Dr Xuekun Lu
BSc, PhD, AFHEA
Lecturer in Green Energy
EPSRC Open Postdoc Fellow
EPSRC David Clarke Fellow
UK National Measurement Fellow
Engineering 309, Mile End
| Feedback/ support hours: |
Tuesday 4 - 5 pm |
| Expertise: | My research group focuses on (1) revealing the interplay between 3D microstructure and the performance/failure mechanisms of the electrochemical energy devices (e.g., lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells etc) across multiple spatial and temporal domains using correlative (in operando) characterisation techniques; (2) multiscale multiphysics modelling (continuum and 3D microstructure-resolved) of the mass transport and electrochemical performance at the electrode, device and system level; (3) developing scalable and sustainable engineering solutions to fabricate advanced electrodes with tunable microstructure to unlock the full potential of the energy, power density and cycle life of next-generation lithium-ion batteries. |
| Research Centre: | |
| Affiliations: | AFHEA |
Brief Biography
Dr Xuekun Lu completed his PhD at the Manchester X-ray Imaging Facility, School of Materials Science, University of Manchester in 2015, supervised by the Regius Professor Philip Withers. In his PhD, he studied the anisotropic cracking and toughening mechanisms of biological composite materials using synchrotron/lab-based X-ray micro and nano computed tomography, X-ray diffraction for full-field strain mapping and 3D microstructure characterisation, quantification and visualisation techniques.
On completion of his PhD, he joined the Electrochemical Innovation Lab (EIL) in the Department of Chemical Engineering at UCL in September 2015 as a PDRA to investigate the novel microstructure design, optimisation and manufacturing of energy conversion and storage materials and devices (e.g. tubular solid oxide fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries) leveraging his expertise in (in-situ) X-ray CT, advanced 3D microstructural characterisation and image-based modelling, in concert to provide a mechanistic understanding of the fundamental science of the physical processes (mass transport, charge transfer, mechanical/electrochemical failure) and their interplay with the 3D microstructure of the electrode at nano and micro length scale.
He started to work as a joint appointment between UCL/NPL in 2018, after receiving the National Measurement Fellowship, aiming to bridge the gap between academia and industry in addressing the key challenges in lithium-ion battery diagnostics and development. In 2021, he was awarded the NPL Rayleigh Award (Early Career).
He has more than 52 publications, including the first-authored high impact publications such as in Energy & Environ. Sci. (front cover), Nat. Commun. (ESI Highly Cited Paper) and Joule, as well as many invited talks across different continents. His research outputs helped industrial partners such as Deregallera, Johnson Matthey, Ford Motor, Zeiss and Thermofisher Scientific. In addition, He is holding guest editor roles of the high impact journals such as Batteries and Frontiers in Energy Research. I am also a guest reviewer of Nat. Commun., Adv. Energy Mater., J. Power Sources, Cell Reports Physical Science, Electrochimica Acta and Energies etc.
On completion of his PhD, he joined the Electrochemical Innovation Lab (EIL) in the Department of Chemical Engineering at UCL in September 2015 as a PDRA to investigate the novel microstructure design, optimisation and manufacturing of energy conversion and storage materials and devices (e.g. tubular solid oxide fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries) leveraging his expertise in (in-situ) X-ray CT, advanced 3D microstructural characterisation and image-based modelling, in concert to provide a mechanistic understanding of the fundamental science of the physical processes (mass transport, charge transfer, mechanical/electrochemical failure) and their interplay with the 3D microstructure of the electrode at nano and micro length scale.
He started to work as a joint appointment between UCL/NPL in 2018, after receiving the National Measurement Fellowship, aiming to bridge the gap between academia and industry in addressing the key challenges in lithium-ion battery diagnostics and development. In 2021, he was awarded the NPL Rayleigh Award (Early Career).
He has more than 52 publications, including the first-authored high impact publications such as in Energy & Environ. Sci. (front cover), Nat. Commun. (ESI Highly Cited Paper) and Joule, as well as many invited talks across different continents. His research outputs helped industrial partners such as Deregallera, Johnson Matthey, Ford Motor, Zeiss and Thermofisher Scientific. In addition, He is holding guest editor roles of the high impact journals such as Batteries and Frontiers in Energy Research. I am also a guest reviewer of Nat. Commun., Adv. Energy Mater., J. Power Sources, Cell Reports Physical Science, Electrochimica Acta and Energies etc.