Qingbing Xia

(1) Redefining ionic conduction in solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs)

SPEs are pivotal for developing highly safe batteries, yet their progress has been limited by poor ionic conductivity. (ⅰ) My works established high-conductivity, single-ion conduction in SPEs that enable lithium- or sodium-only transport through confined anions in metal–organic framework pores (Angew. Chem., 2024) and by bonding anions on polymer backbones (J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019). (ⅱ) My research pioneered an interfacial ion transport strategy through chemical coupling of nanofillers with polymer matrices to create low-barrier interfacial pathways for fast ion migration (Chem. Eng. J., 2025; Matter, 2022), revealing how interfacial chemistry governs ion transport in SPEs.

(2) Pioneering interfacial design enabling fast charging and long-life batteries

The electrolyte/electrode interface fundamentally governs a battery's fast charge capability and cycle life, but its stability is often compromised by structural degradation of the electrode. (ⅰ) My works pioneered the construction of cathode–electrolyte interphases through interfacial orbital hybridisation (ACS Nano, 2025) and solvent-derived interfacial reconstruction (Angew. Chem., 2023), which effectively stabilise the electrode structure. (ⅱ) My works further advanced electrode stability through heterointerface engineering, realised through diverse heterostructure designs including order–disorder heterostructures via phosphorus-induced lattice distortion (Angew. Chem., 2019), 2D superlattices through molecularly mediated reconstruction (Angew. Chem., 2019,; Adv. Energy Mater., 2020), 1D monolayered nanobelt assemblies via molecular self-assembly (Adv. Energy Mater., 2024), and layered-spinel heterostructures achieved through polyanion doping (Adv. Funct. Mater., 2016) and carbothermal reduction (J. Mater. Chem. A 2015). Collectively, these innovations have established fundamental interfacial design principles for structurally robust electrolyte/electrode interfaces, enabling fast charging and long-life batteries.

(3) Multi-scale mechanistic insights into battery reactions

My research advanced the mechanistic understanding of battery reactions across multiple length scales. (ⅰ) Using EPR spectroscopy, my work revealed the evolution of sodium from ionic to quasi-metallic to metallic states in hard carbon electrodes (Adv. Funct. Mater., 2025). This discovery filled a longstanding knowledge gap in the sodium-ion storage mechanisms and battery safety issues associated with hard carbon electrodes. (ⅱ) By developing a non-cryogenic TEM method, my work revealed the epitaxial plating mechanism of sodium metal (Nano Lett., 2024), establishing a lattice-matching principle for current collector design in anode-self-forming batteries. (ⅲ) Through operando TEM, my research revealed real-time morphology evolution of nanostructured electrodes during charge/discharge and correlated structural degradation with capacity fading (Adv. Energy Mater., 2020; 2024; Adv. Mater., 2020). (ⅳ) My operando XRD investigations (Adv. Energy Mater., 2020, 2024; Angew. Chem., 2019) elucidated the zero-strain phase transition mechanisms governing the exceptional cycling stability of titanium oxide electrodes. Collectively, these multi-scale insights have established a coherent framework linking electronic interactions, atomic-scale interfacial processes, and microstructural evolution to battery reaction kinetics and cycling stability.