Title: Ion Soft‑Landing‑STM‑Synchrotron Radiation Integrated Imaging and Spectroscopy

Speaker: Prof. Li Xiaopeng (Professor, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Invited by: Prof. Liang Zhenxing

Time: May 10, 2026 (Sunday), 16:00–17:00

Venue: Room B8‑445, University Town Campus, South China University of Technology

Organized by: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering / Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fuel Cell Technology

Abstract:

Achieving atomic‑resolution characterization of complex synthetic macromolecules is a major challenge in synthetic chemistry. Small molecules are easy to purify and can be characterized by NMR, mass spectrometry, single‑crystal X‑ray diffraction, and other techniques. In contrast, the structural characterization of synthetic macromolecules has progressed slowly and has become a bottleneck limiting the development of synthetic methodologies and functional studies. In recent years, our team has focused on the structural characterization of synthetic macromolecules by integrating ion soft‑landing, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), tip‑enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS), and synchrotron radiation to build an integrated ion soft‑landing single‑molecule imaging system. In this system, ion soft‑landing is used for separation, purification, and preparation of macromolecules; STM is used for structural visualization and molecular orbital characterization; the STM tip serves as a detector for synchrotron radiation to identify elemental composition and valence states of individual atoms; and TERS enables Ångström‑scale identification of chemical bonds and functional groups. This integrated system is not a simple combination of mass spectrometry, STM, synchrotron radiation, and Raman spectroscopy, but rather uses STM as a bridge to fully exploit the advantages of each technique—mass selection by ion soft‑landing, high‑precision imaging by STM, elemental and valence analysis by synchrotron radiation, and functional group identification by TERS—achieving synergistic enhancement and promoting the development of synthetic chemistry.

Biography:

Prof. Li Xiaopeng is a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Zhengzhou University in 2004 and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Cleveland State University, USA, in 2008. From 2009 to 2012, he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Akron. In 2012, he joined Texas State University and later the University of South Florida as Assistant Professor and Associate Professor, respectively. In 2020, he joined Shenzhen University as a Tencent Chair Distinguished Professor. In 2023, he moved to the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry. His research interests focus on supramolecular chemistry, instrumentation development, and advanced characterization techniques. He has published over 260 papers in journals including Science and Nature. He is the recipient of the Royal Society of Chemistry Cram Lehn Pedersen Prize in Supramolecular Chemistry (2019), the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (2021), the Chinese Chemical Society Supramolecular Chemistry Youth Innovation Award (2021), the CAS Pioneer Hundred Talents Program (Class A, 2025), and is the Chief Scientist of a CAS Class B Pilot Project (2025).

Announced by School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering