Wei Xiong Recognized with Two National Awards

The Brown Investigator Award comes with $2 million in funding that will support Xiong’s work as he continues to probe the unique chemistry of light-matter interactions.

One way he does this is by using an optical cavity — essentially a small device that can trap molecules and photons together, forcing them to repeatedly interact. The optical cavity has proven to be a good method to enhance the sensitivity of detections as well as the controls for light-matter experimentation.

Xiong hopes to get the sensitivity down to the single-molecule level — something that is still challenging in the field of chemistry and biophysics. He also hopes to condense his large lab setup to something more portable and affordable so that other researchers can access it more easily.

The Blavatnik Award recognizes Xiong’s work in polariton chemistry. Polaritons are quantum mechanical light-matter hybrids that are created using optical cavities. Polaritons represent a “best of both worlds” scenario because their photonic qualities mean they travel faster than matter to transfer energy between matter, while their material qualities can lead to novel chemical reaction pathways and physical properties. In the future, it’s possible polaritons could provide a more economical, energy-efficient alternative to control chemical reactions and transport signals.

Xiong expressed his excitement, stating, “Receiving both awards is a tremendous honor, as they underscore the significant societal impact of our past research. Looking ahead, I am even more enthusiastic about the opportunities these accolades present, empowering us to push boundaries and explore uncharted territory at the intersection of quantum science and chemistry.”

Xiong has a robust lab of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who are working on a variety of research projects. In addition to polariton chemistry, they are expanding the use of their infrared spectroscopy tool to enhance fluorescent imaging methods.

Fluorescent imaging is a critical tool in health care, often used to diagnose cancer and other diseases. It is also used to test water and food samples for contamination. However, each part of a sample needs to be stained to fluoresce under a microscope and the number of different stains that can be applied to one sample is limited.

Spectroscopy looks at the color signatures of molecules to determine their characteristics, and infrared spectroscopy broadens the range of colors that are observable, allowing scientists to study more complex samples without all of the constraints on staining that currently exist.

The lab is also working on ultrafast spectroscopy techniques to study charge dynamics and, for example, how fast electrons move inside solid-state materials. This research could be useful in solar energy applications as well as quantum materials.

With so much going on, Xiong is grateful to his hard-working lab members. “This work could not be achieved without this wonderful group,” he stated. “I really appreciate their initiative in leading their projects, so I can focus on the high-level discussions and really make all these diverse research directions flourish. They’re really talented.”