Leng Kai

The molecularly thin hybrid perovskite materials combining both advantages of organic and inorganic materials play an important role in future developments of miniaturized, intelligent multifunctional devices and fundamental physics research. As one of the pioneers in this emerging field, Dr. Leng Kai’s research focuses on the physical property exploration and innovative device applications based on molecularly thin 2D hybrid perovskites. She has conducted a series of original works that contribute significantly to the further development of this field.

Firstly, she achieved precise fabrication of 2D hybrid perovskite monolayers and discovered that extremely thin 2D hybrid perovskites can undergo reversible structural relaxation processes under light or stress, thereby altering the material's optical properties. This important discovery enabled her to fabricate the first ultrathin perovskite photodetector that achieved superior photoelectric conversion efficiency compared to bulk devices, demonstrating enormous potential in flexible optoelectronics.

Secondly, to address the challenge of obtaining atomic-level resolution imaging of 2D hybrid perovskites, She employed STM & Q-plus AFM techniques simultaneously to achieve a sub-angstrom noninvasive imaging of both organic and inorganic components on the surface of 2D hybrid perovskite. For the first time, she visually observed the distortion of octahedral structures on the surface of 2D hybrid perovskites, establishing an accurate structure-property correlation. This finding is of significant importance for a deeper understanding of the microstructure and properties of hybrid perovskites.

Additionally, she fabricated molecular thin 2D hybrid perovskite and graphene heterojunction field-effect transistors, and discovered that the graphene and 2D perovskite interface exhibited lower contact resistance compared to gold electrodes. This finding effectively resolved the issue of high contact resistance between organic chains on the surface of 2D hybrid perovskites and metal electrodes.

Currently, her team is focused on the large-scale growth of molecularly thin 2D hybrid perovskite single-crystal films and their applications in novel spintronic devices, aiming to drive the translation of scientific achievements in this field into innovative technologies and practical applications.