Dr. Xiang Chen gained his Bachelor’s and Ph.D. degrees from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Tsinghua University in 2016 and 2021, respectively. Then, he was a Shuimu Tsinghua Scholar at Tsinghua University from 2021 to 2023. Currently, he is an associate research professor at Tsinghua University. His research interests focus on understanding the chemical mechanism and materials science in rechargeable batteries mainly through multi-scale simulations and machine learning. He has published more than forty (co)-first-author papers in Chem. Rev., Acc. Chem. Res., Sci. Adv., Chem, Angew. Chem., J. Am. Chem. Soc., et al., with more than 17000 citations and an H-index of 63. He has been rewarded the 2023 MIT TR35 Asia Pacific and the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers from 2020 to 2023. He is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China for Excellent Young Scholars and the Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by CAST. He has reviewed more than 100 papers for high-impact journals such as Nature, Nat. Catal., Nat. Commun., Angew. Chem., Adv. Mater., and Joule.

2012~2016 B.Sc, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

2016~2021 Ph.D, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

2018~2019 Visiting student, Department of Materials Science, University of California, Berkeley

2021~2023 Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

2023~2024 Assistant Research Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

2024~present Associate Research Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

Energy Chemistry, Artificial Intelligence, Rechargeable battery, Electrolyte engineering, Multi-scale simulation

Guest editor for Journal of Energy Chemistry and Batteries

Young advisory abroad for Chinese Chemical Letters and Green Carbon

Referee for Nature, Nat. Catal., Nat. Commun., Angew. Chem., Adv. Mater., Joule, etc.

2023 MIT TR35 Asia Pacific

1. Yao, N.; Chen, X.;* Fu, Z.-H.; Zhang, Q.* Applying Classical, Ab Initio, and Machine-Learning Molecular Dynamics Simulations to the Liquid Electrolyte for Rechargeable Batteries. Chemical Reviews 2022, 122, 10970–11021.

2. Gao, Y.-C.; Yao, N.; Chen, X.;* Yu, L.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, Q., Data-Driven Insight into the Reductive Stability of Ion–Solvent Complexes in Lithium Battery Electrolytes. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2023, 145, 23764–23770.

3. Yao, N.; Yu, L.; Fu, Z.-H.; Shen, X.; Hou, T.-Z.; Liu, X.; Gao, Y.-C.; Zhang, R.; Zhao, C.-Z.; Chen, X.;* Zhang, Q.* Probing the Origin of Viscosity of Liquid Electrolytes for Lithium Batteries. Angewandte Chemie-International Edition 2023, 62, e202305331.

4. Yao, N.; Sun, S.-Y.; Chen, X.;* Zhang, X.-Q.; Shen, X.; Fu, Z.-H.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, Q.* The Anionic Chemistry in Regulating the Reductive Stability of Electrolytes for Lithium Metal Batteries. Angewandte Chemie-International Edition 2022, 61, e202210859.

5. Chen, X.; Liu, X.; Shen, X.; Zhang, Q. Applying Machine Learning in Rechargeable Batteries from Microscale to Macroscale. Angewandte Chemie-International Edition 2021, 60, 24354–24366.

6. Yao, N.; Chen, X.;* Shen, X.; Zhang, R.; Fu, Z.-H.; Ma, X.-X.; Zhang, X.-Q.; Li, B.-Q.; Zhang, Q.* An Atomic Insight into the Chemical Origin and Variation of Dielectric Constant in Liquid Electrolytes. Angewandte Chemie-International Edition 2021, 60, 21473–21478.

7. Chen, X.; Bai, Y.-K.; Zhao, C.-Z.; Shen, X.; Zhang, Q. Lithium Bonds in Lithium Batteries. Angewandte Chemie-International Edition 2020, 59, 11192–11195.

8. Chen, X.; Zhang, Q., Atomic Insights into the Fundamental Interactions in Lithium Battery Electrolytes. Accounts of Chemical Research 2020, 53, 1992–2002.

9. Chen, X.; Chen, X.-R.; Hou, T.-Z.; Li, B.-Q.; Cheng, X.-B.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, Q., Lithiophilicity Chemistry of Heteroatom-Doped Carbon to Guide Uniform Lithium Nucleation in Lithium Metal Anodes. Science Advances 2019, 5, eaau7728.

