Some researchers discover their field of study from working with an admired professor. Others find their calling by following in their family’s footsteps. Associate Professor Sidong Lei’s passion for materials started with an enchantment with beautiful formations: crystals.
“The structure of this material is very fascinating,” he says. “It has different colors, different shapes and different physical properties. Even right now I still collect these kinds of materials. I have a lot of different stones and minerals in my home, in my lab.”
His affinity for crystals turned out to be a great asset when he joined his first research group as an undergraduate student. Coincidentally, its primary focus was studying two-dimensional semiconductor materials, which are often made from crystalline structures.
Lei earned his doctorate in applied physics and materials science from Rice University. Following postdoctoral work in electrical engineering at UCLA, he served as an assistant professor of physics at Georgia State University.
He was drawn to UCF because of its focus on interdisciplinary collaboration.
Orlando’s sunny skies and vibrant community solidified his decision to come to UCF. With so much to see and do in the area, from cultural attractions and professional sports to theme parks and unparalleled natural beauty, it was the perfect place to ensure he would have a healthy work-life balance.
Lei teaches two graduate courses at UCF: Metallurgical Thermodynamics and Advanced Phase Transformations in Materials. He also leads educational seminars on the electronic properties of anatomical materials as a member of the UCF Nanoscience and Technology Center.
His primary research focus these days is on advancing the work that earned him a CAREER award in 2023 titled “Van der Waals Semiconductor Integration via Surface and Interface Tailoring.”
Lei says new materials to support semiconductors are necessary for devices to run more efficiently. In this work, he aims to use the unique electronic and thermal properties of Van der Waals materials — materials so thin that they are measured by atomic thickness — so that they can be used in lieu of bulkier materials like silicon, which can cause performance issues and generate excess heat.
“We’re trying to figure out whether new materials can give us some new ideas to build up semiconductors, or electronic devices, to have better performance but with lower energy consumption,” he says. “When AI becomes more popular, we can expect to use large amounts of power. I don’t think the current electricity system can sustain the long-term development.”
He adds that another challenge to this work is incorporating these novel materials into an already-established industry.
“The modern semiconducting industry is already a very well-built system,” Lei says. “The companies, the applications, the market is already there. We need to find how can we use current facilities and techniques to fabricate new materials into the functional devices.”
His lab, the Functional Materials Studio, is fully focused on making inroads on this research. Lei says he is always open to taking on more students who are interested in his work, even if they come from non-materials science backgrounds, as he believes researchers from different fields need to collaborate to solve practical problems.
“We need students from different backgrounds, and they need to learn from each other to understand their ideas and work together,” he says. “But this process doesn’t naturally happen. We need to give students this kind of environment to make them…talk each other and to learn the different language of different fields.”
Ultimately, Lei says, he would like his work to be able to improve people’s health. He foresees his research leading to implantable, flexible devices that can monitor things like glucose and blood pressure.
“The long-term goal is the human benefit,” Lei says. “We want to make the people more healthy. It’s about the welfare of the human being.”
- Written by Bel Huston