题目：On-Demand Control of Single-Molecule Reactivity via Engineered Nanoscale Coupling

报告人：李绍巍

邀请人：王利坤

时间：2026年6月15日 (周一）下午14:00

地点：紫金港西区海纳苑8幢324教室

Abstract：

Chemical processes hinge on the dynamic rearrangement of nuclei within molecules. Controlling these motions with precision has been a long-standing goal in chemistry. My lab focuses on achieving this by manipulating interactions between individual molecules and their nanoscale environment. We engineer the potential energy surface at this scale to control molecular properties such as structure and reactivity. Using vibrational characterization techniques with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)—including inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy, action spectroscopy, and our recent advancement in single-molecule infrared absorption spectroscopy—we analyze molecular responses to the variation in the nano-chemical environment by examining their fingerprinting vibrational modes at the sub-molecular scale. By precisely tuning the junction geometry, material, and the interaction between the molecule and other surface entities, we can selectively influence specific bonds, paving the way for bond-selective control in chemistry. 

References:

1. Yueqing Shi*, Zihao Wang*, Weike Quan*, Liya Bi, Kangkai Liang, Hao Zhou, Zhiyuan Yin, Wan-Lu Li, Shaowei Li+, Engineering Structural Transitions in a Multi-Level Molecular Switch via Intermolecular Coupling. J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c23182 (2026). 

 2. Kangkai Liang*, Zihao Wang*, Weike Quan*, Yueqing Shi*, Hao Zhou*, Liya Bi*, Zhiyuan Yin, Nathan Romero, Mark Young, Shaowei Li+, Single-Molecule Infrared Spectroscopy with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. Science, 391, 6787, 807-811 (2026). 3. Zihao Wang, Wan-Lu Li+, Shaowei Li+, Computational Analysis of Interface-Driven Spin Orbit Coupling in Molecular Adsorbates on Transition Metal Dichalcogenides. Phys. Rev. B, 112, L161410 (2025). 

 4. Liya Bi*, Zhe Wang*, Krista P. Balto, Andrea R. Tao, Tod A. Pascal, Yanning Zhang, Joshua S. Figueroa+, Shaowei Li+, Single-Molecule Vibrational Characterization of Binding Geometry Effects on Isocyanide-Metal Interactions. Nano Lett., 25, 22, 9175–9180 (2025). 

 5. Zhiyuan Yin*, Liya Bi*, Yueqing Shi, Shaowei Li+, An Economical and Efficient Helium Recovery System for Vibration-Sensitive Applications. ACS Meas. Sci. Au, 5, 2, 226-233 (2025). 

 6. Liya Bi*, Yufei Wang*, Zhe Wang*, Alexandria Do, Alexander Fuqua, Krista P. Balto, Yanning Zhang, Joshua S. Figueroa, Tod A. Pascal, Andrea R. Tao+, and Shaowei Li+ “Molecular-Scale Insights into the Heterogeneous Interactions Between an m-Terphenyl Isocyanide Ligand and Noble Metal Nanoparticles”. Nano Lett., 25, 5, 2027–2033 (2025). 

 7. Weike Quan*, Zihao Wang*, Yueqing Shi*, Kangkai Liang, Liya Bi, Hao Zhou, Zhiyuan Yin, Wan-Lu Li, and Shaowei Li+, Nano-Scale Manipulation of Single-Molecule Conformational Transition Through Vibrational Excitation. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 147, 5, 4504–4510 (2025). 

 8. Yueqing Shi*, Liya Bi*, Zihao Wang*, Kangkai Liang, Ji-Kun Li, Xiao-Ye Wang, Wan-Lu Li, Shaowei Li+, Characterization of Coulomb Interactions in Electron Transport through a Single Hetero-Helicene Molecular Junction Using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. J. Phys. Chem. A, 129, 7, 1801–1807 (2025). 

 9. Liya Bi, Sasawat Jamnuch, Amanda Chen, Alexandria Do, Krista P. Balto, Zhe Wang, Qingyi Zhu, Yufei Wang, Yanning Zhang, Andrea R. Tao+, Tod A. Pascal+, Joshua S. Figueroa+, Shaowei Li+, Molecular-Scale Visualization of Steric Effects of Ligand Binding to Reconstructed Au(111) Surfaces. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 146, 17, 11764-11772 (2024).

Bio: 

Dr. Shaowei Li received his B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from Nankai University in 2010 and his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of California, Irvine in 2017. He subsequently worked as a postdoctoral scholar at Northwestern University and later as a Heising-Simons Junior Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. He joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego in 2021 as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2026. He also holds the Yinan Wang Memorial Chancellor Endowed Junior Chair at UC San Diego. Shaowei’s group focuses on probing the fundamental properties of low-dimensional systems, including single molecules and layered materials, using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. His group further integrates scanning tunneling microscopy with optical spectroscopy to investigate light–matter interactions at the atomic scale.  

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