1. Novel semiconductor materials and devices, including flexible optoelectronic devices and self-powered photodetectors;
2. Low-dimension nitride materials and devices, including GaN-based nanowires and molecular beam epitaxy.
Employment
2022—Present University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), School of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Master Supervisor.
2021—Present Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Associate Research Fellow.
2018—2019 Leibniz Association (Germany), Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik,
Postdoctor (Awarded Leibniz-DAAD Research Fellowships).
2017—2020 CAS, SINANO, Assistant Research Fellow.
Education
2012—2017 Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU), Doctor of Engineering Science (Awarded Doctoral National Scholarship).
2015—2016 University of Liverpool (UK), Joint PhD candidate (Supported by China Scholarship Council).
2008—2012 XJTU, Double Bachelor's Degrees (Engineering & Economics).
In the past 4 years (Since 2021), as the first author or responsible corresponding author, he has published > 30 academic papers in the worldwide well-known SCI journals, such as Light-Science & Applications, Adv. Funct. Mater. (Front Cover), Nano Energy, Small Methods, Nano Research (Front Cover), ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, Science China-Information Sciences, Communications Materials (Invited), Photonics Research, ACS Photonics, APL Photonics (Invited), Adv. Mater. Interfaces (Back Cover), Appl. Phys. Lett., Mater. Adv., Optics Letters. 4 papers have been selected as Journal Cover and reported by the official website of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) as news. Furthermore, he has been authorized > 10 invention patents, such as the USA and Japanese patents (The first inventor). As the first leader, he has guided / completed > 10 projects, including 3 projects of National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 5 provincial projects and 4 projects of CAS.
Currently, he is an Associate Research Fellow and a Specially-Employed Key Member at CAS. He also serves as a Master Supervisor at University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). He has been awarded several academic awards, including German Leibniz-DAAD Scholar, High-level Talent of Jiangsu Province, Smart-chip Leader of Chinese Institute of Electronics, Youth Talent Support of Jiangsu Province, Vice President of Technology Company in Jiangsu Province, Wiley Excellent Author, etc. In addition, he serves as Academic Editor for Exploration (Wiley, IF: 22.5), Youth Editor for Innovation (Cell press, IF: 25.7), Chip (Elsevier, IF: 7.1) and Brain-X (Wiley), Guest Editor for 4 SCI journals by managing Special Issue, as well as the Reviewer for > 20 well-known SCI journals, such as J. Am. Chem. Soc., Nano-Micro Letters, Adv. Funct. Mater., etc. He is also a Reviewer for many National (NSFC) projects and Provincial projects.
Selected Publication (Since 2022):
1. Min Jiang, Yukun Zhao*, Tong Liu, Yanyan Chang, Yuan Tang, Min Zhou, Yiping Shi, Jianya Zhang*, Lifeng Bian*, Shulong Lu*. A dual-mode transparent device for 360° quasi-omnidirectional self-driven photodetection. Light-Science & Applications 14, 273 (2025).
2. Jianya Zhang#, Jiamin Li#, Liubin Yang#, Yiping Shi#, Zhiyang Liu, Jiyou Liu, Yibin Wang, Rui Xu, Yukun Zhao*. Electric-stimulated controllable synaptic GaN nano-device for neuromorphic computing. Chip 4, 100149 (2025).
3. Min Jiang#, Yukun Zhao#,*, Lifeng Bian, Wei Chen, Kang Yang, Min Zhou, Jianya Zhang, Yudie Wang, Haidin Sun*, Shulong Lu*. Realizing bidirectional photocurrent in monolithic dual-mode device for neuromorphic vision and logically-encrypted transmission. Adv. Funct. Mater. 35, 2416288 (2025, Front Cover).
4. Yuan Tang#, Jiawen Wang#, Yu Jin#, Jianya Zhang,* Yiping Shi, Tianxiang Wang, Rui Xu, Zhiyang Liu, Yukun Zhao*, Self-powered deep-UV photodetectors based on (In,Ga)O nanowires for humanoid robots controlling. Applied Physics Letters 126, 262104 (2025).
