Citation for the 2020 (the 8th) Nishina Asia Award
Ying Jiang(Boya Distinguished Professor, International Center for Quantum Materials,
School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China)
For his seminal contributions to the understanding of structure and dynamics ofinterfacial water on the atomic scale

Water is one of the most familiar materials existing around us, and it has decisive roles
for the evolution of life on the earth.

Nevertheless, the understanding of the nature ofwater is far from satisfactory, and many challenges remain. One of the key elements inthe issue is the property of the hydrogen bond (the importance of which could beunderstood by reminding of, e.g., the ones in DNA, etc.), where the quantum
mechanical effects of hydrogen atoms play significant roles.

This is in contrast to thecase of heavier atoms, for which the Born-Oppenheimer approximation has often beensuccessfully applied.
The nuclear quantum effects on the strength of hydrogen bond have been investigatedby experimentally studying the structure and dynamics of protons in water (or ice), incombination with theory and simulations. Experimental methods include thespectroscopy, neutron scattering, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), atomic-forcemicroscopy (AFM), and others, and have been advanced by researchers worldwide, andthe frontier of the physics of water has been expanded.

Dr. Ying Jiang has steadily andpatiently continued to improve accuracies of various experimental methods (liketip-enhanced inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy based on an STM, highresolution imaging with a noncontact AFM with a CO-terminated tip). With thesedependable experimental methods, he has measured directly what has been imagined bysimulations and has given firm bases for the future of the expanding research area ofwater.
Some of the highlights in his achievements include the following: He made aquantitative assessment of nuclear quantum effects on the strength of a single hydrogen1bond formed at a water-salt interface, using tip-enhanced inelastic electron tunnelingspectroscopy based on an STM. Observing the hydrogen-bonding strength with highaccuracy, combined with quantum simulations, he found that the anharmonic quantum
fluctuations of hydrogen nuclei influences the strength of hydrogen bonds [1]. He alsoachieved atomic-resolution imaging of ion hydrates.

He illustrated the microscopic

structures of Na+ hydrates at interfaces and discovered a magic-number effect on thetransport of ion hydrate [2]. The fact that the ion transport at interface is influenced by
the number of water molecules will have future impacts in a wide range oftechnologically and biologically relevant fields. Very recently, he has successfullygrown a 2D bilayer hexagonal ice on a hydrophobic Au surface and imaged the 2D ice
growth at the edges with atomic resolution by using noncontact AFM with aCO-terminated tip [3]. He has proposed different dynamics in the growth for zigzag
and armchair edges.

This will strongly stimulate the studies on material in confined

space. It can be concluded that these innovative works opened up a new area ofscience of water and will have a wider impact in the future.
He has been successful in establishing his group in his institute, fostering young people,
and thereby collecting international attentions and reputations. Based on his scientificachievements, and his leadership in expanding the research field and nurturing young
researchers, Dr. Ying Jiang deserves the Nishina Asia Award.
References[1] J. Guo, J.-T. Lü, Y. Feng, J. Chen, J. Peng, Z. Lin, X. Meng, Z. Wang, X.-Z. Li,E.-G. Wang, Y. Jiang, “Nuclear quantum effects of hydrogen bonds probed bytip-enhanced inelastic electron tunneling”, Science 352, 321 (2016).
[2] J. Peng, D. Cao, Z. He, J. Guo, P. Hapala, R. Ma, B. Cheng, J. Chen, W.-J. Xie,X.-Z. Li, P. Jelínek, L.-M. Xu, Y.-Q. Gao, E.-G. Wang, Y. Jiang, “The effect ofhydration number on the interfacial transport of sodium ions”, Nature 557, 701(2018).
[3] R. Ma, D. Cao, C. Zhu, Y. Tian, J. Peng, J. Guo, J. Chen, X.-Z. Li, J. S. Francisco,X.-C. Zeng, L.-M. Xu, E.-G. Wang, Y. Jiang, “Atomic imaging of edge structureand growth of a two-dimensional hexagonal ice”, Nature 577, 60 (2020).

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