Sustainable Smart Gas Sensor
AI-programmable multi-gas sensor based on biodegradable nanomaterials.
Multifunctional Nanocomposites (MNC)
The Multifunctional Nanocomposites (MNC) group develops multifunctional nanocomposites mainly for electronic devices.
The Multifunctional Nanocomposites (MNC) group, led by Academy of Finland Research Fellow Zhongpeng Lyu (Lv), focuses on developing multifunctional nanocomposites from building blocks such as MXenes, functional organic molecules, and magnetic nanomaterials/complexes. Zhongpeng also holds the title of Docent at the University of Oulu.
Our expertise is mainly in inorganic/organic nanomaterial design, synthesis, and assembly, as well as various X-ray characterization methods for understanding their nanoscale and electronic structures.
Besides the fundamentals, we also integrate our nanocomposites into electronic and optical devices for various applications, such as sensors and actuators, EMI shielding and modulators, and energy conversion.
News and events
- Jun 9, 2026: Huge congrats to Xiaodan Hong, who successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis “Mesostructure engineering in MXene-based nanocomposites for broadband modulation: from microwave to infrared”!
- Jun 1, 2026: Zhongpeng was officially granted the title of docent by the University of Oulu, in the field of Engineered 2D materials and related composites.
- May 30, 2026: Welcome Professor Haiying Wang from Nanjing XiaoZhuang University, visiting our group as a visiting scholar!
- Oct 6, 2025: Welcome to Parisa Rezvaninia from the University of Tehran to join MNC as a visiting Ph.D. researcher.
- Aug 18, 2025: Big congrats to Ziyue Miao who successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis “Zwitterionic polymer-based soft composites in sensing applications”!
- Jun 1, 2025: Welcome to Zhixuan Li joining MNC as a postdoctoral research fellow.
- Mar 17, 2025: Welcome to Gul Sher Ahmed joining MNC as a research assistant.
Research topics
Nanocomposites of MXenes and other 2D materials is our main research topic currently, since they will bring new physical properties and a large tuning window which are not possible in the single composition. During the last few years, our team has developed various nanocomposites with tunable electrical, optical, and electrocatalytical properties. Our main focus is enhance their processibility for large scale manufactural and commercialization, thus robustness, e.g., colloidal stability, chemical stability, reproducibility of these nanocomposites are very important aspects.
Relevant publications
Miao et. al., Polyzwitterionic Organohydrogel and Soft Composite with Tunable Sol–Gel Properties Enabling On-Demand Functionalization with Colloids, Adv. Sci. 2026, 10.1002/advs.202518531.
Sheng et.al., Guided Heterostructure Growth of CoFe LDH on Ti3C2Tx MXene for Durably High Oxygen Evolution Activity, Small 2025,21, 2404927.
Pan et.al., Lignin as a bioderived modular surfactant and intercalant for Ti3C2Tx MXene stabilization and tunable functions, Cell Rep. Phys. Sci. 2024, 5, 102259.
Hong et.al., High-permittivity solvents increase MXene stability and stacking order enabling ultraefficient Terahertz shielding, Adv. Sci. 2024, 11, 2305099.
We have developed this topic in collaboration with the University of Oulu since 2020. Together with Dr. Hosseini Shokouh and Prof. Kordas, we have unveiled the potential of MXene-polymer composite for ultra-sensitive and selective gas sensors. MXene as a metallic 2D material provides extraordinary signal-to-noise ration for the sensors. From the promising results, we have filed our IPR and now pushing this technology to commercialization.
Relevant publications
Zhou et.al., Ultra-sensitive NH3 gas sensor enabled by ion-in-conjugated polycroconaine/Ti3C2Tx core-shell composite, Nanoscale Horiz. 2023, 8, 794-802.
Hosseini-Shokouh et.al., Highly Selective H2S Gas Sensor Based on Ti3C2Tx MXene−Organic Composites, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2023, 15, 7063−7073.
Zhou et.al., MXene-Polymer Hybrid for High-Performance Gas Sensor Prepared by Microwave-Assisted In-Situ Intercalation, Adv. Mater. Technol. 2022, 2101565.
