Nanoporous metal evolves from the selective dissolution of an alloy or a compound. This fascinating structure promises functionalities and reveals the physics behind the ubiquitous formation mechanism. (Check this perspective for what we know of it)
Batteries power electronics, cars, and even the electricity grid, enabling our transition toward renewable energy. We strive to understand how a battery may fail so that we can better design it, especially its electrodes, to endure the ever-urgent needs.
A beautiful structure does not guarantee a useful property. We tend to oversell the promise of new material (incl. our favorite, nanoporous metal). A fix to this problem requires rigorous characterizations of structure-property relationships, for which we are also developing new methods.
In-situ characterization of high-capacity electrodes to tackle stability issues.
Prof. Qing Chen holds a bachelor's degree in Polymer Science from Zhejiang University and a PhD degree in Materials Science from Arizona State University. He attained his postdoctoral training at Harvard University. He is currently affiliated with both the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Department of Chemistry at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He is also the associate director of the Energy Institute, HKUST. (CV)
PhD student
PhD student
PhD student (w/ Prof. Baoling Huang)
PhD student (w/ Prof. Chunyi Zhi @ CityU)
MPhil student
PhD student
PhD student
Group Alumni:
Zhien Wang - PhD student @ MIT
Wenqing Ruan - Faculty @ Shenzhen University
Guoyin Zhu - Faculty @ Nanjing University of Information Sci & Tech
Anson Tsang - PhD student @ Princeton
Yuan Xu - Postdoc @ Shenzhen University
Jiatao Mao - Scientist @ BYD
Congcheng Wang - Postdoc @ Georgia Tech
Yiting Zheng - Consultant @ Exponent
Shida Yang - Scientist @ CATL
Jie Li - Postdoc @ University of Stuttgart
Yunhe Zhao - Postdoc @ Miami University
Zhibin Yi - Scientist @ BYD
Kevin Chan - PhD student @ U Wisconsin Madison
Yang Li - Engineer @ GRST
Liangyu Li - Faculty @ Shanghai Jiaotong University
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Chen M. et al. Percolating Anode Microstructures Underpin the Choice of Electrolyte Composition for a Stable Alkaline Zn Battery. ACS Energy Letters (2025). >> view the article
Ma Y. et al. Super-Concentrated Alkali Hydroxide Electrolytes for Rechargeable Zn Batteries. Angew. Chemie (2025). >> view the article
Wang C. et al. Patterning the Pore Orientation of Nanoporous Metal via Self‐Organization in Flow Cells. Adv. Sci. (2024). >> view the article
Wang C. et al. The microstructural dependence of ionic transport in bi-continuous nanoporous metal. Acta Mater. (2024). >> view the article
Full list of publications at
