About

Sihong Wang is an Associate Professor of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. His research focuses on the development of biomimetic polymer electronics and bio-energy harvesting for interfacing with the human body and other biological systems as implantable and wearable devices. His overarching goal is to develop functional polymers and devices that combine advanced electronic and photonic properties with biomimetic mechanical and chemical properties, enabling the continuous, efficient, and long-term stable acquisition and processing of health data. Wang's research group has four major directions: human-interfaced biosensors (chemical, mechanical, electrical), immune-compatible electronic polymers and devices, stretchable optoelectronics, and neuromorphic computing for artificial intelligence. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals, with more than 32,000 citations and a Google Scholar H-index of 68. Wang is also a named inventor on US patents. His professional background includes positions at the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory, Stanford University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Tsinghua University. He has received numerous awards and honors, including being named a Highly Cited Researcher for multiple years, NSF CAREER Award, NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, and others, recognizing his contributions to materials science, bioelectronics, and nanotechnology.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Business
• Systems engineering
• Optoelectronics
• Engineering management
• Electrical engineering
• Composite material
• Materials science
• Risk analysis (engineering)
• Nanotechnology
• Data science

Selected publications

• Solid-StateSide-Chain Functionalization of ConjugatedPolymers for Expanded Chemical and Functional Versatility

  Figshare · 2026-03-02

  articleSenior author

  Conjugated polymers that integrate diverse chemical functionalities with high electronic performance are essential for advanced organic electronic, optoelectronic, and biointerfaced technologies. Achieving such multifunctionality typically requires grafting functional units onto polymer side chains. However, conventional solution-phase approaches remain constrained by solubility limitations, side-chain-induced packing disruptions, and challenges in preserving charge transport. Here, we introduce a solid-state side-chain functionalization strategy that exploits a swellable polar side-chain architecture and azide–alkyne click chemistry to enable efficient molecular diffusion and reaction throughout predeposited polymer thin films. This approach substantially broadens the chemical compatibility of graftable units and mitigates the adverse effects on the electrical property. Moreover, the method supports spatially selective functionalization within a continuous film, enabling the patterned incorporation of chemically distinct groups to produce spatially defined optical properties. This solid-state strategy thus provides a versatile platform for constructing conjugated polymers with expanded chemical versatility, preserved electronic performance, and programmable spatial functionality.

  DOI

• Degradable Donor‐Acceptor Polymeric Mixed Ionic‐Electronic Conductors for Transient Electronics

  Advanced Materials Technologies · 2026-01-24

  articleOpen access

  ABSTRACT Development of degradable organic mixed ionic‐electronic conductors (OMIECs) can help realize transient electronics for sustainability aims in reducing electronic waste and for human health outcomes in bioelectronics. However, the diverse environments envisioned for transient electronics makes it difficult to define a singular ideal degradation profile for materials, necessitating adaptable molecular design strategies. Here we take a systematic side chain engineering approach to elucidate how molecular‐level modifications of donor–acceptor (D–A) polymer structures can satisfy demands for transient electronics that are often conflicting: degradability, charge carrier transport, and ionic transport. Utilizing D–A polymer backbones that can be functionalized with various glycolated side chains opens a wide range of molecular design combinations to be explored in device optimization for different electronic needs (i.e., rate of degradation). From acid degradation studies, we demonstrate that side chain design impacts the degradation kinetics of polymeric MIECs, with the branched triethylene glycol (bTEG) side chain‐functionalized polymers showing faster degradation rates relative to amphiphilic side chain‐functionalized analogues. The bTEG‐functionalized polymers also promisingly exhibit retention of similar OECT performance to their previously reported high‐performing C12TEG analogues. This work on degradable D–A polymeric MIECs highlights a promising molecular‐level design approach to achieve programmable degradation rates for materials in transient electronics.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Reconfigurable hydrogel interfaces for soft brain electrodes

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2026-04-20

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Solid-State Side-Chain Functionalization of Conjugated Polymers for Expanded Chemical and Functional Versatility

  Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2026-03-02

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Conjugated polymers that integrate diverse chemical functionalities with high electronic performance are essential for advanced organic electronic, optoelectronic, and biointerfaced technologies. Achieving such multifunctionality typically requires grafting functional units onto polymer side chains. However, conventional solution-phase approaches remain constrained by solubility limitations, side-chain-induced packing disruptions, and challenges in preserving charge transport. Here, we introduce a solid-state side-chain functionalization strategy that exploits a swellable polar side-chain architecture and azide-alkyne click chemistry to enable efficient molecular diffusion and reaction throughout predeposited polymer thin films. This approach substantially broadens the chemical compatibility of graftable units and mitigates the adverse effects on the electrical property. Moreover, the method supports spatially selective functionalization within a continuous film, enabling the patterned incorporation of chemically distinct groups to produce spatially defined optical properties. This solid-state strategy thus provides a versatile platform for constructing conjugated polymers with expanded chemical versatility, preserved electronic performance, and programmable spatial functionality.

