Florida State University Assistant Professor Yan Zeng has been recognized for her research in developing new materials for energy storage and clean energy applications. Zeng, who works in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received a 2025 Materials Today Rising Star Award, making her one of nine researchers worldwide to be honored this year and the first from FSU to receive the distinction.
“It is an honor to be recognized by the community, and I feel thankful to everyone who has supported my work,” Zeng said. “It is especially meaningful because it recognizes our early efforts in energy conversion and storage research; the award encourages me to keep pushing this work forward and continue to grow as a researcher.”
The Materials Today Rising Star Awards, established in 2018 by the Materials Today Family of Journals, highlight early career researchers with potential for significant impact in materials science and engineering.
“Our goal in the Zeng Research Lab is to create better materials for storing energy, which ultimately affects everyday technologies,” Zeng said. “Even though the chemistry is complex, the goal is simple: make energy safer, cleaner, and more reliable for everyone.”
In 2024, Zeng joined the U.S. Department of Energy’s $50 million Low-cost Earth-abundant Na-ion Storage Consortium (LENS Consortium). The initiative focuses on developing sodium-ion batteries as alternatives to lithium-ion batteries commonly used in electric vehicles.
Most electric vehicles rely on lithium-ion batteries that help reduce emissions but come with environmental and economic challenges. Lithium mining often requires significant water use in dry regions, damaging ecosystems. Manufacturing these batteries also consumes large amounts of energy and generates greenhouse gas emissions. These factors contribute to supply chain risks associated with lithium.
Sodium-ion batteries are being studied as a more sustainable option since sodium is more abundant than lithium. However, sodium’s heavier weight means these batteries currently provide less energy compared to their lithium counterparts. Zeng’s research aims to overcome this limitation by designing new combinations of elements and structures that could allow sodium-ion batteries to match or surpass lithium-based technology.
“I am most inspired by the possibility of discovering entirely new materials that could transform energy technologies,” Zeng said. “The combination of creative chemistry, data-driven tools, and curiosity-driven exploration keeps the work exciting every day. My lab leverages artificial intelligence and automation to accelerate discovery and optimization, opening up opportunities to uncover design principles and innovations.”
Zeng’s lab integrates automation and artificial intelligence into its workflow—for example using robotic arms for repetitive chemical reactions—and employs AI tools after each successful synthesis to guide further optimization.
“Designing solid-state materials has been challenging due to chemical complexity, and gaining empirical knowledge via human repetitive work is very costly and time consuming,” said Wei Yang, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “Dr. Zeng is a pioneer in her field for integrating AI with robotics, a method that has attracted tremendous national and international attention.”
More information about Yan Zeng’s research can be found at the FSU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry website.
