PNNL

Chongmin Wang (foreground), Winner of 2015 Paper of the Year Award from Journal of Materials Research

Congratulations to Dr. Chongmin Wang from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for winning the 2015 Paper of the Year award from the Journal of Materials Research (JMR). Wang won the prestigious honor for his review article, "In situ transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy studies of rechargeable batteries under dynamic operating conditions: A retrospective and perspective view."

"The award recognizes excellence in advancing materials knowledge through written scholarship, and your paper demonstrates that superbly," wrote Ellen Kracht, publications manager for JMR. In further recognition of its excellence, the journal has made Wang's paper freely accessible on the Cambridge Journals Online website in perpetuity. It originally appeared in JMR's February 14, 2015, focus issue on in situ and operando characterization of materials.

Wang's win was announced formally at the 2016 Materials Research Society (MRS) Spring Meeting in Phoenix, and his paper was made into a video, "In situ TEM and spectroscopy studies of rechargeable batteries under dynamic operating conditions." The video highlights the development stages that went into creating batteries that could be examined inside the microscope. PNNL's Chemical Imaging Initiative funded the research behind his award-winning article.

Wang's recent efforts concentrate on nanostructured materials, with emphasis on atomic-level characterization and visualization of materials behavior and characteristics under dynamic operating or reaction conditions, what are broadly termed in situ/operando conditions. His research provides insights for correlating properties and structure at the nanometer scale. Those results have been highlighted as covers and reviews in journals such as Science, Nano Letters, C&EN, Materials Today, Microscopy Today, and Advanced Energy Materials.

He also develops the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) facilities at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science user facility on PNNL's campus. His research interests include applying TEM imaging and spectroscopic methods and focused ion and x-ray spectroscopy to study materials microstructure and behavior under operating conditions, especially energy materials.

Wang recently received the 2016 Innovation in Materials Characterization Award from MRS along with co-recipients Niels de Jonge, Leibniz Institute for New Materials, and Frances Ross, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center. They were chosen from a large group of nominees "for seminal contributions to the imaging of specimens in liquids using transmission electron microscopy, revolutionizing the direct observation of materials processes, batteries during operation and biological structures."

Reference: Wang CM. 2015. "In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy Studies of Rechargeable Batteries under Dynamic Operating Conditions: A Retrospective and Perspective View." Journal of Materials Research 30(3):326-339. DOI: 10.1557/jmr.2014.281.