Donghai Wang, Ph.D.
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Brown Foundation Chair of Mechanical Engineering
| Department |
ME |
| Office Location |
Embrey 200D |
| Website |
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Prof. Donghai Wang is the Brown Foundation Chair of Mechanical Engineering with a courtesy appointment at the Department of Civil Engineering at èßäÊÓƵapp's Lyle School of Engineering. Prof. Donghai Wang began his academic career at the Pennsylvania State University in 2009 as an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Institute of Energy and the Environment. He advanced through the ranks, achieving the position of Full Professor in 2018. In 2024, Prof. Wang joined èßäÊÓƵapp as a tenured professor.
Prof. Wang is a distinguished researcher specializing in the advancement of energy storage technologies from materials to integrated systems. His research efforts have included material discovery, manufacturing of advanced batteries, and integration of cell components into functional energy storage technologies. Prof. Wang has been an ardent leader responsible for guiding multiple-organization interdisciplinary teams, executing over $23M grants as principal investigators, and overseeing over 60 doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. His prolific contributions to academic literature include approximately 130 peer-reviewed journal articles, published in esteemed outlets such as Nature Materials and Nature Energy, with an H-index of 79. Prof. Wang's research excellence earned him recognition as a Highly Cited Researcher from 2018 to 2023 consecutively according to Web of Science. Prof. Wang has given over 100 talks at professional conferences and universities and is a prolific inventor with over 20 applications filed in the fields of materials and related applications to energy storage techniques.
Education
Post-Doctoral Fellow: Pacific Northwest National LaboratoryPh.D., Chemical Engineering, Tulane University
M.S., Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University
B.S., Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University
Research
- Design and synthesis of novel nanostructured materials
- Advanced electrochemical energy storage technologies
- Clean energy techniques
Publications
- Wang, D., Gwalani, B., Wierzbicki, D., Singh, V., Jhang, L.-J., Rojos, T., Kou, R., Liao, M., Ye, L., Jiang, H., Shan, S., Silver, A., Ngo, A.T., Du, Y., Li, X., Wang, D., Overcoming the conversion reaction limitation at three-phase interfaces using mixed conductors towards energy-dense solid-state Li–S batteries. Nature Materials, 2025.
- Liao, M., Xu, Y., Rahman, M.M., Tan, S., Wang, D., Wang, K., Dandu, N.K., Lu, Q., Li, G., Le, L., Kou, R., Jiang, H., Nguyen, A., Shi, P., Ye, L., Ngo, A.T., Hu, E., Wang, C., Wang, D. Hybrid polymer network cathode-enabled soluble-polysulfide-free lithium–sulfur batteries. Nature Sustainability, 2024, 7, 1709–1718.
- Li, G-X., Koverga, V., Nguyen, A., Kou, R., Ncube, M., Jiang, H., Wang, K., Liao, M., Guo, H., Chen, J., Dandu, N., Ngo, A., Wang, D., Enhancing lithium metal battery longevity through minimized coordinating diluent, Nature Energy, 2024, 9, 817–827.
- Gao, Y., Rojas, T., Wang, K., Liu, S., Wang, D., Chen, T., Wang, H., Ngo, A., Wang, D., Low-temperature and high-rate-charging lithium metal batteries enabled by an electrochemically active monolayer-regulated interface, Nature Energy, 2020, 5, 534–542.
- Gao, Y., Yan, Z., Gray, J., He, X., Wang, D., Chen, T., Huang, Q., Li, Y., Wang, H., Kim, S., Mallouk, T., Wang, D., Polymer-inorganic solid-electrolyte interphase for stable lithium metal batteries under lean electrolyte conditions, Nature Materials, 2019, 18, 384–389.
Honors and Awards
- Highly Cited Researcher 2018-2023, Web of Science, Clarivate Analytics
- Advancement of Knowledge Award, Institute of Energy and the Environment, The Pennsylvania State University, 2023
- Faculty Scholar Medal, The Pennsylvania State University, 2020
- Outstanding Research Award, Penn State Engineering Alumni Association, 2013
- DTRA Young Investigator Grant Award, 2010
- MRS Graduate Student Gold Award, Materials Research Society, Fall, 2004
