Electronic materials are materials in which mobile electrons play an active role in defining their relevant properties. However, their functionalities and applications are not necessarily limited to the electronic sector.

In this talk I will discuss our recent efforts in extending our understanding and engineering of electronic materials to fields dominated by mechanical, optical or thermal processes.

Specifically, I will highlight three projects: phase transition-driven micro solid engine, point defects-enhanced thermoelectrics and molecularly gated luminescence in monolayer semiconductors.

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This past month Prof. Wu won the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), which he adds to the NSF Career award and the DOE Early Career Award. He received his Ph.D. here at UC Berkeley in Applied Science & Technology before doing a postdoc at Harvard.