  PublisherDOI

• Adaptive AI decision interface for autonomous electronic material discovery

  Nature Chemical Engineering · 2025-12-18 · 2 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Nanogenerators for flexible and wearable electronics toward healthcare applications

  MRS Bulletin · 2025-02-28 · 6 citations

  articleCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Enabling efficient electron injection in stretchable OLED

  ChemRxiv · 2025-08-04

  preprintOpen access

  Stretchable organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are transforming human-machine interfaces and wearable technologies. However, for intrinsically stretchable OLEDs, the performance is still considerably inferior to commercial, non-stretchable OLEDs, with inefficient electron injection being one of the main limiting factors. Herein, we present stretchable designs for both the electron transport layer (ETL) and the cathode in stretchable OLEDs, which achieves an ideal energy-level alignment with the emitting layer for efficient electron injection. For the ETL, we design a copolymer structure combining electron-deficient conjugated groups and alkyl chains, achieving balanced electron transport and stretchability. With ideal electron and exciton energy levels, the stretchable polymer ETL enables OLED performance comparable to that of commonly used small-molecule ETL. For the cathode, we leverage the embrittlement effect of liquid metals to confer stretchability to aluminum thin films, without compromising its electrical and optical characteristics. Combining these designs, we demonstrate fully stretchable OLED devices with a record-high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 8% and a record-low turn-on voltage of 3.5 V, which are on par with the performance of the utilized emitter measured in rigid OLED devices. This work tackles a crucial bottleneck in stretchable OLED development, bridging the performance gap between fully stretchable OLEDs and standard rigid OLEDs at the device level, and paving the way for high-performance, skin-like displays.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Host-guest design for stretchable light-emitting polymers reaching an EQE of 20%

  ChemRxiv · 2025-08-20

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Stretchable light-emitting devices are poised to play a central role in advancing human–technology integration, enabling applications such as on-skin displays, optical sensing, and implantable phototherapy. Among them, stretchable organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are particularly attractive due to their high efficiency and potential biocompatibility. The recent realization of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) in stretchable emitters, enabling triplet exciton harvesting, has increased external quantum efficiency (EQE) to 10%. However, triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA) remains a key barrier to further improvement toward commercial-grade performance. Here, we introduce a stretchable host–guest emitter design that overcomes this quenching mechanism by uniformly dispersing TADF small-molecule guests within a newly designed stretchable host polymer. This architecture enables efficient exciton transfer while suppressing TTA, yielding an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 20.3%—doubling the performance of prior state-of-the-art. Notably, the guest molecules also act as plasticizers, enhancing stretchability beyond 150%. With generalizability to different TADF emitters, this work establishes a foundational strategy for mitigating TTA in stretchable emissive layers, advancing soft optoelectronics toward commercial viability with mechanical durability and practicality.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Effects of the chain extenders on the properties of waterborne polyurethanes

  Journal of Physics Conference Series · 2025-02-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract This study investigated the effect of different chain extenders on the properties and degradability of waterborne polyurethanes (WPUs). Three types of waterborne polyurethanes were prepared by polyethylene glycol (PEG) and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) with the addition of isosorbide (IS), 1,4-butanediol (BDO), and imidazolidinyl urea (IU) as chain extender, respectively. The experimental results showed that the waterborne polyurethanes with imidazolidinylurea (IU) as the chain extender performed better in terms of mechanical properties and degradability, and displayed good hydrophilicity and solubility. These findings are of great significance for the design and application of polyurethane materials with environmental friendliness.

  PublisherDOI

• Immune-compatible designs of semiconducting polymers for bioelectronics with suppressed foreign-body response

  Nature Materials · 2025-04-17 · 26 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant SC2AG036823

  NIH · $297k · 2012

• Immunocompatible electronic polymers and devices for implantable sensors and stimulators that resist foreign-body responses

  NIH · $2.3M · 2022–2027

• CAREER: Microfluidic 3D Apoptosis Cell Arrays

  NSF · $400k · 2011–2016

Frequent coauthors

• Zhong Lin Wang

  Georgia Institute of Technology

  141 shared

• Long Lin

  State Grid Corporation of China (China)

  38 shared

• Simiao Niu

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  30 shared

• Jie Xu

  University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

  29 shared

• Yusheng Zhou

  Lanzhou Jiaotong University

  22 shared

• Yang Li

  19 shared

• Yahao Dai

  University of Chicago

  18 shared

• Wei Liu

  Xi'an Jiaotong University

  18 shared

Labs

• Wang GroupPI

Awards & honors

• Highly Cited Researcher for 2025, Clarivate Analytics
• Falling Walls Finalist in the Engineering & Technology categ…
• Chicago Biomedical Consortium (CBC) Windy City Innovation Aw…
• Highly Cited Researcher for 2024, Clarivate Analytics
• Nanogenerators and Piezotronics Young Investigator Award