Recently, the Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Detection at our college received some great news. The research team on photodetection materials, jointly led by Professor Wang Li and Professor Wang Qisheng, has achieved a series of original breakthroughs in the field of photodetection materials and devices with the support of the first-class discipline special zone for materials science and engineering at Nanchang University. Several achievements have been published in top international academic journals and have successfully moved towards industrialization.
In recent years, mid- and long-wave infrared detection materials and devices, which operate beyond the range of the human eye, have played an increasingly important role in various national economic fields such as unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous driving, meteorological remote sensing, environmental monitoring, and industrial safety. However, China's core technology for high-performance infrared detection materials and devices is constrained by countries like Europe, the United States, and Japan, and mainstream technologies (such as mercury cadmium telluride, indium antimony, and type II superlattices) generally rely on complex cryogenic cooling systems. Targeting this major national demand and industrial pain point, our university's optical detection material research team has condensed core scientific issues from the industrial chain and, after four years of continuous research, has made a series of breakthroughs. These advancements provide a promising innovative path for solving the "bottleneck" problem of China's long-term dependence on imports for high-performance infrared detectors and breaking through the cryogenic cooling bottleneck faced by traditional infrared detection technology, which leads to bulky equipment and high costs.
The team successfully developed the world's first inch-scale mid-wave infrared detection semiconductor lead selenide (PbSe) single crystal thin film that can operate at room temperature, and achieved high-precision controllable fabrication of a 128×128 micro-nano pixel array. This major breakthrough in basic materials lays a crucial foundation for subsequent device development. Based on this technology, the team innovatively integrated brain vision principles with optoelectronic detection physics, developing a wide-band brain-like neuromorphic vision sensor based on lead selenide, which is expected to bring revolutionary improvements in information processing and energy efficiency. In addition, the team cleverly combined artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms with the unique photothermal detection mechanism of lead selenide material, achieving innovative single-pixel ultra-wide-band infrared encryption technology, demonstrating its potential application in the field of information security. The above research results have been published in international authoritative academic journals ACS Applied Materials & Interface, Small, and Optics Express.
Recently, the research team on photodetection materials has proposed a new mechanism for room-temperature infrared photodetection, namely the "space-confined enhanced photothermal carrier effect," for the first time internationally. Based on this mechanism, the team has successfully developed a prototype device of a 32×32 lead selenide mid-wave infrared focal plane array that operates at room temperature. The greatest advantage of this device lies in its no need for cooling, high sensitivity, and extremely low power consumption, paving a new way for the development of lightweight, low-cost, and high-performance infrared imaging systems. The relevant research results have been published in Nature Communications (2025) 16:7756, a top international comprehensive journal.
The research team of photodetection materials is not only committed to the exploration of cutting-edge fundamentals, but also actively promotes the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. They have been granted 11 national invention patents and successfully developed a lead selenide mid-wave infrared single-point detector that operates at room temperature. Its core sensitivity indicators have reached the world's advanced level. This product has been verified and promoted in military units, research institutes, and private enterprises, and has successfully signed four horizontal cooperation projects with enterprises.
The head of the photodetection material research team stated that in the future, they will continue to adhere to the research approach of "oriented towards industrial applications", deeply explore the fundamental scientific issues behind photodetection materials, and focus their research and development efforts on national strategic emerging industries and livelihood fields such as low-altitude economy, autonomous driving, precise environmental monitoring, and intelligent medical diagnosis. They are committed to developing a new generation of high-performance, low-cost optoelectronic imaging materials and core device technologies, contributing more "Nanjing University strength" to the construction of a powerful technological nation.
The aforementioned series of innovative research works all list Nanchang University as the first completing and corresponding institution, with Professor Wang Li and Professor Wang Qisheng as co-corresponding authors. Doctoral candidate Wan Yu, young teacher Chengzhe, and Associate Professor Leng Kangmin are co-first authors of the paper. These studies have received substantial support from multiple significant scientific research platforms and projects, including the National Overseas Introduction of High-level Talents Program, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, key projects of Jiangxi Provincial Natural Science Foundation, Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Photoelectric Detection, and the world-class construction discipline of Materials and Engineering at Nanchang University.
Original link:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62548-6
https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.563795
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202309945
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202408545
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.4c01807
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