Dr. Tianxiao Sun has long dedicated himself to research on synchrotron radiation spectroscopic imaging technology and its engineering applications. His research interests focus on the construction of in-situ imaging platforms with high spatiotemporal resolution, artificial intelligence-driven analytical approaches for multimodal spectral mapping, and diagnostic characterization of advanced battery electrode materials. He has systematically driven the construction of in-situ imaging instruments, development of control algorithms and intelligent upgrades at synchrotron radiation facilities across China, Canada, Germany, Poland and the United States. On this basis, he has established an internationally compatible and engineering-reproducible ecological system for spectroscopic imaging. The relevant technological achievements have been widely applied to interdisciplinary research spanning materials science, energy science, life sciences and beyond.
Over the past five years, Dr. Sun has published a total of 38 peer-reviewed papers, among which 17 are first-author or corresponding-author articles in top journals including Science, Nature Energy, Nature Communications, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, and ACS Nano. He holds one national invention patent as the first inventor. His research outputs have been cited by prestigious journals such as Science, Nature Protocols, Nature Nanotechnology and Nature Energy.
His work received special feature coverage in MIT Technology Review (2025) and an in-depth featured commentary in a flagship column of National Science Review. In addition, his research was highlighted as the cover story on the official website of Brookhaven National Laboratory, U.S.A. It has also garnered positive coverage from numerous international science media outlets, including UT News, SciTechDaily, ScienceDaily, Azooptics, ZAP, Futurity, ZME Science, TiiSYS and Mirage News, earning widespread recognition and attention within the research community. In 2026, he was honored as the 2025 Outstanding Young Scientist by Cailiaoren (Materials People) and joined Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences as a Research Professor.
Research Areas
in-situ imaging techniques, data analysis, advanced battery electrode materials
Education
2019.10 – 2020.11 Visiting Scholar, Canadian Light Source (CLS), Canada
2016.09 – 2017.07 Joint Training Student, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC)
2016.09 – 2021.07 Doctor of Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SINAP-CAS)
Experience
Jan 2026 – Present Research Professor, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SARI-CAS)
Jan 2024 – Jan 2026 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Texas at Austin, USA
Oct 2021 – Jan 2024 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB), Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, Germany
Publications
2026
1. Donggun Eum†, Hari Ramachandran†, Tianxiao Sun† (Co-first author), Zhelong Jiang, Yan-Kai Tzeng, Samuel S. Lee, Hyeokjun Park, Keeyoung Jung, Joon-Hyung Lee, Nicolas Liang, Yijin Liu*, William C. Chueh*, Uniform pore structure enables negligible degradation in undoped and uncoated Ni-rich cathodes, Nature Energy, 2026, 11, 593–602. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-026-01988-w.
2. Zhichen Xue†, Tianxiao Sun†,* (Co-first author, Corresponding author), Sreevishnu Orugantic, Xiaojing Huang, Dilworth Y. Parkinson, Mingyuan Ge*, Yong S. Chu, Piero Pianetta, Yijin Liu*. Revealing multiscale competing processes in the solid-state synthesis of single-crystalline layered oxide positive electrodes. Nat. Commun., 2026, 17(3987). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70607-9.
3. Wenlong Li†, Tianxiao Sun† (Co-first author), Sameep Rajubhai Shah, Zhenyu Ju, Jigang Zhou, Kejie Zhao*, Guihua Yu*, Yijin Liu*. Direct optical observation of solid electrolyte interphase formation dynamics in lithium-ion batteries, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 2026, 123(10), e2531794123.
2025
4. Tianxiao Sun (First author), Guannan Qian, Guibin Zan, Zhichen Xue, Stephen E. Trask, Arturo Gutierrez, Wenlong Li, Shimao Deng, Luxi Li, Piero Pianetta, Guihua Yu, Jason R. Croy, Juner Zhu*, William C. Chueh*, Yijin Liu*, Electrode strain evolution in lithium-ion battery cathodes, Science, 2025, 390(6779), 1272-1277. DOI: 10.1126/science.aea2763
5. Tianxiao Sun† (First author), Bin Wu†,*, Shimao Deng†, Yu-Jie Guo, Ji-Lei Shi, Ya-Xia Yin, Xiaofeng Shi, Guannan Qian, Jian Wang, Piero Pianetta, Jigang Zhou*, Yu-Guo Guo*, Yijin Liu*. Pinpointing chemo-mechanical origins of Na cathode degradation, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2025, 147(25), 21375–21384.
