Personal Profile
Chair Professor at Peking University, National Distinguished Expert, Fellow of the Chinese Chemical Society, and Chief Scientist of the National Key Research and Development Program. As the Founding Dean of the School of Advanced Materials at Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, he focuses on critical challenges in new energy and advanced materials. By integrating AI with self-developed graph-theoretical structural chemistry and materials genomics, he has established an innovative materials discovery system. His work includes developing advanced characterization methodologies, revealing structure-property relationships in energy materials, and achieving breakthroughs in lithium battery cathode materials with industrial applications.
He serves as Executive Editor of Chinese Journal of Structural Chemistry, Associate Editor of Journal of Materials Informatics and Progress in Chemistry, and holds leadership roles such as Vice President of the International Association for Lithium Batteries for Electric Vehicles (IALB). He directs the National Joint International Research Center for Electric Vehicle Power Batteries and Materials and the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Design and Computation. With over 420 publications in journals like Nature and Nature Energy (cited over 30,000 times), he holds 4 international patents and 47 authorized Chinese patents.
Educational Background
Prof. Pan Feng graduated from the Department of Chemistry at Peking University in 1985, earned his Master's degree from the Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences (FJIRSM-CAS) in 1988, and obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Strathclyde in the UK in 1994. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at ETH Zurich in Switzerland from 1994 to 1996.
Research lnterests
1. Pioneered graph-theoretical structural chemistry methodologies to construct crystal structures and material genomic big data.
2. Led the development of a high-precision neutron diffractometer at the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), a large-scale scientific facility.
3. Developed AI-integrated material big data systems for advanced structural analysis and interpretation.
4. Established an innovative system for new energy materials design, combining graph-theoretical structural chemistry, AI, and in-situ multimodal structural characterization techniques.
Selected Honors & Awards
• Outstanding Graduate Supervisor, Peking University (2023)
• Named to the World’s Top 2% Most-Cited Scientists (Lifetime Impact: 1960–2023) and World’s Top 2% Annual Impact List (three consecutive years) (2023)
• Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (2022/2023)
• Elsevier Chinese Most Cited Researcher (nine consecutive years: 2015–2023)
• 7th China Electrochemical Contribution Award (2022)
• Recognized for China’s Top 100 Most Influential International Academic Papers (lithium battery materials research) (2019)
• ECS Battery Technology Award, The Electrochemical Society (USA) (2018)
• Shenzhen Natural Science First Prize (2018)
• Outstanding Research Award, International Association for Lithium Batteries (IALB) (2016)
Selected Representative Publications
1. Liu, X.; Liu, T.; Lu, Y.; Pan, F.; Amine, K.*; et al.
Origin of Structural Degradation in Li-Rich Layered Oxide Cathode.
Nature 2022, 606 (7913), 305–312.
(Revealed the cyclic degradation mechanism of high-capacity Li-rich manganese-based cathodes)
2. Wang, H.; Zheng, X.; Pan, F.; Tian, Y.; Li, H.*; et al.
In Situ Raman Spectroscopy Reveals the Structure and Dissociation of Interfacial Water.
Nature 2021, 600 (7887), 81–85.
(Discovered ordered alignment of solvent water molecules at electrode interfaces and related mechanisms)
3. Li, Y.; Lin, C.; Xu, S.; Sun, S.; Pan, F.; et al.
Structural Origin of the High-Voltage Instability of Lithium Cobalt Oxide.
Nature Nanotechnology 2021, 16 (5), 599–605.
(Developed 3D electron diffraction for microstructure analysis, identifying layer misalignment-induced strain as the root cause of instability in layered LiCoO₂)
4. Liu, T.; Lu, Y.; Pan, F.; Amine, K.*; et al.
Understanding Co Roles Towards Developing Co-Free Ni-Rich Cathodes for Rechargeable Batteries.
Nature Energy 2021, 6 (3), 277–286.
(Unraveled cobalt’s role via transition metal spin interactions, enabling cost-effective Co-free cathode development)
5. Liu, X.; Lin, C.; Lu, Y.; Amine, K.; Xu, S.; Pan, F.*; et al.
In Situ Quantification of Interphasial Chemistry in Li-ion Battery.
Nature Nanotechnology 2019, 14, 50–56.
(Developed in-situ atomic-scale detection methods to reveal anode SEI formation mechanisms; selected as a Top 100 Influential International Paper in China)
6. Huang, W.; Li, J.; Zhao, Y.; Zhang, Q.; Liu, T.; Amine, K.; Pan, F.; et al.
Mechanochemically Robust LiCoO₂ with Ultrahigh Capacity and Prolonged Cyclability.
Advanced Materials 2024, 2405519.
(Achieved breakthrough in LiCoO₂ cathodes: near-theoretical energy density of 256 mAh/g at 4.65 V, reaching 93% theoretical capacity)
7. Lin, C.; Li, Y.; Yin, W.; Chen, G.; Pan, F.; et al.
Structural Understanding for High-Voltage Stabilization of Lithium Cobalt Oxide.
Advanced Materials 2024, 2307404.
(Summarized structural evolution mechanisms of LiCoO₂ cathodes under high voltage, consolidating ~20 studies from the team)
8. Zheng, J.; Pan, F.; et al.
Ni/Li Disordering in Layered Transition Metal Oxide: Electrochemical Impact, Origin, and Control.
Accounts of Chemical Research 2019, 52, 2201–2209.
(Systematically studied spin-electron interactions and Ni/Li disorder, guiding high-performance cathode design)
9. Yang, K.*; Pan, F.
Harnessing the Surface Structure to Enable High-Performance Cathode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries.
Chemical Society Reviews 2020, 49 (14), 4667–4680.
(Tutorial review on interfacial structure evolution and performance optimization strategies for cathodes)
10. Zheng, J.; Liu, T.; Pan, F.*; et al.
Tuning of Thermal Stability in Layered Li(NiₓMnᵧCo₂)O₂.
Journal of the American Chemical Society 2016, 138 (40), 13326–13333.
(Identified critical elements and structural motifs governing thermal stability in layered cathodes)
11. Wei, G.; Zheng, J.; Liu, T.; Pan, F.; et al.
Kinetics Tuning of Li-ion Diffusion in Layered Li(NiₓMnᵧCo₂)O₂.
Journal of the American Chemical Society 2015, 137, 8364–8367.
(Highlighted by ScienceNet as one of the most impactful studies of the year)
12. Weng, S.; Pan, F.; et al.
Identifying Crystal Structures via a Graph Theory-Based Paradigm for Building Materials Big Data.
Science China Chemistry 2019, 62 (8), 982–994.
(Pioneering work on graph-theoretical structural chemistry for materials big data)
Message to Prospective Students
Welcome to the forefront of new energy and advanced materials exploration! We focus on pivotal scientific challenges in the energy revolution, committed to driving sustainable development through innovation. If you are passionate about materials genomics, AI-driven design, and advanced characterization technologies, and aspire to grow within national-level research platforms and a globally diverse team, this is where your potential will thrive.
Let us join hands, fueled by curiosity and grounded in perseverance, to break boundaries and co-author the future of clean energy together!
