Biography

Pengcheng Chen received his BS and MS degrees in Polymer Science from Zhejiang University under the guidance of Prof. Zhi-Kang Xu, and PhD in Materials Science from Northwestern University under the guidance of Prof. Chad A. Mirkin. After that, he joined Prof. Peidong Yang’s group at the University of California-Berkeley as a postdoc fellow. In Oct 2022, Pengcheng Chen started his independent research career at Fudan University as an assistant professor. His group mainly focuses on understanding and manipulating the structure and function of polyelemental nanosystems.

Education and Working Experience

• 2022.10-present, Assistant Professor, College of Smart Materials and Future Energy, Fudan University  

• 2019.04-2022.08, Postdoc, Department of Chemistry, University of California-Berkeley  

• 2013.09-2018.12, PhD, Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University  

• 2010.09-2013.03, M.S., Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University  

• 2006.09-2010.06, B.S., Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University

Research Interests

• Polyelemental Nanosystems   

• Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Systems   

• Scanning Probe Nanolithography   

• Catalysis

Postdoc Opening

• Please send your CV and representative papers to pcchen@fudan.edu.cn

Teaching

• Polymer Physics

• Professional English of Materials Chemistry

Awards &Recognition

• 2024  Xiaomi Young Scholar Award

• 2023  MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 China

• 2022  IUPAC Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry (Nanoparticle megalibraries)

• 2021  Victor K. LaMer Award Finalist, American Chemical Society

• 2019  Kavli ENSI Heising-Simons Junior Fellowship

• 2018  ACS Inorganic Chemistry Young Investigator Award, American Chemical Society

• 2017  Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad

• 2017  MRS Graduate Student Gold Award, Materials Research Society

• 2016  IPMI Student Award, International Precious Metal Institute

• 2016  IIN Outstanding Researcher Award

• 2015  Ryan Fellowship, Northwestern University

Selected Publications

1. X. Lao, M. Liu, L. Yang, P. C. Chen, Polyelemental Nanoparticle Catalysts, Adv. Mater. 2025, DOI: 10.1002/adma.202507944.   

2. P. C. Chen#, M. Gao#, C. A. McCandler#, C. Song, J. Jin, Y. Yang, A. L. Maulana, K. A. Persson, P. Yang, Complete miscibility of immiscible elements at the nanometer scale. Nat. Nanotechnol. 2024, 19, 775-781.

3. P. C. Chen#, C. Chen#, Y. Yang#, A. L. Maulana, J. Jin, J. Feijoo, P. Yang, Chemical and structural evolution of AgCu catalysts in electrochemical CO2 reduction. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 10116-10125.

4. A. L. Maulana#, P. C. Chen#, Z. Shi, Y. Yang, C. Lizandara Pueyo, F. Seeler, H. D. Abruna, D. Muller, K. Schierle-Arndt, P. Yang, Understanding the Structural Evolution of IrFeCoNiCu High-Entropy Alloy Nanoparticles under the Acidic Oxygen Evolution Reaction. Nano Lett. 2023, 23, 6637-6644

5. P. C. Chen#, M. Gao#, S. Yu, J. Jin, C. Song, M. Salmeron, M. C. Scott, P. Yang, Revealing the Phase Separation Behavior of Thermodynamically Immiscible Elements in a Nanoparticle, Nano Lett. 2021, 21, 6684-6689.

6. P. C. Chen, M. Li, J. Jin, S. Yu, S. Chen, C. Chen, M. Salmeron, P. Yang, Heterostructured Au-Ir Catalysts for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction, ACS Mater. Lett. 2021, 3, 1440-1447.

7. P. C. Chen#, Y. Liu#, J. S. Du, B. Meckes, V. P. Dravid, C. A. Mirkin, Chain-End Functionalized Polymers for the Controlled Synthesis of Sub-2nm Nanoparticles, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 7350-7355. (JACS Spotlight)

8. P. C. Chen, M. Liu, J. S. Du, B. Meckes, S. Wang, H. Lin, V. P. Dravid, C. Wolverton, C. A. Mirkin, Interface and Heterostructure Design in Polyelemental Nanoparticles, Science 2019, 363, 959-964.

9. L. Huang#, P. C. Chen#, M. Liu, X. Fu, P. Gordiichuk, Y. Yu, C. Wolverton, Y. Kang, C. A. Mirkin, Catalyst Design by Scanning Probe Block Copolymer Lithography, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2018, 115, 3764-3769.

10. P. C. Chen, J. S. Du, B. Meckes, L. Huang, Z. Xie, J. L. Hedrick, V. P. Dravid, C. A. Mirkin, Structural Evolution of Three-Component Nanoparticles in Polymer Nanoreactors, J. Am. Chem. Soc.2017, 139, 9876-9884.

11. J. S. Du#, P. C. Chen#, B. Meckes, Z. Xie, J. Zhu, Y. Liu, V. P. Dravid, C. A. Mirkin, The Structural Fate of Individual Multicomponent Metal-Oxide Nanoparticles in Polymer Nanoreactors, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 7625-7629.

12. P. C. Chen, X. Liu, J. L. Hedrick, Z. Xie,S. Wang, Q. Y. Lin, M. C. Hersam, V. P. Dravid, C. A. Mirkin, Polyelemental Nanoparticle Libraries, Science 2016, 352, 1565-1569.

13. P. C. Chen, G. Liu, Y. Zhou, K. A. Brown, N. Chernyak, J. L. Hedrick, S. He, Z. Xie, Q. Y. Lin, V. P. Dravid, C. A. Mirkin, Tip-Directed Synthesis of Multimetallic Nanoparticles, J. Am. Chem. Soc.2015, 137, 9167-9173.