Research interests

I am trained as a Computational Materials Scientist, focusing on understanding the mesoscale microstructure formation and evolution and predicting the microstructure-property relationship of materials by developing and employing computational modeling and simulation methods. Particularly, I am interested in solid-state electrolyte materials for Li batteries, functional materials such as piezoelectric crystals and ferroelectric thin films, and nonlinear optical materials.

Career path

Postdoctoral research associate at The Pennsylvania State University (2020 – 2021)

Highlights

• Study challenges standard ideas about piezoelectricity in ferroelectric crystals | Penn State University (psu.edu)
• Challenging the standard—researchers propose new model for determining piezoelectricity in ferroelectric crystals - The American Ceramic Society
• Wang earns gold graduate student award for work on piezoelectric discovery | Penn State University (psu.edu)
• The best of both worlds—ferroelectric crystals exhibit both high transparency and piezoelectricity - The American Ceramic Society
• Transparency discovered in crystals with ultrahigh piezoelectricity | Penn State University (psu.edu)

Subject Matter Expertise

• Computational modeling and simulation of materials
• Microstructure of materials
• Solid-state lithium batteries
• Ferroelectric and piezoelectric materials
• Nonlinear optics

Solid-state phase transformation

Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 2020

B.S., Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 2014

Selected publications

 

R. Zu*, B. Wang*, J. He, J.-J. Wang, L. Weber, L.-Q. Chen, and V. Gopalan, “♯SHAARP: An Open-Source Package for Analytical and Numerical Modeling of Optical Second Harmonic Generation in Anisotropic Crystals”, npj Computational Materials 2022, 8 (1), 1-12.

T. W. Heo, A. Grieder, B. Wang, M. Wood, T. Hsu, S. A. Akhade, L. F. Wan, L.-Q. Chen, N. Adelstein, and B. C. Wood, “Microstructural impacts on the ionic conductivity of oxide-based solid electrolytes: A combined atomistic-mesoscale approach”, npj Computational Materials 2021, 7, 214. 

B. Wang, F. Li, and L.-Q. Chen, “Inverse Domain-Size Dependence of Piezoelectricity in Ferroelectric Crystals”, Advanced Materials 2021, 2105071. 

C. R. Qiu*, B. Wang*, N. Zhang*, S. Zhang, J. Liu, D. Walker, Y. Wang, H. Tian, T. R. Shrout, Z. Xu, L.-Q. Chen, and F. Li, “Transparent Ferroelectric Crystals with Ultrahigh Piezoelectricity”, Nature 2020, 577, 350–354.

B. Wang, H. Lu, C. W. Bark, C. B. Eom, A. Gruverman, and L.-Q. Chen, “Mechanically Induced Ferroelectric Switching in BaTiO3 Thin Films”, Acta Materialia 2020, 193, 151-162.

B. Wang, Y. Gu, S. Zhang, L.-Q. Chen, “Flexoelectricity in solids: progress, challenges, and perspectives”, Progress in Materials Science 2019, 106, 100570.

J. J. Wang, B. Wang, L.-Q. Chen, “Understanding, Predicting, and Designing Ferroelectric Domain Structures and Switching Guided by the Phase-Field Method”, Annual Review of Materials Research 2019, 49.

B. Wang, H. Chen, J. J. Wang, and L.-Q. Chen, “Ferroelectric Domain Structures and Temperature-Misfit Strain Phase Diagrams of K1-xNaxNbO3 Thin Films: A Phase-field Study”, Applied Physics Letters 2019, 115(10), 092902.

S. M. Park*, B. Wang*, S. Das, S. C. Chae, J. S. Jeong, J. G. Yoon, L.-Q. Chen, S. M. Yang, and T. W. Noh, “Selective control of multiple ferroelectric switching pathways using trailing flexoelectric field”, Nature Nanotechnology 2018, 13, 366–370.

J. M. Hu*, B. Wang*, Y. Ji, T. Yang, X. Cheng, Y. Wang, L.-Q. Chen, “Phase-field based multiscale modeling of heterogeneous solid electrolytes: applications to nanoporous β-Li3PS4”, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2017, 9(38).

*Equal contribution

For a full list, see: ‪Google Scholar | ResearchGate | ORCID

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Patents

Fei Li, Chaorui Qiu, Zhuo Xu, Bo Wang, Long-Qing Chen, Shujun Zhang, and Thomas R. Shrout. "Piezoelectric Single Crystal With Near-Perfect Transparency And High Piezoelectricity, Preparation Method And Application Thereof." U.S. Patent Application 16/541,309, (2021).

• Reviewer of the Year for npj Computational Materials, Springers Nature, 2022
• Global Security 2022 Directorate Silver Award, LLNL, 2022
• Gold Award of MRS Graduate Student Awards, MRS 2020 Spring, 2020
• Robert E. Newnham Award for Research Excellence, Penn State University, 2020
• 1st Place in Graduate Research Poster Competition, Penn State University, 2020
• 1st Place in Materials Visualization Competition 12, Penn State University, 2020
• 2nd Place in the Student Poster Competition Award, 2019 IWATMD workshop
• 2nd Place in the Student Poster Competition Award, 2018 IWATMD workshop
• Jean Shollenberger Beaver Graduate Travel Awards, Penn State University, 2016 – 2020
• Best in Show Award of Materials Visualization Competition 8, Penn State University, 2016
• Excellent Undergraduate Thesis Award, Dalian University of Technology, 2014

Professional services

• Reviewer of Nature Materials, Science Advances, Applied Physics Reviews, Nano Letters, npj Computational Materials Science, Acta Materialia, Journal of Materials Chemistry C, Journal of Applied Physics, Physics Review Applied, Swiss National Science Foundation
• Graduate-Postdoc Advisory Committee of Penn State MRSEC, 2017 – 2020