Virginia Tech® home

Zheng Li

Associate Professor
  • Thrust Area Specialty: Energy Engineering and Science

Zheng Li, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Zheng Li
Office 127A
Mechanical Engineering,
1600 Innovation Drive, Suite 127,
Blacksburg VA 24061

Research Interests

  • Energy storage system design and manufacturing: Flow batteries; lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries; multivalent intercalation system; metal-sulfur and metal-air batteries
  • Battery recycling process design and automation
  • Energy storage materials structure-property-performance relationships
  •  Industrial Internet of Things Platform

See Dr. Li's publications and research on Google Scholar.

  • 2022-present, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech
  • 2016-2022, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech
  • 2015-2016, Research Scientist, Departmet of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • 2011-2015, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • 2013-2014, Senior Research Scientist, 24M Technologies, Inc.
  • Ph.D. - Materials Science and Engineering, State University of New York, Binghamton, 2011 (Advisor: M. Stanley Whittingham, 2019 Nobel Laureate)
  • M.S. - Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, 2008
  • B.Eng. - Materials Physics, Jilin University, China, 2006
  1. Z. Li, Y.-M. Chiang. Oxygen-breathing aqueous sulfur storage battery. U.S. Application No.: 62/248672.
  2. Y.-M. Chiang, Z. Li, W. H. Woodford, F. Fan, N. Baram, K. C. Smith, W. C. Carter, G. H. MaKinley and A. Helal. Metal sulfide electrodes and energy storage devices thereof. International Patent Application No.: PCT/US2014/014681.
  3. Z. Li, F. Fan, W. H. Woodford, N. Baram, K. C. Smith, Y.-M. Chiang and W. C. Carter. High energy density semi-solid storage electrodes and batteries thereof. U.S. Application No.: 61/789964.
  4. Y.-M. Chiang, A. H. Slocum, W. C. Carter, K. C. Smith, B. J. Hopkins, Z. Li, Frank Fan, Xinwei Chen. Gravity induced flow cell using suspension-based flow electrodes. U.S. Application No.: 61/911101.
  5. K. C. Smith, Z. Li, W. C. Carter and Y.-M. Chiang. Optimal flow conditions for intermittent flow cell. U.S. Application No.: 61/831321.
  6. Z. Li, K. Xiang and Y.-M. Chiang. High energy density aqueous sodium-ion batteries. U.S. Application No.: 61/781607.