EPSCoR Research Fellows: NSF: Ultrafast Electron Microscopy of Strain-Engineered Photoinduced Phase Transitions in 2D Indium Selenide

This Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) EPSCoR Research Fellows project provides a fellowship to an Assistant Professor and training for a graduate student at the University of Delaware. This work is conducted in collaboration with Dr. Haihua Liu at the Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne National Laboratory. Through the fellowship, the PI will study how very thin materials change when exposed to light, heat, or strain. The project will use advanced imaging to observe these fast changes in real time to uncover how the internal structures of materials shift. It combines physics, materials science, and engineering to understand how light, strain, and atomic motion interact. The knowledge gained from the fellowship will help design faster and more reliable photonic technologies. Scientists can also use methods to study other materials like graphene. The project will train students, support outreach, and build a stronger research community in Delaware. It will also encourage new partnerships with industry. This project will investigate how two-dimensional phase-change materials, such as indium selenide, respond to external stimuli like light, heat, and strain. It will advance understanding of phase-transition pathways, intermediate states, and atomic-scale dynamics behind photoinduced phase transitions under mechanical strain. It will improve the reliability and performance of nanophotonic devices. The research will utilize ultrafast electron microscopy combined with strain engineering to directly observe lattice rearrangements with nanometer spatial resolution and picosecond temporal resolution. It will characterize samples with various strains to show how strain inhomogeneities influence transition kinetics. This project will expand research capacity at the University of Delaware by developing ultrafast materials characterization expertise and increasing access to world-class facilities. The graduate student will receive advanced training in fabrication and ultrafast microscopy and benefit from the collaborative environment of a national lab. The PI will gain unique skills in ultrafast electron microscopy, enhance interdisciplinary opportunities, and support future large-scale collaborations. The research project activities will integrate student training, professional development, educational and outreach efforts, and partnerships connecting academia, national labs, and industry. This project is supported by the EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: EPSCoR Research Fellows, which supports early- and mid-career investigators in eligible jurisdictions to develop collaborations at the nation’s private, government or academic research institutions. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2531840 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Xi Wang | Institution: University of Delaware, NEWARK, DE | Award Amount: $299,504 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2531840 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2531840.html