Zhu Featured in ACS Energy Letters Series Highlighting Women Scientists at the Forefront of Energy Research
MIE Associate Professor Hongli Zhu was featured in ACS Energy Letters as part of the journal’s “Women Scientists at the Forefront of Energy Research” series, which recognizes leading researchers advancing the frontiers of energy science and technology.
The feature highlights Zhu’s long-standing contributions to sulfide-based all-solid-state lithium batteries, an emerging energy-storage platform with the potential to deliver safer, higher-energy-density alternatives to conventional lithium-ion batteries. Sulfide solid electrolytes are particularly attractive due to their high ionic conductivity and compatibility with lithium metal, yet their development has been hindered by complex interfacial and chemical, electrochemical, and mechanical instabilities. Zhu’s research program has focused on addressing these challenges through system-level battery design, enabling fabrication know-how, and advanced operando characterization.
“My group’s work aims to bridge fundamental materials science with practical battery architectures,” Zhu said. “By directly observing lithium evolution and interfacial dynamics, we can identify failure pathways and establish design principles that move sulfide all-solid-state batteries closer to reliable implementation.”
The ACS Energy Letters feature recognizes Zhu’s sustained efforts in advancing both the fundamental understanding and practical realization of sulfide all-solid-state batteries, as well as her broader impact on energy-storage research and mentorship within the scientific community.
This recognition reflects Northeastern University’s continued leadership in advanced energy materials, solid-state electrochemistry, and next-generation battery technologies, supported by federal research funding from agencies including the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy.