Dr. Yan-Yan HU
Chemistry
Edited by EEH on July 16, 2014
Biosketch:
 Assistant Professor – Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, FSU
2014 (Advisor: Klaus Schmidt-Rohr)
 Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cambridge (Advisor: Clare Grey)
 Ph.D. in Chemistry from Iowa State University, 2011
 B.S. in Chemistry from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, 2016
Yan-Yan Hu graduated from Tsinghua University with a Bachelor degree in
Chemistry in 2006. She pursued her doctoral studies with Prof. Klaus SchmidtRohr at Ames National Laboratory and Iowa State University on solid-state NMR
method development and applications for characterizing biological/biomimetic
nanocomposites and thermoelectric materials. After obtaining her Ph.D. degree
in 2011, she was awarded a Newton International Incoming Fellowship, a Marie
Curie Fellowship, and a Clare Hall fellowship to continue her work with Prof.
Clare P. Grey at the University of Cambridge, with a research focus on solidstate NMR investigations of rechargeable batteries. In 2014, she joined the
faculty of Chemistry at FSU as an assistant professor.
Research Specialties
Solid-state NMR, Interfaces, Energy Storage, Electrochemistry, OrganicInorganic Composite Materials
Specific Research Interest:
Interfaces are integral parts of composite materials and can significantly affect
their physical and chemical properties. In biological systems, for example,
molecules at the interfaces regulate mineral formation or mitigate structural
mismatch of the organic and inorganic moieties to provide optimal mechanical
properties. In energy storage systems, interfacial processes play a key role in
charge and mass transport, degradation, and safety. A thorough fundamental
understanding of these underlying interfacial processes has important scientific
and engineering implications. However, due to the intrinsic nature of interfaces
being “buried” and disordered, it is very challenging to reveal chemical, structural,
and dynamical information at interfaces. Research in this group leverages the
unique in-situ multinuclear high-resolution solid-state nuclear magnetic
resonance (NMR) for investigating buried interfaces under operation. By
complementing NMR data with those obtained from electron microscopy and xray/neutron techniques, a complete picture of structure-property relationship for
the interfaces of multilayer functional structures can be established. Specific
research interests include:
1. Energy Materials. Efficient use of intermittently generated renewable energy
sources, such as wind and solar, requires the development of advanced energy
storage technologies. Rechargeable batteries are one of the leading energy
storage technologies, widely employed in portable electronics and electric
vehicles. However, severe degradation and safety issues have hindered further
improvement towards high energy density, low cost, and long shelf life. One
major cause of degradation and unsafety is the formation of non-stable solidelectrolyte-interphases (SEIs) from irreversible electrolyte decomposition at the
battery electrode surface. Systematic studies on the SEIs in this group can reveal
the details of degradation mechanisms, with which mitigation strategies such as
electrolyte additives and surface engineering can be implemented and evaluated.
Similar research can also be extended to other energy conversion storage
systems including fuel cells, capacitors, solar cells, and sensors, etc.
2. Biological/Biomimetic Composite Materials. Inorganic-organic
nanocomposites are prevalent in nature, including bones, teeth, shells, etc. This
exemplary combination confers necessary biological functions, affords optimal
mechanical properties, and/or produces exquisite designs. Interfaces play critical
roles in reconciling the interplays between the organic moieties and minerals to
achieve synergistic effects. The chemical composition and atomic structures of
interfaces in biological composite materials can be studied with solid-state NMR
along with complementary techniques, and the knowledge obtained can be
applied to facilitate the fabrication of biomimetic nanocomposites that can be
used in energy conversion and storage devices, sensors, or for biomedical
applications.
3. Development and Applications of New NMR Characterization
Techniques. Many systems that operate in non-equilibrium conditions, e.g.,
rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, require in situ characterization to follow the
reaction processes in real time. Advanced in situ solid-state NMR techniques,
including probe hardware and pulse sequences, are being developed in
collaboration with scientists at NHMFL. Advanced sensitivity enhancement
techniques, e.g. Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP), are particularly being
explored as a new technique to characterize functional materials containing low
natural abundance and low, or samples with limited
quantities.