Research Website

Educational Qualifications

Postdoc, Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2021-2023)
Ph.D., Materials Science & Engineering, Cornell University (2020)
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and History, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2017)

Focus

Understanding and controlling electrochemical synthesis of crystalline materials for energy & sustainability.

Research

The wide use of electricity is a defining characteristic of modern life. It is further argued that “electrification of everything” is key to energy security and sustainability. Transition to electrification requires innovative design and realization of next-generation systems for generation, transmission, and storage of electricity.

At the bottom of this picture, materials—whose properties are determined by structures at multiple length scales ranging from Angstrom (0.1 nm) to millimeter or even larger—establish the fundamental infrastructure that enables engineering at higher levels. Such higher-level engineering—e.g., system integration and optimization—is in turn constrained by the properties and performance of materials. Through trailblazing experimental effort under computational guidance, the group aims to accelerate the realization of next-generation materials that underpin “electrification of everything”.

The group’s current research encompasses various areas, including next-generation batteries, atomically-precise additive manufacturing, exotic quantum phases, and the fundamental electrochemistry that underpins their realization. 

We also acknowledge effective communication of scientific discoveries with the public through outreach as an indispensable element for achieving sustainability for humanity as whole. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you are interested in our efforts.

Awards & Honors

• Early Career Travel Grant for the 242nd ECS Meeting, 2022
• Neware Research Excellence Award, 2021
• ECS Electrodeposition Division Early Career Investigator Award, 2021
• Finalists/Alternate for Pappalardo Fellowship in Physics, 2020
• Top Prize in National Competition of Science Innovations (the Challenge Cup), 2017
• SJTU Person of the Year Award, 2016
• Chun-Tsung Fellowship, 2015-2017
• Silver Medal in Chinese National Chemistry Olympiad, 2012

Selected Publications 

• Zheng, J., Yin, J., Tang, T., Archer, L., Moss-like Growth of Metal Electrodes: On the Role of Competing Faradaic Reactions and Fast Charging, ACS Energy Letters 8: 2113-2121, 2023
• Zheng, J., et al, Design Principles for Heterointerfacial Alloying Kinetics at Metallic Anodes in Rechargeable Batteries, Science Advances 8.44: eabq6321, 2022
• Zheng, J., Perspective—Reversibility of Electro-Plating/Stripping Reactions: Metal Anodes for Rechargeable Batteries, Journal of the Electrochemical Society 169.10: 100532, 2022 [Invited contribution]
• Zheng, J.†, Archer, L.†, Crystallographically Textured Electrodes for Rechargeable Batteries: Symmetry, Fabrication and Characterization, Chemical Reviews 122.18: 14440-14470, 2022
• Zheng, J.†, Deng, Y., Yin, J., Tang, T., Garcia-Mendez, R., Zhao, Q., Archer, L.†, Textured Electrodes: Manipulating built‐in Crystallographic Heterogeneity of Metal Electrodes via Severe Plastic Deformation, Advanced Materials 34.1: 2106867, 2022
• Zheng, J., et al, Regulating electrodeposition morphology in high-capacity aluminium and zinc battery anodes using interfacial metal–substrate bonding, Nature Energy 6.4: 398-406, 2021
• Zheng, J.†, Garcia-Mendez, R., Archer, L.†, Engineering Multiscale Coupled Electron/Ion Transport in Battery Electrodes, ACS Nano 15.12: 19014-19025, 2021
• Zheng, J., Archer, L., Controlling Electrochemical Growth of Metallic Zinc Electrodes: towards Affordable Rechargeable Energy Storage Systems, Science Advances 7.2: eabe0219, 2021
• Zheng, J., M.S. Kim, Tu, Z., Choushury, S., Tang, T., Archer, L., Regulating electrodeposition morphology of lithium: towards commercially relevant secondary Li metal batteries, Chemical Society Reviews 49: 2701-2750, 2020
• Zheng, J., et al, Spontaneous and field-induced crystallographic reorientation of metal electrodeposits at battery anodes, Science Advances 6.25: eabb1122, 2020 
• Zheng, J., et al, Reversible epitaxial electrodeposition of metals in battery anodes, Science 366.6465: 645-648, 2019
• Zheng, J., Tang, T., Zhao, Q., Liu, X., Deng, Y., Archer, L., Physical Orphaning versus Chemical Instability: Is Dendritic Electrodeposition of Li Fatal?, ACS Energy Letters 4.6: 1349-1355, 2019
• Zheng, J., et al, Nonplanar Electrode Architectures for Ultrahigh Areal Capacity Batteries,  ACS Energy Letters 4.1: 271-275, 2019
• Zheng, J., Luo, R., Zeng, X., Chen, B., Nano-scale precipitation and phase growth in Mg-Gd binary alloy: An atomic-scale investigation using HAADF-STEM, Materials & Design 137: 316-324, 2018

*Co-corresponding authors are denoted by †.