6. Lixia Wang, Jiasui Huang, Xiaoyang Cheng, Zhiyang Huang, Alin Zhou, Shuhui Sun, Xiulin Yang*, Tianxiao Sun* (Corresponding author), Bin Wu*. Hollow Porous Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon‐Confined FeP/Fe2P Nanoparticle‐Armored Catalyst for Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Aqueous/Flexible Zinc‐Air Batteries, Rare Metals, 2025, 45(1), e70023. https://doi.org/10.1002/rar2.70023
7. Tianxiao Sun (First author), Robert Peng, Wenlong Li, Yijin Liu*. Image Registration for Accurate Electrode Deformation Analysis in Operando Microscopy of Battery Materials. J. Synchrotron Radiat., 2025, 32(2). https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600577524012293
8. Qimin Peng, Jianqiu Zhu, Fengli Wei, Tayirjan Taylor Isimjan, Tianxiao Sun* (Corresponding author), Xiulin Yang*, Yongfa Zhu*, Bin Wu*, Lattice strain induced Ni0.85Se/WO2.90 heterostructures accelerate dynamic reconstruction for efficient water oxidation, Appl. Catal. B Environ, 2026, 384, 126158.
9. Jianhua Yuan†, Tianxiao Sun (Second author), Jinfeng Chen, Runhong Zhou, Jianglin Cao*, Fei Yu*, Liqing Li*, Xiumin Zhong, Jie Ma*. Microbial Surface Confined Growth Strategy for the Synthesis of Highly Loaded NiCoP Nanoparticles with Hollow Derived Carbon Shells for Sodium Ion Capture. Adv. Sci., 2025, 12, 2407616.
10. Fengli Wei†, Qimin Peng†, Tianxiao Sun† (Co-first author), Jianqiu Zhu, Zuyang Luo, Dingsheng Wang, Xiulin Yang*, Shuhui Sun*, Bin Wu*. Reversible Oxygen Vacancies in Tungsten Oxide-Activated Heterocatalysts Enable Stable Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution. Nano Energy, 2025, 139, 110961.
11. Shimao Deng†, Yixian Wang†, Tianxiao Sun (Second author), Wenlong Li, Mingyuan Ge, Jian Wang, Peter Cloetens, Piero Pianetta, David Mitlin*, Yijin Liu*. Impacts of the Conductive Networks on Solid‐State Battery Operation. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2025, 137(39), e202511534.
12. Guannan Qian†, Guibin Zan†, Jizhou Li†, Dechao Meng†, Tianxiao Sun (Second author), Vivek Thampy, Ayrton M. Yanyachi, Xiaojing Huang, Hanfei Yan, Yong S. Chu, Sheraz Gul, Sang-Jun Lee, Jun-Sik Lee, Wenbing Yun, Peter Cloetens, Piero Pianetta, Kejie Zhao, Ofodike A. Ezekoye*, Yijin Liu*. In-Device Battery Failure Analysis. Adv. Mater., 2025, 2416915. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202416915
13. Wenlong Li†, Ayrton Yanyachi†, Tianxiao Sun (Second author), Dengguo Wu, Mohammad Norouzi Banis, Zhao Liu, Jigang Zhou, Saravana Kuppan, Ofodike Ezekoye*, Yijin Liu*. Multimodal Characterization of Coating Defects in Graphite Electrodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries. J. Electrochem. Soc., 2025, 172(8), 080523.
14. Yuchen Jiao, Xiangzhi Zhang*, Zijian Xu*, Zhen Yao, Tianxiao Sun (Co-author), Yufei Zhang, Bo Zhao, Zhi Guo, Yong Wang, Xiangjun Zhen, Haigang Liu, Shasha Liang, Haitao Li, Xuanyu Zhao, Jian He* and Renzhong Tai. New online beam intensity synchronous monitoring system in scanning transmission X-ray microscopy. J. Synchrotron Radiat. 2025, 32(2). https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600577524012141
2024
15. Hongliu Dai†, Tianxiao Sun† (Co-first author), Jigang Zhou*, Jian Wang*, Zhangsen Chen, Gaixia Zhang*, Shuhui Sun*. Unraveling chemical origins of dendrite formation in zinc-ion batteries via in situ/operando X-ray spectroscopy and imaging. Nat. Commun., 2024, 15, 8577.
16. Jianhua Yuan†, Tianxiao Sun† (Co-first author), Guixiang Li*, Markus Weigand, Fei Yu, Zhe Li, Jianglin Cao, Jiayuan Yu, Meng Li, Weijia Zhou*, Antonio Abate, Jie Ma*. Microbial Immobilization for Enhancing Environmental Sustainability of Perovskite Photovoltaics. ACS Mater. Lett., 2024, 6(10), 4667-4672.
17. Difei Zhang, Tianxiao Sun (Second author), Keren Jiang, Jigang Zhou*, Jian Wang*, Huaidong Jiang*. Deep understanding of LiCoO2 electrode degradation for optimized recycling strategies. Mater. Today Chem., 2024, 38, 102080.
18. Yuqian Yang, Qiu Xiong, Jihuai Wu*, Yongguang Tu, Tianxiao Sun (Co-author), Guixiang Li, Xuping Liu, Xiaobing Wang, Yitian Du, Chunyan Deng, Lina Tan, Yuelin Wei, Yu Lin, Yunfang Huang, Miaoliang Huang, Weihai Sun, Leqing Fan, Yiming Xie, Jianming Lin, Zhang Lan, Valerio Stacchinii, Artem Musiienko, Qin Hu, Peng Gao, Antonio Abate, Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin*. Poly (3‐hexylthiophene)/perovskite Heterointerface by Spinodal Decomposition Enabling Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells. Adv. Mater., 2024, 36(7), 2310800.
19. Adam P Hitchcock†, Chunyang Zhang, Haytham Eraky, Drew Higgins, Rachid Belkhou, Nicolas Millle, Sufal Swaraj, Stefan Stanescu, Tianxiao Sun (Co-author), Jian Wang. Comparison of soft X-ray spectro-ptychography and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy. J. Electron Spectrosc. Relat. Phenom., 2024, 276, 147487.
20. Zhen Yao, Yuchen Jiao, Bo Zhao, Tianxiao Sun (Co-author), Yufei Zhang, Zhi Guo, Yong Wang, Zijian Xu, Haitao Li, Haigang Liu, Xiangzhi Zhang, Renzhong Tai*. Research on synchronous radiation scanning transmission X-ray microscopy system closed-loop control method. Nuclear Techniques, 2024, 47(9), 090101.
2023
21. Bin Wu†, Tianxiao Sun†,* (Co-first author, Corresponding author), Ya You†, Haibing Meng*, Dulce M Morales, Mailis Lounasvuori, Abbas Beheshti Askari, Li Jiang, Feng Zeng, Baoshan Hu, Xiangzhi Zhang, Renzhong Tai*, Zhichuan J Xu, Tristan Petit*, Liqiang Mai*. In Situ X‐ray Absorption Spectroscopy of Metal Nitrogen‐doped Carbons in Oxygen, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2023, 62(22), e202219188.
22. Tianxiao Sun†,* (First author, Corresponding author), Shengnan Zuo†, Bo He, Xinye Yuan, Guixiang Li, Jigang Zhou, Markus Weigand, Antonio Abate*, Jian Wang*. Ionic liquid functionalized tin halide perovskite investigated by STXM and spectro-ptychography, J. Electron Spectrosc. Relat. Phenom., 2023, 147330.
23. Luyan Wu, Guixiang Li*, Karunanantharajah Prashanthan, Artem Musiienko, Jinzhao Li, Thomas W Gries, Hao Zhang, Hans Köbler, Patryk Janasik, Augustine NS Appiah, Gopinath Paramasivam, Tianxiao Sun (Co-author), Meng Li, Daniela Marongiu, Michele Saba*, Antonio Abate*. Stabilization of Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells with a 2D Dion–Jacobson Passivating Layer. Adv. Mater., 2023, 35(42), 230415.
24. Chunyang Zhang, Jiatang Chen, Hao Yuan, Jian Wang, Tianxiao Sun (Co-author), Drew Higgins, Adam P Hitchcock*. Atomically dispersed Ni-N-C electrocatalysts, studied by Ni L-edge spectro-ptychography. J. Electron Spectrosc. Relat. Phenom., 2023, 266, 147364.
25. Xinye Yuan, Tatiana Morin Caamano, Tianxiao Sun (Co-author), Elena A Baranova, Yaser Abu-Lebdeh*, Jigang Zhou*, Jian Wang*, Huaidong Jiang*. Imaging the complex interactions in CuAg-PEO nanoparticles ensemble for enhanced CO2 reduction. J. Electron Spectrosc. Relat. Phenom., 2023, 265, 147331.
