On the morning of April 17, 2023, Professor Zhaohui Wang from Tsinghua University and Professor Xiaowei Yang from Shanghai Jiao Tong University were invited totheSchoolof Chemical and Material Engineering at Jiangnan University foracademic exchanges. They delivered two academic presentations titled "Imide-Functionalized Molecular Carbons" and "Next-Generation Multivalent Ion Batteries" in Conference Room A316 of the Chemical Engineering Building.

Associate Professor Liangliang Dong chaired the session and extended a warm welcome to Professor Zhaohui Wang and Professor Xiaowei Yang. Numerous faculty members and students fromtheSchool attended the session. Professor Zhaohui Wang highlighted the significance of molecular carbons in elucidating the structure-property relationships of carbon nanomaterials. He systematically introduced his team's recent research on rylene imides—a class of molecules based on core fused-ring structures—and noted that these molecular carbon-based nanomaterials offer advantages such as synthetic flexibility,tunablestructures, diverse properties, excellent processability, and high stability. Professor Wang'swell-structuredpresentation engaged the audience and sparked keen interest. Following the talk, Professor Wang engaged in discussions with participating faculty members and students on related topics.

Subsequently, Professor Xiaowei Yang delivered a presentation titled "Next-Generation Multivalent Ion Batteries." He first introduced the research progressandchallengesin multivalent metal-ion battery systems represented by magnesium and zinc ions in the field of energy storage. He then presented his team's research achievements from three perspectives: modulation of solvated ion structures at the molecular level, decoupling of complex interfacial transport processes at the unit level, and battery device assembly at the system level. Finally, Professor Yang addressed the stability of the zinc anode interface in aqueous zinc-ion batteries, revealing that the key factor limiting battery safety and stability is the hydrogen evolution reaction triggered by zinc ionandwater dipole interactions, and proposed effective solutions. The presentation stimulated active discussions among faculty and students, broadened their research perspectivesand fostered a strong atmosphereforacademic exchange.

Speaker Profiles

Zhaohui Wang,Professor and Doctoral Supervisor in the Department of Chemistry at Tsinghua University, serves as Deputy Director of the Key Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education. He was selected for the Chinese Academy of Sciences “Hundred Talents Program” in 2006 and rated “Excellent” in the final evaluation in 2010. He received the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars in 2012 and the Chinese Chemical Society–BASF Youth Innovation Award in 2014, and was selected for a national-level talent program in 2017. His research focuses on the design, synthesis, and controlled assembly of imide-functionalized molecular carbons and molecular devices. He has published over 200 papers in leading international journals, including Accounts of Chemical Research, Journal of the American Chemical Society, and Angewandte Chemie International Edition, and has delivered over 150 invited presentations at international and domestic conferences.

Xiaowei Yang,Professor at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, received his Ph.D. from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2011. From 2009 to 2014, he worked as a Research Assistant and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Monash University in Australia. In 2014, he was appointed as a Distinguished Research Fellow at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tongji University, and has been a Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University since 2020. He has received funding from the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) for Young Scientists, the National Youth Talent Program, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. His research focuses on energy storage materials and electrochemical systems. He has published over 100 papers in high-impact journals, including Science, Advanced Materials, and Angewandte Chemie International Edition, with a single paper cited over 1,500 times.

Professor Zhaohui Wang deliveringapresentation

Professor Xiaowei Yang deliveringapresentation