Siyuan Zhang

Dr. Siyuan (Spark) Zhang is a Project Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials in Düsseldorf, Germany, focusing on materials for energy harvesting and conversion. His research emphasizes interfaces, microstructural defects, and their impact on material functionality, particularly in thermoelectric, electrochemical, and catalytic systems. He pioneered operando stability analysis in (photo)electrochemical devices and studies dislocations in thermoelectric materials to enhance energy conversion efficiency. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge (2010–2015), with postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Iron Research and the University of Cambridge.

Research interests include defect engineering in thermoelectrics, stability of functional materials under in situ conditions, and advanced characterization techniques such as atom probe tomography and transmission electron microscopy. His work bridges fundamental material science with practical applications in energy storage and conversion.

Notable contributions include the development of grain boundary engineering strategies, the use of in situ heating systems to study structural evolution, and insights into defect phase diagrams for materials design. Current projects emphasize sustainable materials and high-temperature thermoelectric applications.

Laboratory affiliations include the Nanoanalytics and Interfaces group, where he employs cutting-edge microscopy and analytical tools to investigate material behavior at atomic and nanoscale levels.