My scientific journey has been driven by a fascination with interfaces—where chemistry meets physics. From synthesizing atomic-scale catalysts to diagnosing failure in industrial batteries, I strive to bridge fundamental physical principles with practical engineering challenges. My goal is to use this cross-disciplinary intuition to decode complex electrochemical behaviors.

I. Industrial Physics & Data-Driven Diagnostics

Tianneng Battery

July 2024 - Present | Failure Analysis Engineer / Advanced Electrochemical Engineer

The Challenge: How do we translate microscopic degradation mechanisms into macroscopic safety and performance descriptors?

  • DRT: Standard EIS often blurs distinct electrochemical processes. I developed an automated Distribution of Relaxation Times (DRT) pipeline in Python. It’s able to separate the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) contribution from charge transfer and diffusion kinetics, providing a clearer picture of large cell aging.
  • Data-driven: Applied Random Forest algorithms to bridge the gap between raw material properties and cell-level performance, moving beyond trial-and-error to predictive engineering.
  • Thermal analysis: Optimized ARC (Accelerating Rate Calorimetry) configurations to analyze heating rate models for safety diagnosis (Patent pending).
  • Microstructure: Established rigorous protocols for measuring electrode tortuosity by symmetrical cell and porosity by SEM.
  • …

II. Interfacial Dynamics & Spectro-electrochemistry

University of Texas at Austin

Sept. 2020 — Jan. 2024 | Graduate Research Assistant

The Inquiry: How does the solvent environment—specifically the hydrogen bond network—dictate reaction kinetics beyond simple mass transport?

Using ATR-SEIRAS to see the interface.

  • Spectro-electrochemistry: Utilized ATR-SEIRAS (Surface-Enhanced Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy) to directly observe the interfacial water structure during the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER).
  • Kinetic Decoupling: Conducted precise measurements using ultra-microelectrodes (UMEs) in DMSO-water cosolvents.
  • Key Insight: Discovered that H-bond competitors significantly disrupt the interfacial water structure. This disruption affects the proton donor capability, proving that HER kinetics are governed by local solvation structures, not just bulk properties.

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Jan. 2019 — July 2020 | Master Student (Mentored by Prof. Charles McCrory)

The Inquiry: Which thiol leaves the surface first?

  • The Mismatch: Investigated the anomaly where the reductive desorption onset potential of Mixed Self-assembled Monolayers (SAMs) did not correlate linearly with surface coverage.
  • Surface Quantification: Synthesized a Cl-terminated thiol tag and utilized XPS to quantify the precise elemental composition before and after desorption.
  • Key Insight: Found that the discrepancy was driven by phase separation within the monolayer. The choice of solvent (Ethanol vs. Chloroform vs. DCM) during assembly fundamentally altered the domain formation, thereby changing the electrochemical stability.

III. Material Synthesis and Study

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

July 2017 — Jan. 2018 | Research Intern (Mentored by Prof. Hong Yang)

The Strategy: Manipulating lattice strain via lanthanide doping to enhance OER activity.

  • Lattice Engineering: Fabricated Pyrochlore-type Iridium catalysts. By doping with lanthanides of varying atomic radii, we induced specific lattice strains.
  • Key result: Proposed a correlation between the atomic number (ionic radius) of the dopant and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) stability/activity in acidic media.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Nov. 2016 — July 2018 | Undergraduate Researcher (Mentored by Prof. Jianbo Wu)

The Discovery: A polymer-mediated growth mechanism for 2D metals.

  • Synthesis: Used a solvothermal method to grow 2D nanostructures of Pt-group and Fe-group metals using tungsten hexacarbonyl.
  • Mechanism Proposal: Uncovered that Pt catalyzes the reduction of ethylene glycol to form a polymer “net.” This net restricts vertical growth, inducing the formation of high-surface-area 2D sheets.
  • Outcome: Published in Advanced Functional Materials (2019), demonstrating superior Methanol Oxidation Reaction (MOR) activity.

Scientific Communication & Outreach

  • Science Journalism: As a trainee journalist for Global Science (Scientific American Chinese Edition), I practiced the art of translating complex chemistry breakthroughs into accessible narratives. Sample Work
  • Teaching: As a Graduate Teaching Assistant for Introduction to Biophysics and Spectroscopy, I helped students visualize abstract physical concepts, reinforcing my own understanding of the fundamentals.