26. Haibing Meng†,*, Bin Wu†,*, Tianxiao Sun† (Co-first author), Long Wei, Yunlong Zhang, Bo Liu, Kai Chen, Zhen-Bo Wang*, Shuhui Sun, Chunru Wang, Xian-Ming Zhang*. Oxidization-induced structural optimization of Ni3Fe-N-C derived from 3D covalent organic framework for high-efficiency and durable oxygen evolution reaction. Nano Research, 2023, 16(5), 6710–6720.
2022
27. Amin Guo, Jianhua Zhang, Bo He, Angdi Li, Tianxiao Sun (Co-author), Weimin Li, Jian Wang, Renzhong Tai, Yan Liu, Zhen Qian, Jiadong Fan*, Andrej Sali, Raymond C Stevens, Huaidong Jiang*. Quantitative, in situ visualization of intracellular insulin vesicles in pancreatic beta cells. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 2022, 119(32), e2202695119.
28. Xue Bai, Wanyu Chen, Bao Wang, Tianxiao Sun (Co-author), Bin Wu, Yuheng Wang*. Photocatalytic degradation of some typical antibiotics: Recent advances and future outlooks. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 2022, 23(15), 8130.
29. Qing Cao, Zhaoyang Cheng, Jiajun Dai, Tianxiao Sun (Co-author), Guixiang Li, Lili Zhao, Jiayuan Yu, Weijia* Zhou, Jianjian Lin*. Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction over Co Nanoparticles Embedded N‐Doped Carbon Nanotubes Electrocatalyst with Zn as an Accelerant. Small, 2022, 18(44), 2204827.
2021
30. Tianxiao Sun† (First author), Gang Sun†, Fuda Yu, Yongzhi Mao, Renzhong Tai, Xiangzhi Zhang, Guangjie Shao, Zhenbo Wang*, Jian Wang*, Jigang Zhou*. Soft X-ray ptychography chemical imaging of degradation in a composite surface-reconstructed Li-rich cathode, ACS nano, 2021, 15(1), 1475-1485.
31. Tianxiao Sun (First author), Xiangzhi Zhang*, Zijian Xu*, Yong Wang, Zhi Guo, Jian Wang, Renzhong Tai*. A bidirectional scanning method of scanning transmission X-ray microscopy. J. Synchrotron Radiat., 2021, 28(2), 512-517.
32. Mingjie Wu, Gaixia Zhang*, Yongfeng Hu, Jian Wang, Tianxiao Sun (Co-author), Tom Regier, Jinli Qiao*, Shuhui Sun*. Graphitic‐shell encapsulated FeNi alloy/nitride nanocrystals on biomass‐derived N‐doped carbon as an efficient electrocatalyst for rechargeable Zn‐air battery. Carbon Energy, 2021, 3(1), 176-187.
33. Mingjie Wu, Gaixia Zhang*, Hui Tong*, Xianhu Liu, Lei Du, Ning Chen, Jian Wang, Tianxiao Sun (Co-author), Tom Regier, Shuhui Sun*. Cobalt (II) oxide nanosheets with rich oxygen vacancies as highly efficient bifunctional catalysts for ultra-stable rechargeable Zn-air flow battery. Nano Energy, 2021, 79, 105409.
2020
34. Tianxiao Sun (First author), Xiangyu Meng*, Jiefeng Cao*, Yong Wang, Zhi guo, Zhijun Wang, Haigang Liu, Xiangzhi Zhang*, Renzhong Tai*. A portable data-collection system for soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy in the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Rev. Sci. Instrum., 2020, 91(1), 014709.
35. Zhenjiang Xing, Zijian Xu, Xiangzhi Zhang, Tianxiao Sun (Co-author), Haigang Liu, Zhi Guo, Yong Wang, Renzhong Tai*. Position correction algorithm combined with Fresnel CDI for ptychography. Optics Frontier, 2020, 11571, 167-171.
2019
36. Limei Ma, Xiangzhi Zhang, Zijian Xu, Andreas Späth, Zhenjiang Xing, Tianxiao Sun (Co-author), Renzhong Tai*. Three-dimensional focal stack imaging in scanning transmission X-ray microscopy with an improved reconstruction algorithm. Opt. Express, 2020, 27(5), 7787-7802.
National Patent
Tianxiao Sun (First Inventor), Xiangzhi Zhang, Jiefeng Cao, Xiaoyan Li, Renzhong Tai, Yong Wang, Zhi Guo, Zhenjiang Xing, Jian He, Xiangyu Meng. "A Measurement System for Soft X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy" (一种软X射线吸收谱的测量系统). Patent No. ZL201921384998.4, Authorized Date: 10/19/2020.