optics and Near-Field Optical Microscopy, A. Zayats and D. Richards, Eds. (Artech House, Inc., Norwood), ISBN 9781596932838 (2008).
  • 2007Microscale Arrays of Nanoscale Holes. Small, 3, 2029-2033 (2007). 10.1002/smll.200700499
  • 2006Direct Evidence for Surface Plasmon-Mediated Enhanced Light Transmission through Metallic Nanohole Arrays. Nano Lett., 6, 2104-2108 (2006). 10.1021/nl061670r
Invention Patents
  • Methods of making bandgap-tunable perovskite materials. US-11242263-B2, February 8, 2022.
  • Bandgap-tunable perovskite materials and methods of making the same. US-11155471-B2, October 26, 2021.
  • Organometal halide perovskit nanoplatelets, devices, and methods. US-10774032-B2, September 15, 2020.
  • Polymer-perovskite films, devices, and methods. US-10230049-B2, March 12, 2019.
  • All-inorganic perovskite-based films, devices, and methods. US-10224459-B2, March 5, 2019.

The Team

Our group runs on shared ownership. Decisions about how we work, mentor, and grow are made collectively by all the members who make up the team.

Portrait of Hanwei Gao

Principal Investigator

Professor

Hanwei Gao

Portrait of Gang Shi

Chief Technology Officer

Postdoctoral Fellow

Gang Shi

Portrait of Brendon Tyler Jones

Chief Safety Officer

Graduate Student

Brendon Tyler Jones

Portrait of Kaitai Xiao

Maglab Liaison

Graduate Student

Kaitai Xiao

Portrait of Jeremy Kowkabany

Chief Financial Officer

Graduate Student

Jeremy Kowkabany

Portrait of Tristen White

Assistant Safety Officer

Graduate Student

Tristen White

Portrait of Justin Sculley

Chief Operating Officer

Graduate Student

Justin Sculley

Portrait of Omar Mansour

Assistant Technology Officer

Graduate Student

Omar Mansour

Portrait of Mariela Manion

Undergraduate Student

Mariela Manion

Group alumni
  • Ling, Yichuan (Postdoc, 2017) Product Marketing Specialist Applied Materials, San Francisco
  • Tan, Lei (Postdoc, 2017) Bioanalytical Manager Jazz Pharmaceuticals, San Mateo
  • Knox, Javon M. (Master, 2017)
  • Chen, Zhi (Postdoc, 2018) Professor Kunming University of Science and Technology, China
  • Perez-Orive, Fernando (Undergraduate, 2018) Process Engineer Shaw Projects & Modules, Denver
  • Dodamead, Sarah (Undergraduate, 2019) Senior Project Engineer Tesla, Palo Alto
  • Wang, Xi (PhD, 2019) Assistant Professor Washington University in St. Louis
  • Quintana, Xavier (Undergraduate, 2020) Reliability Engineer Apple, Cupertino
  • Gong, Jue (Postdoc, 2021) Associate Professor Sichuan University Pittsburgh Institute, China
  • Chen, Benjamin (High School Intern, 2022) Undergraduate Student Caltech, Pasadena
  • Lian, Xiujun (PhD, 2022) Product Development Engineer KLA Corporation, Ann Arbor
  • Adnani, Moein (Postdoc, 2022) Senior Manufacture Engineer Headway Technologies, San Jose
  • Cheng, Chloe (High School Intern, 2024) Undergraduate Student Georgia Tech, Atlanta
  • Zhang, Zihan (PhD, 2026) Postdoctoral Fellow University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Recent Posts

August 18, 2026

We retired our decade-old website and launched this new one. Stay tuned for more updates!

July 31, 2026

Hooded by Prof. Gao, Zihan is now officially Dr. Zihan Zhang. Congratulations!

July 20, 2026

FSU Physics has been selected to lead three DOE Genesis projects, making our department the most successful one across the nation in this competition. Proud! (与荣有焉)

July 17, 2026

Jeremy initiated a new and unusual form of interdisciplinary collaboration. He and Sarah, a chemistry PhD candidate, are engaged! Congratulations!

June 24, 2026

In collaboration with Emory University, we received an NSF grant to support of our research on nonreciprocal transport in hybrid chiral crystals.

May 14, 2026

Our new lab in the basement of Keen, a 3000-square-foot facility for advanced optical and transport characterization, is completed!

April 2, 2026

Tristen won the 2nd prize in the 2026 3MT Competition, by showcasing the most obscure basic science research to a broad audience in just three minutes. Congratulations!

