RESEARCH INTERESTS

With the rapid development of quantum information and quantum computing technologies today, exploring the atomic structure of low-dimensional quantum materials and constructing exotic topological structures at the subatomic scale are important technical means for controlling their physical properties and expanding deviceapplications. In recent years, our research has mainly focused on spherical aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques and the growth of low-dimensional materials. We have conducted systematic studies in the direction of structural analysis, artificial construction, and property control of low-dimensional quantum materials at the subatomic scale.

EDUCATION

2014.08-2018.09, Ph.D., National University of Singapore, (Supervisors: Stephen John PENNYCOOK&Kian Ping LOH)

2015.09-2016.07, Visiting PhD, Oak Ridge National Laboratory(ORNL), USA, (Supervisor: Wu Zhou)

2010.08-2014.06, B.Eng (1st Class Honours), NanyangTechnologicalUniversity

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2022.02-present, Assistant Professor, the School of Materials Science & Engineering, Peking University

2020.10-2022.01, Presidential Postdoc Fellow, Nanyang Technological University

2018.09-2020.10, Research fellow, National University of Singapore

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

1. Xiaoxu Zhao^#, Peng Song^#, Chengcai Wang, Anders C. Riis-Jensen, Wei Fu, Ya Deng, Dongyang Wan, Lixing Kang, Shoucong Ning, Jiadong Dan, T. Venkatesan, Zheng Liu, Wu Zhou, Kristian S. Thygesen, Xin Luo*, Stephen J. Pennycook* and Kian Ping Loh*, Engineering Covalently Bonded 2D Layered Materials by Self-Intercalation. Nature. 2020, 581, 171-177.

2. Xiao Hai^#, Shibo Xi^#, Sharon Mitchell^#, Karim Harrath^#, Haomin Xu, Dario Faust Akl, Debin Kong, Jing Li, Zejun Li, Tao Sun, Huimin Yang, Yige Cui, Chenliang Su, Xiaoxu Zhao*, Jun Li*, Javier Pérez-Ramírez*, Jiong Lu*, Scalable two-step annealing method for preparing ultra-high-density single-atom catalyst libraries. Nat. Nanotechnol. 2022, 17, 174–181.

3. Xiaocang Han^#, Mengmeng Niu^#, Yan Luo^#, Runlai Li, Jiadong Dan, Yanhui Hong, Xu Wu, Alex V. Trukhanov, Wei Ji, Yeliang Wang, Jiahuan Zhou, Jingsi Qiao*, Jin Zhang*, Xiaoxu Zhao*, Atomically Engineering Metal Vacancies in Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides. Nature Synthesis. 2024, 3, 586–594

4. Ziyi Han^#, Shengqiang Wu^#, Chun Huang^#, Fengyuan Xuan, Xiaocang Han, Yinfeng Long, Qing Zhang, Junxian Li, Yuan Meng, Lin Wang, Jiahuan Zhou, Wenping Hu, Jingsi Qiao, Dechao Geng* and Xiaoxu Zhao*,  Atomically Engineering Interlayer Symmetry Operations of Two-Dimensional Crystals. Nature Communications. 2024, 15, 10835

5. Shengqiang Wu＃, Siheng Li＃, Yuan Meng, Zanlin Qiu, Wei Fu, Ji Chen, Jin Zhang, and Xiaoxu Zhao*,  In Situ Closing the van der Waals Gap of Two-Dimensional Materials. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 28398−28406

6. Kangshu Li＃, Xiaocang Han＃, Yanhui Hong*, Yuan Meng, Xiang Chen, Junxian Li, Jing-Yang You, Lin Yao, Wenchao Hu, Zhiyi Xia, Guolin Ke, Linfeng Zhang, Jin Zhang, Xiaoxu Zhao*, Single-Image-Based Deep Learning for Precise Atomic Defect identification. Nano Lett. 2024, 24, 10275–10283

7. Wing Ni Cheng＃, Mengmeng Niu＃, Yuan Meng, Xiaocang Han, Jingsi Qiao*, Jin Zhang, Xiaoxu Zhao*, Engineering Charge Density Waves by Stackingtronics in Tantalum Disulfide. Nano Lett. 2024, 24, 6441-6449

8. Shengqiang Wu＃, Minzhi Dai＃, Hang Li, Runlai Li, Ziyi Han, Wenchao Hu, Zijing Zhao, Yanglong Hou, Huiyang Gou, Ruqiang Zou, Yongjin Chen*, Xin Luo*, and Xiaoxu Zhao*, Atomically Unraveling Highly Crystalline Self-Intercalated Tantalum Sulfide with Correlated Stacking Registry-Dependent Magnetism. Nano Lett. 2024, 24, 378−385.

