Chunyang Wang

Layered oxides are one of the most widely used commercial cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries. Understanding their failure mechanisms is critical to developing high-performance cathode materials, which will contribute to addressing the global energy crisis​.

To address this significant challenge in the global battery field, Chunyang Wang and collaborators developed super-resolution TEM imaging techniques by combining deep learning with atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. With this technological breakthrough, they deciphered complex interface structures, new phase degradation pathways, and mechanical failure mechanisms of layered oxide cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Their achievement uncovers crucial factors affecting the structural degradation of layered oxide cathodes, offering significant theoretical and practical value for the design and development of next-generation lithium-ion battery cathode materials​. Over the past two years, Chunyang’s research interest in batteries has gradually expanded from cathodes to other battery materials, such as lithium metal anodes and aqueous/solid-state electrolytes. Using in-situ TEM and cryo-TEM techniques, he deciphered the nucleation, growth, and stripping mechanisms of lithium metal at the nanoscale and atomic scale. By combining cryo-TEM tomography with traditional electron diffraction techniques, he pioneered three-dimensional crystallographic imaging of lithium metal. This significant technological breakthrough is expected to be more widely applied in the research of metal or alloy anode materials for lithium/sodium-based batteries in the future​.

The integration of artificial intelligence with advanced transmission electron microscopy characterization techniques is poised to be a disruptive technology and pivotal direction for the future of electron microscopy. Chunyang aims to extensively apply artificial intelligence in developing multidimensional (in-situ/three-dimensional) TEM techniques to address key issues/challenges in materials.