Earlier Stories
  • December 19, 2025We receieved an FSU LEEP grant to develop an ultrafast optical system for interdisciplinary quantum materials research.
  • August 24, 2024Prof. Gao returned to Tallahassee after his 7-month research stay with Prof. Sam Stranks in Univeristy of Cambridge. Welcome back!
  • June 21, 2024Prof. Gao chaired with Iván Mora-Seró the 2024 Gordon Research Conference on Unconventioned Semiconductors. A wonderful event with 150 researchers from all over the world sharing their progress at the forefront of hybrid materials!
  • August 24, 2023Prof. Gao began his sabbatical journey with NIMS in Tsukuba, Japan, hosted by his long-time academic partner Dr. Joel Henzie.
  • November 4, 2022Dr. Moein Adnani completed his postdoctoral research and joined TDK as a senior processing engineer. Congratulations!
  • May 2, 2022Our work on Nanoscale Encapsulation of Hybrid Perovskites Using Atomic Layer Deposition was published in J. Phys. Chem. Lett..
  • April 29, 2022Xiujun Lian is now Dr. Xiujun Lian! Congratulations!
  • April 21, 2022Zihan Zhang received the Yung Li Wang Graduate Fellowship for his excellence in research. Congratulations!
  • January 1, 2022Jeremy Kowkabany and Tristen White joined the group. Welcome!
  • August 30, 2021Jack Lyons, an undergraduate student with physics and music dual majors, joined the group. Welcome!
  • August 1, 2021Dr. Moein Adnani joined the group as a postdoctoral fellow. Welcome!
  • May 31, 2021Dr. Jue Gong completed his postdoctoral term with us and joined University of Electronic Science and Technology of China as an Associate Professor. Congratulations!
  • May 7, 2021Benjamin Chen, a senior from Charles High School, joined the group. Welcome!
  • May 7, 2020Tyler Jones joined the group. Welcome!
  • November 10, 2019Dr. Jue Gong joined the group. Welcome!
  • June 4, 2019Our review article concerning Phase Segregation in Mixed-Halide Perovskites, in collaboration with Prof. Tom Wu, was published in Photonics Research.
  • June 4, 2019Our Perspective article on Nanocomposites of Halide Perovskites was published in ACS Energy Letters.
  • April 23, 2019The poster presented by our undergraduate student, Xavier Quintana, was nominated for the Student Poster Award during the 2019 MRS Spring Meeting. It is an honor that often goes to graduate students. Well done, Xavier!
  • April 18, 2019Xi Wang received the prestigious Research and Creativity Award, recognizing the superior scholarship of eight graduate students across all disciplines at FSU. Congrats!
  • February 11, 2019Xi's work on Suppressed Phase Separation in Mixed-Halide Perovskites was published in Nature Communications, and highlighted in FSU News, Phys.org, and Science Daily.
  • December 12, 2018Xiujun's work on LEDs based on Composite Perovskites is published in Advanced Functional Materials.
  • August 10, 2018Zihan Zhang joined the group. Welcome!
  • May 4, 2018Our undergraduate student Frenando graduated with co-authorship in two published papers. Congrats!
  • April 17, 2018Xi Wang received the Clara Kibler Davis Scholarship. Congrats!
  • October 1, 2017Xiujun Lian and Dr. Zhi Chen joined the group. Welcome!
  • July 21, 2017Javon Knox, an APS Bridge Fellow in our group, has successfully defended his Master Thesis. Congrats!
  • July 4, 2017Yichuan and Lei's work on Enhanced Photoluminescence in Composite Perovskites is published in J. Phys. Chem. Lett..
  • June 29, 2017Xi's work on Dynamic Electronic Junctions in Hybrid Perovskites is published in Nano Letters.
  • May 15, 2017Alex Retana, graduate student of physics, joined the group. Welcome, Alex!
  • May 10, 2017Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Lei Tan will join Genentech in San Francisco as an Associate Scientist. Congratulations and thanks for your contribution!
  • February 15, 2017Javon won the 1st Prize Award in the student poster competition of the APS Bridge Program Conference held in DC. His photo is also featured in an article highlighting the APS Bridge Program published recently in Physics Today.
  • August 30, 2016Yichuan's paper reporting the efficient and bright LEDs based on all-inorganic halide perovskites is published in Advanced Materials.
  • April 21, 2016Xi Wang won the 2016 Anna Jane Hendren Runyan Awards (FSU Physics).
  • March 3, 2016Xi Wang won the Student Poster Award at the 2016 FLAVS/FSM joint Symposium.
  • February 15, 2016Xi Wang received the Evelyn and John Baugh Research Presentation Scholarship and the COGS Conference Presentation Grant in support of her presentation at the 2016 APS March Meeting.
  • November 17, 2015Our work on Organo-metal Halide Perovskite LEDs is published in Advanced Materials and highlighted at the FSU front page and in Phys.org and Science Daily.
  • October 1, 2015Our paper on Photoresponse in VO2 Nanowires is published in Nano Letters.
  • August 1, 2015Graduate Student Javon Knox joined the group. Welcome! Javon is supported by the APS-NSF Bridge Program.
  • May 1, 2015Graduate Student Yijun Du joined the group. Welcome!
  • September 1, 2014Postdoctoral Fellow Yichuan Ling joined the group. Welcome!
  • January 6, 2014Graduate Student Xi Wang joined the group. Welcome!
  • October 4, 2013New hires of the Energy and Materials Initiative are interviewed and aired on WFSU.
  • August 27, 2013The Energy and Materials Initiative is highlighted at the FSU front page.

Spotlight