Qing Cao

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• Cao Research Group Page

Biography

Qing Cao is an Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with courtesy appointments in Chemistry and Electrical and Computer Engineering. Before joining Illinois in 2018, he was a Research Scientist in the Department of Physical Sciences at IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center. Prof. Cao received his B.S. in Chemistry from Nanjing University in 2004 and his Ph.D. in Materials Chemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2009.

Professional Highlights

• Prof. Qing Cao's research lies at the intersection of materials science, chemistry, and electrical engineering, with a focus on beyond silicon materials for nanoelectronics, advanced memory technologies for AI, heterogeneous monolithic 3D integration, printable electronics, and bioelectronics and biohybrid computing. 
• He has authored more than forty scientific publications on prestigious journals including Nature, Science, Nature Electronics, Nature Nanotechnology, Science Advances, and Nature Communications, and is co-inventor on over fifty patents and patent applications. 
• His contributions have been recognized through numerous honors, including the MIT Technology Review TR35 (2016), Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science (2012), the Atlantic Council Millennium Fellowship (2017), and invitations to participate (2016 and 2019) and then chair (2025) the National Academy of Engineering’s U.S. Frontiers of Engineering symposium. During his tenure at IBM, he received awards including the Pat Goldberg Memorial Best Paper Award, the Research Division Award, the Master Inventor Award, and seventeen IBM Invention Achievement Awards.
• Prof. Cao currently serves as Deputy Editor of Science Advances and Co-Director of the NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) for Advanced Semiconductor Chips with Accelerated Performance.

Graduate Research Opportunities

We are always looking for the best and most qualified potential graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to join the group. Interested applicants, please contact Professor Cao (qingcao2@illinois.edu) with your CV and research interests.

Research Interests

• Advanced Memory Technologies for Data-Intensive AI Workloads
• Beyond-Silicon Materials for Future Nanoelectronics
• Bioelectronics and Biohybrid Computing
• Monolithic Three-Dimensional Integration of Silicon Electronics
• Scaling Out Electronics with Printable Semiconductors

Selected Articles in Journals

• B. Lam, Y. M. Yu, H. J. Nam, H.-C. Ni, S. Chatterjee, S. Rakheja, J.-M. Zuo and Q. Cao*, “Monolithic three-dimensional integration of silicon transistors,” Nature, 654, 625-659 (2026).
• H-N. Wang, F-F. An, C.Y. Wong, K.-J. Yin, J.-N. Liu, Y.-H. Wang, J.-M. Zuo, A. Schleife, Q. Cao*, "Solution-processable ordered defect compound semiconductors for high-performance electronics," Science Advances 10, eadr8636 (2024).
• Jinsong Cui, Fufei An, Jiangchao Qian, Yuxuan Wu, Luke L. Sloan, Saran Pidaparthy, Jian-Min Zuo, and Qing Cao*, “CMOS-Compatible Electrochemical Synaptic Transistor Arrays for Deep Learning Accelerator,” Nature Electron. 6, 292–300 (2023).
• Yi Zhang, Jinsong Cui, Kuan-Yu Chen, Shanny H. Kuo, Jaishree Sharma, Rimsha Bhatta, Zheng Liu, Austin Ellis-Mohr, Fufei An, Jiahui Li, Qian Chen, Kari D. Foss, Hua Wang, Yumeng Li, Annette M. McCoy, Gee W. Lau, and Qing Cao*, "A Smart Coating with Integrated Physical-Antimicrobial and Strain-Mapping Functionalities for Orthopedic Implants," Science Advances. 9, eadg7393 (2023).
• Fufei An, Congjun Wang, Viet Hung Pham, Albina Borisevich, Jiangchao Qian, Kaijun Yin, Saran Pidaparthy, Brian Robinson, Ang-Sheng Chou, Junseok Lee, Jennifer Weidman, Sittichai Natesakhawat, Han Wang, Andre Schleife, Jian-Min Zuo, Christopher Matranga, and Qing Cao*, "Atomically Thin Amorphous Carbon Films Synthesized from Solution Precursor," Commun. Eng., 2, 93 (2023).
• Q.Cao*, "Better radio-frequency transistors with nanotubes," Nature Electron. 2, 495 (2019).
• Q. Cao*, J. Tersoff, D. B. Farmer, Y. Zhu, and S.-J. Han, "Carbon nanotube transistors scaled to a 40-nanometer footprint," Science 356(6345), 1369-1372 (2017).
• Q. Cao*, S.-J. Han, J. Tersoff, A. D. Franklin, Y. Zhu, Z. Zhang, G. S. Tulevski, J.-S. Tang, and W. Haensch, "End-bonded contacts for carbon nanotube transistors with low, size-independent resistance," Science 350(6256), 68-72 (2015).
• Q. Cao*, S.-J, Han, and G. S. Tulevski, "Fringing-field dielectrophoretic assembly of ultrahigh-density semiconducting nanotube arrays with a self-limited pitch," Nature Commun. 5, 5071 (2014).
• Q. Cao*, S.-J. Han, G. S. Tulevski, Y. Zhu, D. D. Lu, and W. Haensch, "Arrays of single-walled carbon nanotubes with full surface coverage for high-performance electronics," Nature Nanotechnol. 8(3), 180-186 (2013).
• Q. Cao, H.-S. Kim, N. Pimparkar, J. P. Kulkarni, C. Wang, M. Shim, K. Roy, M. A. Alam, and J. A. Rogers*, "Medium-scale carbon nanotube thin-film integrated circuits on flexible plastic substrates," Nature 454(7203), 495-500 (2008).

