Dr. Tang’s group is interested in materials phenomena at mesoscale, which bridge between atomistic building blocks and macroscopic properties. The focus of his research is two-fold: 1) advance novel mesoscale modeling techniques such as the phase-field method to enable more faithful and efficient simulation of structural or functional materials over ever-increasing length and time scales, and 2) combine simulation (relying heavily on parallel computation), theory and experiment to explain and predict the thermodynamic stability and kinetic evolution of mesoscale-level structures under different stimuli (thermal, electrochemical, radiational, etc.), and apply obtained insights to tailor microstructural features for improved performance. Current research topics include electrochemically driven phase transformations in energy storage materials such as lithium-ion batteries, grain boundary complexion transitions, microstructural evolution in extreme environment, and self-assembly kinetics in soft matter systems.
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