About

Jie (Jack) Zhang is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University. His research develops sensors and neural interface technologies to capture brain activity with high spatiotemporal resolution. His work focuses on designing high-speed image sensors and optical systems to directly readout neural signals, such as calcium and voltage dynamics. Zhang applies these tools to neuroscience experiments, investigating millisecond-scale coding in neural circuits. His research aims to uncover how the brain transforms experiences into lasting memories by probing the mechanisms underlying learning and memory consolidation.

Research topics

• Organic chemistry
• Chemistry
• Chemical engineering
• Materials science
• Composite material
• Thermodynamics
• Nanotechnology
• Crystallography
• Physical chemistry
• Photochemistry

Selected publications

• OIB-Type garnet amphibolites from Central Lhasa constrain Songduo Paleo-Tethys Ocean evolution and sustained mantle heating along North Gondwana

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-04-07

  datasetOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• OIB-Type garnet amphibolites from Central Lhasa constrain Songduo Paleo-Tethys Ocean evolution and sustained mantle heating along North Gondwana

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-04-07

  datasetOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Three-Dimensional Crystals Assembled by Linear Oligopeptoids

  Nano Letters · 2025-07-28 · 1 citations

  article

  The rational construction of three-dimensional (3D) crystalline lattices from synthetic short-chain polymers remains a significant challenge due to the lack of inherent driving forces to enable crystal growth in all three dimensions. Here, we report the design of 3D peptoid crystals from linear peptoid hexamers, derived from amphiphilic diblock sequences that typically form crystalline two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets. By removing the amorphous domains and tuning the chain termini, crystalline lamellae up to 500 nm thick were achieved, far exceeding the thickness of typical nanosheets (on the order of a few nanometers). These 3D crystals form via the stacking of unit cells with lattice parameters similar to those in 2D nanosheets, where terminal groups, particularly compact C-terminal moieties, facilitate vertical growth and enhance crystallinity. This study highlights the importance of atomic precision in terminus chemistry for achieving long-range ordering and isotropic crystal growth in the design of macroscale crystals from oligomeric peptoids.

  PublisherDOI

• Absence of Long-Range Magnetic Ordering in a Trirutile High-Entropy Oxide (Mn_0.2Fe_0.2Co_0.2Ni_0.2Cu_0.2)Ta_1.92O_6−δ

  Inorganic Chemistry · 2025-02-11 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Functionalities of solid-state materials are usually considered to be dependent on their crystal structures. The limited structural types observed in the emerging high-entropy oxides put constraints on the exploration of their physical properties and potential applications. Herein, we synthesized the first high-entropy oxide in a trirutile structure, (Mn0.2Fe0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Cu0.2)Ta1.92O6−δ, and investigated its magnetism. The phase purity and high-entropy nature were confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive spectroscopy, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated divalent Mn, Co, Ni, and Cu along with trivalent Fe. Magnetic property measurements showed antiferromagnetic coupling and potential short-range magnetic ordering below ∼4 K. The temperature-dependent heat capacity data measured under zero and high magnetic fields confirmed the lack of long-range magnetic ordering and a possible low-temperature phonon excitation. The discovery of the first trirutile high-entropy oxide opens a new pathway for studying the relationship between the highly disordered atomic arrangement and magnetic interaction. Furthermore, it provides a new direction for exploring the functionalities of high-entropy oxides.

  PublisherDOI

• Reuniting crystallography with real space: Ab initio structure elucidation with 4D-STEM

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2025-10-13

  articleOpen access

  Structure elucidation via single-crystal methods has historically lacked experimental access to real-space information, instead relying exclusively on diffraction-space measurements of Bragg reflections. Here we exploit the dual-space imaging power of 4D scanning transmission electron microscopy to meaningfully integrate real-space information into the crystallographic workflow. We show that virtual apertures assembled by segmentation of high-angle annular dark-field images enable i) pixel-by-pixel separation of coherent Bragg signal from clusters of closely spaced nanocrystals and ii) selective extraction of integrated intensities from thinner subregions of individual specimens, facilitating retroactive tuning of multiple scattering artifacts. This strategy empowers us to simply pick and choose whichever nanoscale regions of interest generate the highest-quality diffraction patterns, allowing us to solve several independent structures of the metal-organic framework UiO-66 from specimens whose agglomerated morphology proved intractable for conventional microcrystal electron diffraction. Our method is compatible with both rotational and serial approaches to data processing, ultimately divulging the first scanning nanobeam electron diffraction structures determined by direct methods at subangstrom resolution.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Node engineering of Zr-Metal Organic Frameworks unlocks potent catalysts for organophosphorus hydrolysis