10. Chen, X.; Shen, X.; Hou, T.-Z.; Zhang, R.; Peng, H.-J.; Zhang, Q., Ion-Solvent Chemistry-Inspired Cation-Additive Strategy to Stabilize Electrolytes for Sodium-Metal Batteries. Chem 2020, 6, 2242–2256.

11. Chen, X.; Shen, X.; Li, B.; Peng, H. J.; Cheng, X. B.; Li, B. Q.; Zhang, X. Q.; Huang, J. Q.; Zhang, Q. Ion–Solvent Complexes Promote Gas Evolution from Electrolytes on a Sodium Metal Anode. Angewandte Chemie-International Edition 2018, 57, 734–737.

12. Chen, X.; Peng, H. J.; Zhang, R.; Hou, T. Z.; Huang, J. Q.; Li, B.; Zhang, Q. An Analogous Periodic Law for Strong Anchoring of Polysulfides on Polar Hosts in Lithium Sulfur Batteries: S- or Li-Binding on First-Row Transition-Metal Sulfides? ACS Energy Letter 2017, 2, 795–801.

13. Chen, X.; Hou, T. Z.; Li, B.; Yan, C.; Zhu, L.; Guan, C.; Cheng, X. B.; Peng, H. J.; Huang, J. Q.; Zhang, Q. Towards Stable Lithium–Sulfur Batteries: Mechanistic Insights into Electrolyte Decomposition on Lithium Metal Anode. Energy Storage Materials 2017, 8, 194–201.

14. Chen, X.; Hou, T. Z.; Persson, K. A.; Zhang, Q. Combining Theory and Experiment in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries: Current Progress and Future Perspectives. Materials Today 2019, 22, 142–158.

15. Chen, X.; Li, H.-R.; Shen, X.; Zhang, Q., The Origin of the Reduced Reductive Stability of Ion–Solvent Complexes on Alkali and Alkaline Earth Metal Anodes. Angewandte Chemie-International Edition. 2018, 57, 16643–16647.

16. Chen, X.; Zhang, X.-Q.; Li, H.-R.; Zhang, Q., Cation–Solvent, Cation–Anion, and Solvent–Solvent Interactions with Electrolyte Solvation in Lithium Batteries. Batteries & Supercaps 2019, 2, 128–131.

17. Chen, X.; Bai, Y.-K.; Zhao, C.-Z.; Shen, X., Zhang, Q., Lithium Bond in Lithium Batteries. Angewandte Chemie-International Edition. 2020, 59, 11192–11195.

18. Chen, X.; Bai, Y.-K.; Shen, X.; Peng, H.-J.; Zhang, Q., Sodiophilicity/Potassiophilicity Chemistry in Sodium/Potassium Metal Anodes. Journal of Energy Chemistry 2020, 51, 1–6.

19. Chen, X.; Yao, N.; Zeng, B.-S.; Zhang, Q. Ion–solvent chemistry in lithium battery electrolytes: From mono-solvent to multi-solvent complexes. Fundamental Research 2021, 1, 393–398.

20. Ma, X.-X.; Shen, X.; Chen, X.;* Fu, Z.-H.; Yao, N.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, Q.* The Origin of Fast Lithium-Ion Transport in the Inorganic Solid Electrolyte Interphase on Lithium Metal Anodes. Small Structure 2022, 3, 2200071.

21. Fu, Z.-H.; Chen, X.;* Yao, N.; Shen, X.; Ma, X.-X.; Feng, S.; Wang, S.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, Q.* The chemical origin of temperature-dependent lithium-ion concerted diffusion in sulfide solid electrolyte Li10GeP2S12. Journal of Energy Chemistry 2022. 70, 59–66.

22. Fu, Z.-H.; Chen, X.;* Zhang, Q. Review on the lithium transport mechanism in solid-state battery materials. WIREs Computational Molecular Science 2022, DOI, 10.1002/wcms.1621.

23. Feng, S.; Fu, Z.-H.; Chen, X.;* Zhang, Q. A review on theoretical models for lithium–sulfur battery cathodes. InfoMat 2022, 4, e12304.