Patents

• Q. Cao, F.-F. An, C. Matranga, C.J. Wang, and V.-H. Pham, “2D amorphous carbon film assembled from graphene quantum dots,” U.S. Patent No. US12600634B2
• Q. Cao, B Lam, Y. M. Yu, and H.J. Nam, "Methods of producing and transfer printing a silicon membrane and method of fabricating a monolithic three-dimensional silicon chip", U.S. Patent Application No. 19/436,203.
• Q. Cao, Y. Zhang, and H.-N. Wang, "Biomimetic Physical Antimicrobial Polymer Foils", US Patent Application No. 19/097,453.
• Q. Cao and H.-N. Wang, "Solution processable semiconductors," U.S. Patent Application No. 63/735,743.
• Q. Cao and J.S. Cui, "Solid-state electrochemical random access memory (ECRAM) and methods of making and operating a solid-state ECRAM," U.S. Patent Application No. 63/434,627.
• Q. Cao, K.-G. Cheng, S.-J. Han, Z.-W. Li, and F. Liu, “Fringing-field assisted dielectrophoresis assembly of carbon nanotubes,” US Patent No. US 9525147.
• Q. Cao, S.-J. Han, N. Li, and J.-S. Tang, “Semiconductor device with self-aligned carbon nanotube gate,” U.S. Patent No. US 9704965.
• Q. Cao, K.-G. Cheng, and Z.-W. Li, “Vertically integrated nanotube and quantum dot LED for active matrix display,” U.S. Patent No. US 10026912B1.
• Q. Cao, J.-S. Tang, and S.-J. Han, “End-bonded metal contacts on carbon nanotubes,” U.S. Patent No. US 10319927B2.
• Q. Cao, K.-G. Cheng, Z.-W. Li, and F. Liu, “Three-dimensional integration of neuro-synaptic chips,” U.S. Patent No. US 10832127B2.

Journal Editorships

• Deputy Editor of Science Advances

Conferences Organized or Chaired

• Conference chair of 2025 National Academy of Engineering Japan-America Frontiers of Engineering Symposium
• Meeting Chair of 2020 MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit

Research Honors

• I.B.M. Corporation Invention Achievement Award (fifteen times) (2009-2017)
• Millennium Fellow of the Atlantic Council (2017)
• I.B.M. Pat Goldberg Memorial Best Paper Award (2017)
• I.B.M. Master Inventor Recognition (2016)
• 35 Innovators under 35 (TR35) by MIT Technology Review (2016)
• U.S. Frontiers of Engineering by National Academy of Engineering (2016, 2019, 2025)
• I.B.M. Research Division Award (2016)
• "All-Star Alumni" of Forbes 30 Under 30s (2016)
• I.B.M. Corporation Outstanding Technical Achievement Award (2015)
• Forbes Magazine "30 under 30" list of rising stars in Science and Healthcare (2012)