  ChemRxiv · 2025-10-02

  article

  Organophosphorus chemical warfare agents (CWAs) pose urgent threats to human health and the environment, driving the search for highly efficient catalytic detoxification strategies. Zirconium based metal-organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs) have long been regarded as the most effective catalysts for CWA simulant hydrolysis, owing to the open Lewis acidic sites of their robust Zr6-oxo clusters. This performance established MOF-808 as the accepted state of the art and has remained unsurpassed for the past decade. The Zr6 clusters in MOFs that enable high activity also bind products too strongly, which poisons active sites and restricts turnover, creating an apparent performance ceiling. Herein, we introduce a generalizable node-engineering strategy that achieves Nb substitution of Zr within canonical Zr6 clusters, creating mixed metal Zr6-xNbx clusters rarely realized in MOFs. This approach is demonstrated across four archetypal Zr-MOFs (UiO-66, UiO-68, MOF-808, NU-1000) while preserving framework integrity and porosity. The resulting Zr/Nb-MOFs accelerate phosphoester hydrolysis by up to two orders of magnitude, with MOF-808-Zr/Nb delivering the fastest rates reported to date. Under continuous-flow operation, MOF-808-Zr/Nb maintains superior catalytic activity and durability at concentrations down to 1 ppm. These results establish Nb node engineering as a generic approach for creating next generation heterogeneous catalysts in environmental remediation and chemical defense.

  PublisherDOI

• Pyroptosis-Related Prognostic Signature Development and IRF2 Functional Validation in Microsatellite Stable Colorectal Cancer

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Numerical solutions of resistive finite-pressure magnetohydrodynamic equilibria for stellarator and non-axisymmetric toroidal plasmas

  Computer Physics Communications · 2025-11-20 · 1 citations

  article1st author
  PublisherDOI

• Ultrafast Electron–Dipole Interactions in TeO ^– Photodetachment

  The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters · 2025-12-17

  article

  . By combining high-resolution cryogenic photoelectron spectroscopy with velocity-map imaging, we assess previously inaccessible excited states and resolve rich photoelectron angular distributions (PADs) that encode electron-dipole interactions. Systematic comparison of PADs from femtosecond and picosecond lasers reveals striking deviations from free-electron behavior, representing direct evidence of a transient dipole moment evolving on femtosecond time scales. Quantitative analysis pinpoints the dipole buildup time to be within ∼60 fs, providing real-time access to the birth of a molecular dipole field. This work establishes a general approach to probing electron-dipole interactions in their formation stages, offering fundamental insights into the ultrafast interplay between departing electrons and transient polar systems─a process that lies at the core of atomic, molecular, and ultrafast physics.

  PublisherDOI

• Synergistic modification of bamboo aggregates by sodium alginate-CaCl2: optimization and performance evaluation of sustainable lightweight concrete

  Developments in the Built Environment · 2025-04-01 · 4 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  In the context of global climate change, the demand for green building materials has grown increasingly urgent. This study has made significant advancements in sustainable construction materials by developing all-bamboo aggregate concrete (BAC) enhanced with a sodium alginate-CaCl 2 synergy through an environmentally friendly process. Using response surface methodology optimization, the 28-day compressive strength was increased to 8.10 MPa. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis indicates that the alginate gel forms a cross-linked network within bamboo micro-cracks, substantially improving interfacial bonding. A novel bamboo aggregate mass index (BAMI) has been introduced to quantify particle shape, allowing precise control over aggregate quality, thus offering a new solution for lightweight pavement materials. While fly ash reduces short-term strength, its low alkalinity and secondary hydration effects positively influence long-term durability. This research provides a scientific basis for utilizing BAC in pedestrian pavements and advancing sustainable construction materials. • BAC developed via Na-alginate/CaCl 2 synergy achieves 8.1 MPa 28-day strength through eco-friendly methods. • Alginate gel forms a cross-linked network in bamboo micro-cracks, enhancing bonding, while BAMI enables precise aggregate quality control. • Fly ash reduces initial strength but enhances long-term durability via secondary hydration, supporting BAC's eco-friendlypavement potential.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• CAREER: Tuning Photoredox Properties of Carbazolic Porous Organic Frameworks for Visible-Light-Mediated Catalysis

  NSF · $527k · 2016–2020

• Collaborative Research: Real Time Spectroscopic Studies of Hybrid MOF Photocatalysts for Solar Fuel Production

  NSF · $225k · 2017–2021

• CAREER: New Phases at the Surfaces/Interfaces of Transition-Metal Oxides

  NSF · $89k · 2009–2010

• NIH Grant R21EB009509

  NIH · $396k · 2013

• CAREER: New Phases at the Surfaces/Interfaces of Transition-Metal Oxides

  NSF · $464k · 2004–2009

Frequent coauthors

• Yuan Lee

  Shanghai Customs College

  36 shared

• Hongbing Ding

  Tianjin University

  36 shared

• H.-Y Lee

  Jernkontoret (Sweden)

  36 shared

• Alireza Khoeini Poorfar

  Iran University of Science and Technology

  36 shared

• Seshadri Seetharaman

  KTH Royal Institute of Technology

  36 shared

• J. Saemi

  University of Shahrood

  36 shared

• M.-H Cai

  VDEh-Betriebsforschungsinstitut

  36 shared

• Di Chen

  36 shared

Labs

• Jie (Jack) Zhang Research GroupPI