Ju Li

Bio

Education

Ph.D., Department of Nuclear Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2000.
B.S., Special Class for Gifted Young and Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, 1994.

Awards

• The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society Fellow Award, 2022
• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2020
• Fellow of the Materials Research Society, 2017
• Fellow of the American Physical Society, 2014
• TMS Robert Lansing Hardy Award, 2009
• MRS Outstanding Young Investigator Award, 2006
• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), 2005

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Research

Overcoming Timescale Challenges in Atomistic Simulations

Atomistic and first-principles modeling, which describe the world as assembly of atoms and electrons, provide the most fundamental answer to problems of materials. However, they also suffer the most severe timescale limitations.  For instance, in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, in order to resolve atomic vibrations, the integration time step is limited to hundredth of a picosecond, and therefore the simulation duration is limited to sub-microsecond due to computational cost. Although a nanosecond simulation is often enough (surprisingly) for many physical and chemical properties, it is usually insufficient for predicting microstructural evolution and thermo-mechanical properties of materials. There is clearly a timescale barrier between science-based simulations and practical demands such as understanding plant reliability and nuclear waste storage.

Energy Storage and Conversion

A close coupling of in situ experimental observations with modeling has proven to be a powerful paradigm for understanding materials behavior [Science 330 (2010) 1515; Nature 463 (2010) 335].  Based on such fundamental understandings, we are developing novel nanostructured materials for energy storage and conversion, in applications such as batteries, fuel cells and hydrogen-embrittlement resistant steels.

Materials in Extreme Environments and Far from Equilibrium

Materials in nuclear fission and fusion applications often involve exceptionally high stresses, high temperature and high radiation flux. We study the effects of radiation on microstructure and thermal, electrical and mass transport properties. The concept of fictive temperature(s) that characterize out-of-equilibrium materials is an intriguing statistical mechanics problem, with applications in glasses and even in soft biological materials.

Publications

Full List of publications by topic — HERE

News

• Study of disordered rock salts leads to battery breakthrough
• More durable metals for fusion power plants
• A new way to detect radiation involving cheap ceramics
• MIT researchers discover “neutronic molecules”
• A first-ever complete map for elastic strain engineering
• Engineers develop an efficient process to make fuel from carbon dioxide
• Sensing and controlling microscopic spin density in materials
• Cancelling noise for improving quantum devices
• Engineers discover a new way to control atomic nuclei as “qubits”
• A better way to quantify radiation damage in materials
• New hardware offers faster computation for artificial intelligence, with much less energy
• Using excess heat to improve electrolyzers and fuel cells
• Developing electricity-powered, low-emissions alternatives to carbon-intensive industrial processes
• NSE’s Ju Li recognized for outstanding contributions in materials science and engineering
• MIT announces five flagship projects in first-ever Climate Grand Challenges competition
• MIT engineers produce the world’s longest flexible fiber battery
• Using graphene foam to filter toxins from drinking water
• Design could enable longer lasting, more powerful lithium batteries
• Atomic design for a carbon-free planet
• Turning diamond into metal
• Novel gas-capture approach advances nuclear fuel management
• Engineers design a device that operates like a brain synapse
• Gamma radiation found ineffective in sterilizing N95 masks
• New electrode design may lead to more powerful batteries
• Materials Day talks examine the promises and challenges of AI and machine learning
• A new way to corrosion-proof thin atomic sheets
• Manipulating atoms one at a time with an electron beam
• New approach could boost energy capacity of lithium batteries
• Technique streamlines fabrication of 2-D circuits
• Using artificial intelligence to engineer materials’ properties
• First two-dimensional material that performs as both topological insulator and superconductor
• Celebrating great mentorship for graduate students
• Self-healing metal oxides could protect against corrosion
• New property found in unusual crystalline materials
• The science of friction on graphene
• NSE’s Ju Li named 2017 Materials Research Society Fellow
• New lithium-oxygen battery greatly improves energy efficiency, longevity
• Harnessing the energy of small bending motions
• Carbon nanotubes improve metal’s longevity under radiation
• Metal defects can be eliminated by cyclic loading
• Unusual magnetic behavior observed at a material interface
• “Yolks” and “shells” improve rechargeable batteries
• Atomic insights
• NSE’s Ju Li named 2014 American Physical Society Fellow
• New 2–D quantum materials for nanoelectronics
• Solid nanoparticles can deform like a liquid
• Strain can alter materials’ properties
• Watching fluid flow at nanometer scales
• Funneling the sun’s energy
• Exploring new nanomaterials
• Understanding and predicting materials behavior: NSE takes an interdisciplinary approach
• New NSE Faculty Drive Curriculum Expansion Into Computational Science and Engineering
• Atomic insights for new materials development

Videos

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