9. Xiaocang Han^#, Jing-Yang You^#, Shengqiang Wu, Runlai Li, Yuan Ping Feng, Kian Ping Loh*, Xiaoxu Zhao*, Atomically Unveiling an Atlas of Polytypes in Transition-MetalTrihalides. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 3624-3635.

10. Xiaoxu Zhao^#, Jingsi Qiao^#, Xin Zhou^#, Hao Chen, Jun You Tan, Hongyi Yu, Si Min Chan, Jing Li, Henshui Zhang, Jiadong Zhou, Jiadong Dan, Zhen Liu, Wu Zhou, Zheng Liu, Bo Peng*, Longjiang Deng, Stephen John Pennycook, Su Ying Quek, and Kian Ping Loh*,Strong moire excitons in high-angle twisted transition metal dichalcogenide homobilayers with robust commensuration. Nano Lett. 2022, 22, 203-210.

11. Xiaoxu Zhao^#, Jingsi Qiao, Si Min Chan, Jing Li, Jiadong Dan, Shoucong Ning, Wu Zhou, Su Ying Quek*, Stephen John Pennycook*, and Kian Ping Loh*, Unveiling atomic-scale moire features and atomic reconstructions in high-angle commensurately twisted transition metal dichalcogenide homobilayers. Nano Lett. 2021, 21, 3262-3270.

12. Xiaoxu Zhao^#, Yujin Ji^#, Jianyi Chen, Wei Fu, Jiadong Dan,Yuanyue Liu, Stephen J. Pennycook, Wu Zhou*, Kian Ping Loh*, Healing of Planar Defects in Two-Dimensional Materials via Grain Boundary Sliding. Adv. Mater. 2019, 31, 1900237.

13. Xiaoxu Zhao^#, Weiwei Sun^#, Dechao Geng, Wei Fu, Jiadong Dan, Yu Xie, Paul R. C. Kent, Wu Zhou, Stephen J. Pennycook*, and Kian Ping Loh*, Edge Segregated Polymorphism in Two-Dimensional Molybdenum Carbide. Adv. Mater. 2019, 31, 1808343.

14. Xiaoxu Zhao^#, Jiadong Dan, Jianyi Chen, Zijing Ding, Wu Zhou*, Kian Ping Loh*, and Stephen J. Pennycook*,Atom-by-atom fabrication of monolayer molybdenum membranes. Adv. Mater. 2018, 30, 1707281.

15. Xiaoxu Zhao^#, Shoucong Ning, Wei Fu, Stephen J. Pennycook, and Kian Ping Loh*,Differentiating polymorphs in molybdenum disulfide via electron microscopy. Adv. Mater. 2018, 30, 1802397.

16. Xiaoxu Zhao^#, Zijing Ding^#, Jianyi Chen, Jiadong Dan, Sock Mui Poh, Wei Fu, Stephen J. Pennycook, Wu Zhou*, and Kian Ping Loh*,Strain modulation by van der waals coupling in bilayer transition metal dichalcogenide. ACS Nano. 2018, 12, 1940−1948.

17. Xiaoxu Zhao^#, Deyi Fu^#, Zijing Ding, Yu-Yang Zhang, Dongyang Wan, Sherman J. R. Tan, Zhongxin Chen, Kai Leng, Jiadong Dan, Wei Fu, Dechao Geng, Peng Song, Yonghua Du, T. Venkatesan, Sokrates T. Pantelides, Stephen J. Pennycook, Wu Zhou*, and Kian Ping Loh*,Mo-terminated edge reconstructions in nanoporous molybdenum disulfide film. Nano Lett. 2018, 18, 482−490.

18. Xiaoxu Zhao.; Loh, K. P.; Pennycook, S. J., Electron Beam Triggered Single-Atom Dynamics in Two-Dimensional Materials, J. Phys. Condens. Matter 2018, 31, 063001 (2021)

19. Xiaoxu Zhao; Rui, X. H.; Zhou, W. W.; Tan, L. P.; Yan, Q. Y.; Lu, Z. Y.; Hng, H. H., Growth of Si Nanowires in Porous Carbon with Enhanced Cycling Stability for Li-ion Storage. J. Power Sources 2014, 250, 160-165.（本科URECA研究成果）