Yuan Yang

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING IN THE DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED PHYSICS AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS

205 S.W. Mudd

Tel(212) 851-5935

Yuan Yang designs, characterizes and analyzes materials and devices for electrochemical energy storage and conversion (e.g. batteries, water splitting), and thermal management (e.g. solar absorber). He has worked on the fabrication of novel electrodes for next-generation batteries, such as solid state batteries to address safety issue in Li-ion batteries, and Li-S batteries for increasing battery energy density. He also designs new battery architecture, such as transparent batteries and flexible batteries.   

Research Interests

Electrochemical energy storage and conversion, thermal energy management.

Of particular interest to Yang is designing the composition and structure of battery materials to realize high performance. He has designed various nanostructured electrodes to enhance power density, cycle life, and energy density of batteries. He also developed a vertically aligned structure for enhancing the ionic conductivity of solid electrolyte. Besides material design, Yang is also interested in understanding fundamental processes in battery reactions. He has employed synchrotron, TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy), and optical approaches to understand various electrochemical reactions, such as the growth of lithium dendrite, and the dissolution of polysulfides. Moreover, Yang is interested in using chemical and electrochemical methods to control thermal radiative properties for thermal management.

Yang received a BS in physics from Peking University in 2007 and a PhD in materials science and engineering from Stanford University in 2012. After working as a postdoctoral associate at MIT for three years, he joined Columbia University as an assistant professor in 2015 and was promoted to associate professor in 2020.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

  • Postdoctoral associate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012-2015

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Associate professor, Columbia University, 2020-present
  • Assistant professor, Columbia University, 2015 - 2019

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

  • Materials Research Society

HONORS & AWARDS

  • 2019 Emerging Investigator by Journal of Materials Chemistry
  • 2019 Young Innovator Award by Nano Research
  • 2017 Scialog Fellow on Advanced Energy Storage
  • 2017 Research Initiatives for Science and Engineering (RISE) Award of Columbia University
  • 2014 MRS Postdoctoral Award
  • 2010 Dan Cubicciotti Award of Electrochemical Society (honorable mention)

GRANT SUPPORT

  • Columbia Research Initiatives for Science and Engineering (RISE) Award

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

2019

16. Yijun, C.; Jyotirmoy, M.; Wenxi, L.; Ajani, S.; Cheng-Chia, T.; Wenlong, H.; Sajan, S.; Nanfang, Y.*; Ray, H.; Anyuan, C.; Yuan, Y.*; Colored and Paintable Bilayer Coatings with High Solar-infrared Reflectance for Efficient Cooling. Science Advances, (2020).

15. Li, A.; Liao, X.; Zhang, H.; Shi, L.; Wang, P.; Cheng, Q.; Borovilas, J.; Li, Z.; Huang, W.; Fu, Z.; Dontigny, M.; Zaghib, K.; Meyers, K.; Chuan, X.; Chen, X.*; Yang, Y.*; Nacre-inspired Composite Electrolytes for Load-bearing Solid-state Lithium Metal Batteries. Advanced Materials. 32(2), 1905517 (2020). 

14. Cheng, Q.; Li, A.; Li, N.; Yan, K.; Li, S.; Amirali Z.; Li, T.; Huang, W.; Li, A.; Jin, T.; Song, Q.; Xu, W.; Ni, N.; Zhai, H.; Martin D.; Karim Z.; Xiuyun C.; Su, D.; & Yang Y.*; Stablizing Solid Electrolyte-Anode Interface in Li-Metal Batteries by Boron Nitride-Based Nanocomposite Coating. Joule, 3, 1-13 (2019).

13. Cheng, Q.†; Xu, W.†; Qin, S.; Das, S.; Jin, T.; Li, A.; Li, A. C.; Qie, B.; Yao, P.; Zhai, H.; Shi, C.; Yong, X.; Yang, Y.*; Full Dissolution of Li2S8 to Li2S in Safe Eutectic Solvent for Rechargeable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries. Angewandte Chemie, International Edition, 58, 1-6 (2019).