24. Chen, X.; Hou, T. Z.; Peng, H. J.; Cheng, X. B.; Huang, J. Q.; Zhang, Q. Review on the Applications of First-Principles Calculation in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries. Energy Storage Science and Technology 2017, 6, 500–521. (Chinese paper)

25. Zhang, X. Q.;† Chen, X.;† Xu, R.; Cheng, X. B.; Peng, H. J.; Zhang, R.; Huang, J. Q.; Zhang, Q. Columnar Lithium Metal Anodes. Angewandte Chemie-International Edition 2017, 56, 14207–14211.

26. Hou, T. Z.;† Xu, W. T.;† Chen, X.;† Peng, H. J.; Huang, J. Q.; Zhang, Q. Lithium Bond Chemistry in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries. Angewandte Chemie-International Edition 2017, 56, 8178–8182.

27. Zhang, R.;† Chen, X. R.;† Chen, X.;† Cheng, X. B.; Zhang, X. Q.; Yan, C.; Zhang, Q. Lithiophilic Sites in Doped Graphene Guide Uniform Lithium Nucleation for Dendrite-Free Lithium Metal Anodes. Angewandte Chemie-International Edition 2017, 56, 7764–7768.

28. Kong, L.;† Chen, X.;† Li, B. Q.;† Peng, H. J.; Huang, J. Q.; Xie, J.; Zhang, Q. A Bifunctional Perovskite Promoter for Polysulfide Regulation toward Stable Lithium–Sulfur Batteries. Advanced Materials 2018, 30, 1705219.

29. Tang, C.;† Wang, H. F.;† Chen, X.;† Li, B. Q.; Hou, T. Z.; Zhang, B.; Zhang, Q.; Titirici, M. M.; Wei, F. Topological Defects in Metal-Free Nanocarbon for Oxygen Electrocatalysis. Advanced Materials 2016, 28, 6845–6851.

30. Zhang, X. Q.;† Cheng, X. B.;† Chen, X.;† Yan, C.; Zhang, Q. Fluoroethylene Carbonate Additives to Render Uniform Li Deposits in Lithium Metal Batteries. Advanced Functional Materials 2017, 27, 1605989.

31. Duan, H.;† Zhang, J.;† Chen, X.;† Zhang, X.-D.; Li, J.-Y.; Huang, L.-B.; Zhang, X.; Shi, J.-L.; Yin, Y.-X.; Zhang, Q.; Guo, Y.-G.; Jiang, L.; Wan, L.-J., Uniform Nucleation of Lithium in 3D Current Collectors via Bromide Intermediates for Stable Cycling Lithium Metal Batteries. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2018, 140, 18051–18057.

32. Fan, Y. C.;† Chen, X.;† Legut, Dominik; Zhang, Q. F. Modeling and Theoretical Design of Next-Generation Lithium Metal Batteries. Energy Storage and Materials 2019, 16, 169–193.

33. Li, B.-Q.;† Chen, X.-R.;† Chen, X.;† Zhao, C.-X.; Zhang, R.; Cheng, X.-B.; Zhang, Q., Favorable Lithium Nucleation on Lithiophilic Framework Porphyrin for Dendrite-Free Lithium Metal Anodes. Research 2019, 2019, 1–11.

34. Li, B.-Q.;† Peng, H.-J.;† Chen, X.;† Zhang, S.-Y.; Xie, J.; Zhao, C.-X.; Zhang, Q., Polysulfide Electrocatalysis on Framework Porphyrin in High-Capacity and High-Stable Lithium–Sulfur Batteries. CCS Chemistry 2019, 1, 128–137.

35. Zhang, X.-Q.;† Chen, X.;† Hou, L.-P.; Li, B.-Q.; Cheng, X.-B.; Huang, J.-Q.; Zhang, Q., Regulating Anions in the Solvation Sheath of Lithium Ions for Stable Lithium Metal Batteries. ACS Energy Letters 2019, 4, 411–416.

36. Cai, J.;† Song, Y.;† Chen, X.;† Sun, Z.; Yi, Y.; Sun, J.; Zhang, Q., MOF-derived conductive carbon nitrides for separator-modified Li–S batteries and flexible supercapacitors. Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2020, 8, 1757–1766.