L. Jay Guo, the Emmett Leith Collegiate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, has been honored with election to the National Academy of Inventors. His significant contributions have advanced flexible electronics and light-based technologies. Guo’s pioneering work includes innovative nanopatterning methods, crucial for the next generation of electronics.
Guo developed a scalable nanopatterning technique that deviates from traditional lithography. His method, known as roll-to-roll nanoimprint technology, is akin to printing and uses flexible base materials. This approach simplifies scaling for factory production, offering a practical solution for manufacturers.
Utilizing nanopatterning, Guo and his partners have developed flexible displays, touchscreens, and lighting solutions. His work also explores structural color, inspired by butterfly wings, attracting companies like Samsung and Toyota. In 2018, Guo co-founded two startups leveraging thin film technologies.
“Dr. Guo is an outstanding scholar and inventor in nanotechnology and manufacturing,” wrote Zhenqiang Ma, a professor at the University of Wisconsin. “His technical innovations have had significant economic and societal impacts over the past twenty-five years.”
Guo’s startup, Zenith Nano, provides products like flexible, transparent conductors for touch screens and electrochromic windows. His other venture, InLight technologies, offers structural color solutions for various applications, such as automobile coatings and cosmetic products.
Currently, Guo is developing chrome coating alternatives to avoid toxic chromium processes, using AI to enhance optical coating designs. “I have long had a conviction that the ultimate success of engineering research is to deploy in the real world,” Guo said. “It is an honor to have these efforts recognized by the National Academy of Inventors.”
Guo also serves as a professor of applied physics and mechanical engineering, and he is the director of macromolecular science and engineering.
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