12. Qian, G.; Liao, X.; Zhu, Y.; Pan, F.; Chen, X.; Yang, Y.*; Designing Flexible Lithium-Ion Batteries by Structural Engineering. ACS Energy Letters, 4, 3, 690-701 (2019).
 

2018

11. Liao, X.†; Shi, C.†; Wang, T.†; Qie, B.†; Chen, Y.; Yang, P.; Cheng, Q; Zhai, H.; Chen, M.; Wang, X.; Chen, X.*; Yang, Y.*; High-Energy-Density Foldable Battery Enabled by Zigzag-like Design, Advanced Energy Materials, 1802998 (2018).

10. Mandal, J.; Fu, Y.; Overvig, A.; Jia, M.; Sun, K.; Shi, N.; Zhou, H.; Xiao, X.; Yu, N.; Yang, Y.*; Hierarchically porous polymer coatings for highly efficient passive daytime radiative cooling. Science, 362(6412), 315-319 (2018).

9. Yao, P.; Zhu, B.; Zhai, H.; Liao, X.; Zhu, Y.; Xu, W.; Cheng, Q.; Jayyosi, C.; Li, Z.; Zhu, J.; Myers, K.; Chen, X.; Yang, Y.*; PVDF/Palygorskite Nanowire Composite Electrolyte for 4 V Rechargeable Lithium Batteries with High Energy Density. Nano Letters, 18(10), 6113-6120 (2018).

8. Peurifoy, S.; Russell, J.; Sisto, T.; Yang, Y.*; Roy, X*.; Nuckolls, C.*; Designing Three-Dimensional Architectures for High-Performance Electron Accepting Pseudocapacitors, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 140(35), 10960-10964 (2018).

7. Cheng, Q.; Wei, L.; Liu, Z.; Ni, N.; Sang, Z.; Zhu, B.; Xu, W.; Chen, M.; Miao, Y.; Chen, L.; Min, W.*; Yang, Y.*; Operando and Three-Dimensional Visualization of Anion Depletion and Lithium Growth by Stimulated Raman Scattering Microscopy, Nature Communications, 9, 2942 (2018).

6. Mandal, J., Du, S., Dontigny, M., Zaghib, K., Yu, N. and Yang, Y.*; Li4Ti5O12: A Visible-to-Infrared Broadband Electrochromic Material for Optical and Thermal Management. Advanced Functional Materials, 28(36), 1802180 (2018).

5. Qian, G; Zhu, B; Liao, X; Zhai, H; Srinivasan, A; Fritz, N; Cheng, Q; Ning, M; Qie, B; Li, Y; Yuan, S; Zhu, J; Chen, X; Yang, Y*.; Bio-inspired, spine-like flexible rechargeable lithium-ion batteries with high energy density, Advanced Materials, 30(12), 1704947 (2018)

2017

4. Milton, M; Cheng, Q; Yang, Y*.; Nuckolls, C*.; Hernández Sánchez, R*.; Sisto, T*.; Molecular Materials for Non-Aqueous Flow Batteries with High Coulombic Efficiency and Stable Cycling, Nano Letters, 17(12), 7859-7863 (2017).

3. Gao, C.; Lee, S.; Yang, Y*.; Thermally Regenerative Electrochemical Cycle for Low-grade Heat Harvesting, ACS Energy Letters, 2(10), 2326–2334 (2017).

2. Mandal, J.; Wang, D.; Overvig, A.; Shi, N.; Paley, D.; Zangiabadi, A.; Cheng, Q.; Barmak, K.; Yu, N*.; Yang, Y*.; Scalable, ‘Dip-and-dry’ Fabrication of a Wide-Angle, Plasmonic Selective Absorber for High-efficiency Solar-thermal Energy Conversion, Advanced Materials, 29(41), 1702156 (2017).

1. Zhai, H.†; Xu, P.†; Ning, M.†; Cheng, Q.; Mandal, J.; Yang, Y*; A Flexible Solid Composite Electrolyte with Vertically Aligned and Connected Ion-Conducting Nanoparticles for Lithium Batteries, Nano Letters, 17(5), 3182–3187 (2017).

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Yuan Yang
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING IN THE DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED PHYSICS AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS