Xu Wei, a Ph.D. student from the joint training program between Southeast University (SEU) and Suzhou Laboratory was named one of only three winners worldwide at the 26th IEEE International Conference on Nanotechnology (IEEE-NANO 2026) Student Design Competition. Xu and his cross-university team won the award in the SDC3 track — “AI-Assisted Nanomaterial Synthesis Protocol Design Based on Open Scientific Data” — with their project, “2D-SynPlanner: A Knowledge-Guided Coarse-to-Fine Framework for Synthesis Protocol Prediction.”
The 2D-SynPlanner is an AI-driven planning system tailored for two-dimensional materials. Based on the input target composition and experimental requirements, it autonomously retrieves records from publicly available literature and other sources, then screens and ranks possible synthesis pathways.Subsequently, it comprehensively considers conditions such as precursors, temperature, carrier gas, substrate, pressure, and reaction time to generate candidate protocols and executable steps.
At thecompetition, Xu presented the system's design philosophy, retrieval methodology, and protocol generation results to representatives of faculty and students from around the world. He also answered questions from the international jury on data sources, prediction basis, and practical applications.
The 2026 IEEE-NANO Student Design Competition was held in conjunction with the 26th IEEE International Conference on Nanotechnology. Both events were organized by the IEEE Nanotechnology Council and co-hosted by Nanjing University, Southeast University, and Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Open to young students worldwide, the competition focused on cutting-edge nanotechnology and real-world research challenges, ultimately recognizing three winning teams.
Source: SEU News Network
Translated by: Melody Zhang
Edited by: Leah Li
