Wei Kong
Wei Kong
Research
We are interested in solving atomic structures and deciphering chemical reaction mechanisms using a variety of experimental tools, including electron diffraction, optical spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry.
One of our overarching goals is to solve the crystallization problem in crystallography by building a molecular goniometer for electron diffraction. We embed molecules and ions in superfluid helium droplets, align the sample using an elliptically polarized laser field, and record electron diffraction patterns from different projections to solve the three-dimensional structures of the sample. We are working on constructing the first prototype of the apparatus and demonstrating its efficacy.
We are also interested in studies of laser-matter (cluster) interactions in the intermediate intensity regime – “the no man’s land”. By measuring the charged particles from explosions of nanoclusters under different laser fields, from femtosecond to nanosecond, and from isolated gaseous sample to large clusters containing millions of atoms, we aspire to develop a comprehensive theory to model and control the process.
Superfluid helium droplets are non-interfering but ultracold reactors, and thermal reactions in these droplets can be effectively quenched, allowing isolation of reaction intermediates. Using optical spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, we study photooxidation reactions of oil spills or astrophysical chemical conversions in the interstellar medium by embedding the reactants in droplets.
Research Interests
- Materials
- Physical Chemistry
- Instrument Development
Education
PDF, Department of Chemistry, Cornell University (1995)
Ph.D., from University of Waterloo, Canada (1993)
B.Sc., from Beijing University (1987)
Publications
- Marisol Trejo, Andrew Clifford, Ernesto Garcia Alfonso, Nadine Halberstadt, Lan Xue, and Wei Kong, W. J. Chem. Phys. 161, (2024) 054306. “Electron diffraction of foam-like clusters between xenon and helium in superfluid helium droplets.”
- Steven Tran, Kim C. Tran, Axel Saenz Rodriguez, and Wei Kong, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 26 (2024), 8631 – 8640. “Kinetic energy distributions of atomic ions from disintegration of argon containing nanoclusters in moderately intense nanosecond laser fields: Coulomb explosion or hydrodynamic expansion.”
- Yuzhong Yao, Jie Zhang, William M. Freund, Steven Tran, and Wei Kong, Chem. Phys. Lett. 813 (2023) 140312. "The scaling law of cluster sizes revisited: clusters formed via coexpansion of a molecular and a rare gas species.”
- Lei Lei, Jie Zhang, Marisol Trejo, Stephen D. Bradford, and Kong, W., J. Chem. Phys. 156 (2022) 051101. "Resolving the interlayer distance of cationic pyrene clusters embedded in superfluid helium droplets using electron diffraction."
- Jie Zhang, and Wei Kong, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 24 (2022) 6349. PERSPECTIVE "Electron diffraction as a structure tool for charged and neutral nanoclusters formed in superfluid helium droplets."
- Yuzhong Yao, Jie Zhang, and Wei Kong, J. Chem. Phys. 157 (2022) 044307. "Effects of aromatic molecules inside argon clusters on the formation of multiply charged atomic ions in moderately intense nanosecond laser fields."
- Stephen D. Bradford, Marisol Trejo, Jie Zhang, Wei Kong, and Yingbin Ge, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 24 (2022) 27722-27730. "Electron diffraction of dichlorobenzene nanocluaters in superfluid helium droplets."
- Jie Zhang, Marisol Trejo, Stephen D. Bradford, and Wei Kong, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 12, 9644 (2021). “Electron diffraction of ionized argon nanoclusters embedded in superfluid helium droplets.”
- Yuzhong Yao, Jie Zhang, Rahul Pandey, Di Wu, Wei Kong, and Lan Xue, J. Chem. Phys. 155, 144301 (2021). “Intensity dependence of multiply charged atomic ions from argon clusters in moderate nanosecond laser fields.”
- Yuzhong Yao, William M. Freund, Jie Zhang, and Wei Kong, J. Chem. Phys. 155, 064202 (2021). “Volume averaging effect in nonlinear processes of focused laser fields.”
- Rahul Pandey, Steven Tran, Jie Zhang, Yuzhong Yao, and Wei Kong, J. Chem. Phys. 154, 134303 (2021). “Bimodal velocity and size distributions of pulsed superfluid helium droplet beams.”
Awards
- F.A. Gilfillan Memorial Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Science (2023)
- OSU Chemistry Milton Harris Faculty Teaching Award (2019)
- Thomas T. Sugihara Young Faculty research Award (2001)
- Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship (2000)
- NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award (1996 - 2000)
- NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship (1994)
- NSERC Doctoral Thesis Prize (1993)