5. Jianya Zhang#, Jiamin Li#, Rui Xu#, Yudie Wang#, Jiawen Wang, Tianxiang Wang, Yukun Zhao*. A self-driven Ga2O3 memristor synapse for humanoid robot learning. Small Methods 9, 2400989 (2025).
6. Min Zhou#, Min Jiang#, Chaoyun Song,* Kai Xu, Zexin Yu, Lifeng Bian, Liubin Yang, Jianya Zhang,* Shulong Lu,* Yukun Zhao*. Improving multifunctional monolithic nano-device by single (Al,Ga)N nanowire/graphene van der Waals heterostructure for neuromorphic computing, photodetection and imaging. Communications Materials 6, 83 (2025).
7. Liubin Yang, Xiushuo Gu, Min Zhou, Jianya Zhang, Yonglin Huang*, Yukun Zhao*. Deep-UV-photo-excited synaptic Ga2O3 nano-device with low-energy consumption for neuromorphic computing. Journal of Semiconductors 46, 022401 (2025).
8. Jianya Zhang#, Peng Ding#, Yukun Zhao*, Tianxiang Wang, Yudie Wang, Zhiyang Liu, Helun Song*, Yuewu Zhao* and Shulong Lu. Improve self-driven nanowire-based ultraviolet photodetector by metal–organic frameworks for controlling humanoid robot. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 16, 55715 (2024).
9. Xiushuo Gu#, Min Zhou#, Yukun Zhao*, Qianyi Zhang, Jianya Zhang, Yonglin Huang*, Shulong Lu. Realize ultralow-energy-consumption photo-synaptic device based on a single (Al,Ga)N nanowire for neuromorphic computing. Nano Research 17, 1933 (2024, Front Cover).
10. Min Jiang, Yukun Zhao*, Penghui Zheng, Jianya Zhang, Wenxian Yang, Min Zhou, Yuanyuan Wu, Renjun Pei, Shulong Lu*. Flexible bidirectional self-powered photodetector with significantly reduced volume and accelerated response speed based on hydrogel and lift-off GaN-based nanowires. Fundamental Research 4, 369 (2024).
11. Min Zhou, Yukun Zhao*, Qianyi Zhang, Xiushuo Gu, Jianya Zhang, Min Jiang, Shulong Lu. Enhance the responsivity of self-driven ultraviolet photodetector by (Al,Ga)N nanowire/graphene/PVDF heterojunction with high stability. Optics Letters 49, 338 (2024).
12. Min Zhou#, Yukun Zhao#,*, Xiushuo Gu, Qianyi Zhang, Jianya Zhang, Min Jiang, Shulong Lu*. Light-stimulated low-power artificial synapse based on a single GaN nanowire for neuromorphic computing. Photonics Research 11, 1667 (2023, Editor's Pick).
13. Min Zhou, Yukun Zhao*, Xiushuo Gu, Qianyi Zhang, Jianya Zhang, Min Jiang, Shulong Lu*. Realize low-power artificial photonic synapse based on (Al,Ga)N nanowire/graphene heterojunction for neuromorphic computing. APL Photonics 8, 076107 (2023, invited).
14. Min Jiang#, Yukun Zhao#,*, Min Zhou, Jianya Zhang, Shulong Lu*. Engineer carrier transport at (Al,Ga)N nanowire/hydrogel interface to realize self-driven ultraviolet photodetectors with switchable response speed for imaging system. J. Alloy. Compd. 966, 171498 (2023).
15. Jianya Zhang, Bo Jiao, Jinfei Dai, Dongmin Wu, Zhaoxin Wu, Lifeng Bian, Yukun Zhao*, Wenxian Yang, Min Jiang, Shulong Lu*. Enhance the responsivity and response speed of self-powered ultraviolet photodetector by GaN/CsPbBr3 core-shell nanowire heterojunction and hydrogel. Nano Energy 100, 107437 (2022).