In MNC, we are very interested in studying the dynamics and structures of various soft matters, including functional nanoparticles, hydrogels, MXene nanocomposites, thin film devices, etc. Most of the experiments were performed on synchrotron X-ray beamlines, where the high-flux and focus beam enable us to understand the system with higher time and special resolution. Here, we apply beamtime with our collaborators to solve problems and acquire data that is not possible from in-house facilities.
Relevant publications
Kang et.al., Anomalous Enhancement of the Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in AuPt Nanoclusters, ACS Catal. 2025, 15, 9928-9939.
Liang et.al., Stiff and self-healing hydrogels by polymer entanglements in co-planar nanoconfinement, Nat. Mater. 2025, 24, 599–606.
Fang et.al., Toughening Hydrogels with Fibrillar Connected Double Networks, Adv. Mater. 2024, 36, 2402282.
Gustavsson et.al., Heating-Induced Switching to Hierarchical Liquid Crystallinity Combining Colloidal and Molecular Order in Zwitterionic Molecules, ACS Omega 2023, 8, 39345-39353.
Lv et.al., Time-Resolved SAXS Study of Polarity- and Surfactant-Controlled Superlattice Transformations of Oleate‐Capped Nanocubes During Solvent Removal, Small 2022, 18, 2106768.
Lv et.al., Tunable assembly of truncated nanocubes by evaporation-driven poor-solvent enrichment, Nat. Commun. 2019, 10, 4228.
Ongoing and previous projects
Research Council of Finland Academy Research Fellow: MXTTFs (2024-2028)
Business Finland Research to Business: SGS (2024-2026)
Research Council of Finland Mobility Project: Wood-MXene (2025-2027)
Novo Nordisk Pioneer Innovator: CH2S (2023-2024)
Research Council of Finland Academy Postdoc: TMN plasmonics (2020-2023)
Activities
Here you can find more about our activities in e.g. commercialization of nanocomposites, X-ray technologies, etc. You will find relevant contacts in the following pages.
X-ray Scattering Center People
Researchers connected to Aalto X-ray Scattering Center.
Research group members
Haiying Wang
Visiting Professor
organometallic chemistry
Jiali Sheng
Doctoral Researcher
2D material nanocomposite electrocatalysis Co-supervised with Prof. Olli Ikkala
Parisa Rezvaninia
Visiting doctoral researcher
Nanocomposite of MXene and inorganic complex in electrocatalysis
More information
Xiaodan Hong (Ph.D. candidate, now postdoc in Aalto University, Finland)
Zhixuan Li (postdoc, now at Wiley, China)
Ziyue Miao (Ph.D. candidate, now postdoc in SIAT, China)
Lotta Gustavsson (Ph.D. candidate, now in Skeleton Oy, Finland)
Gul Sher Ahmmed (research assistant, now Master thesis in Aalto University, Finland)
Arnav (summer student, now Ph.D. candidate in Aalto University, Finland)
Pan Jiang (visiting Ph.D., now a researcher in Chinese Academy of Forestry, China)
Huiqin Ni (visiting Master student, now Ph.D. candidate in North Carolina State University, USA)
Zhongpeng Lyu is one of the responsible lecturers of E0527 in PHYS since 2022, together with Ville Liljeström. This course is aimed at doctoral students and MSc students at Aalto and does not require advanced studies in Physics. The course introduces the basics of elastic X-ray scattering methods, and during dedicated lectures/demonstrations, the focus is on a few conventional, frequently applied methods that are available at Aalto University. Teaching/learning activities include lectures, hands-on demonstrations, and project work. Our course also invites X-ray experts from other departments of Aalto and other universities in Finland.
MSC group has established research collaborations in Finland, Germany, Sweden, Spain, US and China. If you are interested in discussion or collaboration of relevant research topics, please email zhongpeng.lyu@aalto.fi or other group members.
We now have a postdoc position open in the group; application DL 14.8.2026; see details and apply via: