About

Jieyu Zhou is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at Northwestern University. She received her Ph.D. in Chinese Linguistics from the University of Washington, Seattle, in 2025. Prior to joining Northwestern, she taught Chinese language courses—both heritage and non-heritage tracks—at the University of Washington and participated in the Princeton in Beijing summer immersion program. In 2021, she was recognized with the Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award from the University of Washington for her exceptional teaching. Her research centers on second language acquisition, with a particular focus on how learners acquire challenging features of Chinese, especially for native English speakers. Her work aims to develop effective pedagogical approaches that enhance learner outcomes. Currently, she is working on a project that examines how intermediate and advanced learners acquire formal collocations in Chinese, with direct applications to classroom instruction. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Frontiers in Psychology and Applied Linguistics.

Research topics

• Chemistry
• Organic chemistry
• Photochemistry
• Physics
• Physical chemistry
• Electrical engineering
• Biochemistry
• Atomic physics
• Optics
• Composite material
• Nanotechnology
• Chemical engineering
• Inorganic chemistry
• Combinatorial chemistry
• Crystallography
• Optoelectronics
• Materials science
• Quantum mechanics

Selected publications

• Covalently Anchored MXene-Infiltrated Porous Silicon for Mechanically Resilient Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes

  ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces · 2026-02-21

  article1st author

  Silicon is among the most promising anodes for high-energy lithium-ion batteries due to its ultrahigh theoretical capacity; however, its catastrophic volume fluctuations and interfacial instability remain the primary obstacles to practical application. Here, we report a covalently integrated MXene-infiltrated porous silicon (MPSi) architecture that simultaneously delivers mechanical resilience, electronic continuity, and interfacial stability. Distinct from conventional surface-coating designs, few-layer Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets are driven deep into micron-scale porous silicon via ethanol-assisted wetting and vacuum-impregnation, forming a three-dimensional conductive network throughout the entire particle interior. Subsequent mild annealing induces dehydration condensation between Si–OH and Ti–OH groups, creating robust Si–O–Ti bonds that chemically anchor MXene to the silicon framework. This confinement-induced interfacial chemistry effectively suppresses MXene delamination, regulates solid electrolyte interphase evolution, and ensures long-range charge transport even under repeated volumetric expansion. Benefiting from the synergistic contributions of hierarchical internal voids, embedded MXene pathways, and covalent interfacial adhesion, the MPSi anode achieves high reversible capacity (906.3 mAh g–1 after 300 cycles at 1 A g–1), excellent rate capability (543.3 mAh g–1 at 5 A g–1), and improved initial Coulombic efficiency. Furthermore, the practical viability of this architecture is validated in full cells paired with NCM811 cathodes, which exhibit stable cycling with 80.2% capacity retention after 200 cycles. Detailed kinetic analysis further reveals dominant pseudocapacitive behavior enabled by the MXene-reinforced porous network. This work establishes an infiltration-driven, covalently bonded MXene-Si architecture that addresses both mechanical and electrochemical degradation of silicon anodes, offering a scalable strategy toward next-generation high-energy lithium-ion batteries.

  PublisherDOI

• A physical, low-environmental-impact, and easily applicable technology for enhancing the performance of recycled concrete: Multiscale insights

  Cleaner Materials · 2026-03-12

  articleOpen access

  • Under the same original mixture, compression casting concrete technology increased the compressive strength of RAC by more than 80%. • The mechanisms of how the compression casting concrete technology increased the strength of RAC were uncovered based on multi-scale investigations. • A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation model was developed for compression-cast RAC. • Life cycle assessment considering uncertainty was conducted to confirm the environmental benefits of compression-cast RAC. A simple and economical approach to improving the performance of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) with a low environmental burden is crucial for the sustainable development of the construction industry. This study adopts the recently developed purely physical compression cast (CC) technology to improve both the mechanical and environmental performance of RAC without adding any supplementary cementitious materials. Uniaxial compression tests, microstructure characterizations, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and environmental impact assessments were conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of CC technology, uncover its enhancement mechanisms, and quantify its environmental benefits. The mechanical test results reveal that the compressive strength and elastic modulus of RAC increased by 84.78%-88.11% and 2.14%-31.47%, respectively, under CC compared to the normal cast RAC with the same original concrete mix. These enhancements primarily result from the compactness of ingredients in fresh concrete, and to a lesser extent, from the reduced water-to-cement ( w / c ) ratio. Microscopic characterizations and MD simulations demonstrate that CC significantly reduces the porosity of the mortar matrix and interfacial transition zone (ITZ), while markedly enhancing the bonding capacity of the ITZ. Furthermore, the CO 2 emissions and energy consumption of RAC under compression casting were both reduced by approximately 46.8% per unit strength compared to the normal cast RAC. Besides, the corresponding benefit potential is significant with a probability of 100%, highlighting a remarkable sustainability advantage.

  PublisherDOI

• Spray cooling for enhancing cooling performance and reducing power consumption of radiator in hydrogen fuel cell system

  Energy Reports · 2025-02-03 · 12 citations

  articleOpen access

  During the development of hydrogen fuel cell systems, with the augmentation of power, conventional air-cooling systems, which are frequently employed in portable scenarios, encounter difficulties in maintaining the balance between radiator heat dissipation and power consumption. In contrast, liquid-cooling systems are widely adopted in high-power applications. In this regard, aiming to address the heat dissipation problem and make use of the wastewater from the stack tailpipe, a novel spray cooling system integrated with the traditional air-cooling for the radiator of hydrogen fuel cell systems is put forward. Through experimental investigations based on heat transfer theory and the design principles of fuel cell systems, it is discovered that under specific nozzle apertures and spray water pressures, the heat dissipation rate can be enhanced by 40 % and 30 % respectively. With particular radiator internal water flow rates and fan speeds, the heat dissipation rate can be increased by 30 % and 108 % respectively. And the spray angle of 60 ° is the best angle. In contrast to the conventional air-cooling system, the spray-air cooling system exhibits a heat dissipation rate that is approximately 50 % higher. Experimental analyses demonstrate that the new system effectively harnesses water resources and enhances the heat dissipation performance of the radiator, thereby providing a technical reference for the application of spray cooling in the radiators of hydrogen fuel cell systems. • A new spray cooling system for radiator in fuel cell system was proposed. • The experimental bench of spray cooling system was built for verification. • The best parameter range of spray cooling system was determined through experiments. • Compared to traditional air cooling systems, the heat dissipation was improved by 50 %.

  PublisherDOI

• Sustainable Conversion of Herbal Residues into Heterostructured Carbon Anodes for Fast-Charging Lithium-Ion Batteries

  Nano Letters · 2025-09-19 · 2 citations

  article1st author

  The urgent demand for advanced lithium-ion battery (LIB) anodes with high energy density drives exploration beyond conventional graphite (Gr) and hard carbon (HC). Here, we propose a sustainable strategy to convert discarded Nelumbinis Rhizomatis Nodus (NRN) herbal residues into heterostructured carbon anodes (NRNC) via structural reorganization, synergistically addressing resource valorization and electrochemical optimization. The inherent alkali/alkaline earth metals (K, Ca) in NRN promote the formation of nanographitic domains within the HC matrix, forming a distinct “HC–Gr” configuration. The HC framework enables rapid Li+ diffusion and high-capacity storage, while graphite domains facilitate electron transport and reduce charge-transfer resistance. The hierarchical porosity and conductive network improved rate performance (retaining 75.73% of the initial capacity at 6 C) and cycling stability (75.26% capacity retention after 1000 cycles). This work presents a cost-effective and eco-friendly route to prepare high-performance anodes, promoting the transformation of waste into green energy.

  PublisherDOI

• Research on Noise Optimization of Exhaust System for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles

  SAE technical papers on CD-ROM/SAE technical paper series · 2025-01-30

  article1st authorCorresponding

  <div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">This paper presents a strategy to reduce exhaust noise in fuel cell vehicles. It focuses on optimizing the exhaust system. The innovation is an integrated muffler device. It combines a vapor separator and an absorptive-reactive muffler. The vapor separator removes moisture from exhaust gases. This prevents damage to sound-absorbing materials. It keeps mufflers functional for longer. Fuel cell vehicles produce noise across a wide frequency range. This makes noise reduction challenging. The absorptive-reactive muffler improves noise attenuation. It works across the full frequency spectrum. The combination of the separator and muffler enhances noise reduction. Simulations show high transmission loss. They also confirm acceptable back pressure. Real-vehicle testing supports these results. The optimized system reduces idle noise by 22.1 dB(A). This is a 32.4% reduction. Blowdown noise is reduced by 46.3 dB(A), or 40.1%. Full-throttle noise drops by over 20 dB(A), a 17.2% decrease. The design significantly reduces exhaust noise. It offers a new approach to noise control.</div></div>

  PublisherDOI

• Quantitative diagnostic method for micro-short circuit faults in battery packs based on an enhanced frequency-division model

  DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · 2025-11-01

  articleOpen access

  Power batteries in new-energy rail transit locomotives form large-scale systems operating under complex conditions, where the weak signs of micro-short circuits (MSC)—a core hidden hazard that can trigger thermal runaway—are easily obscured. Since traditional methods suffer from interference and limited accuracy, high-precision, refined diagnosis is crucial for safe operation and maintenance. This paper proposes an enhanced frequency-division physical-decoupling method for quantitative diagnostic of MSC faults in power batteries for rail transit applications. A first-order resistor-capacitor (RC) and Warburg impedance were utilized to characterize dynamic battery characteristics. An adaptive extended Kalman filter (AEKF) was employed to decouple the terminal voltage in real time into three physical components for diagnostic differentiation: energy loss, transient polarization, and diffusion. Furthermore, a combined algorithm of variational mode decomposition (VMD) and recursive least squares (RLS) was adopted to achieve relatively high-precision identification of MSC resistance. By integrating a decoupling logic for capacity and short-circuit differences, a five-level risk warning system for quantitative diagnosis of MSC faults was established ultimately. Experimental and computational results demonstrate that the proposed method exhibits extremely high terminal-voltage tracking precision (RMSE of approximately 0.014 V). Under severe MSC conditions (0.5 Ω), the identification error is about -8% (absolute error of -0.04 Ω). Further validation using data from a new-energy locomotive operating in highly unstable conditions indicates a terminal-voltage RMSE of approximately 0.007 V. The method effectively identifies and eliminates voltage-distortion interference from non-short-circuit factors, providing a reliable guarantee for safe operation and maintenance of battery systems.

  Publisher

• Highly structural stability of the binder-free silicon-based anode enabled by the 3D multielement framework

  Journal of Alloys and Compounds · 2025-03-12 · 2 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• The effect of negative-to-positive ratios on the interfacial compatibility for fast-charging lithium-ion batteries

  Journal of Alloys and Compounds · 2025-06-01 · 3 citations

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  PublisherDOI

• Curvature-Induced Reversible Li Plating Behavior Enables Extremely Fast-Charging and Long-Lasting Li-Ion Batteries

  ACS Nano · 2025-11-18 · 4 citations

  article1st author

  The limited fast-charging capability of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) poses a significant challenge that hinders the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. A key step in achieving fast-charging LIBs is to effectively mitigate Li plating. Although porous carbon materials have been effectively employed to address this challenge, conventional approaches primarily leverage pore structures as supplementary storage spaces and ion transport channels. Building on this foundation, this work introduces a paradigm of "curvature-induced Li plating" by designing a Konjac glucomannan-based porous hard carbon (KPHC) anode engineered with high-curvature pore interiors as preferential nucleation sites to guide uniform Li plating. Through finite element simulations and multiscale characterization, a mechanistic pathway is established: high curvature → low nucleation barrier → small critical radius → spatially confined growth → highly reversible plating. This enables the KPHC anode to achieve an exceptional average Li plating reversibility of 99.9% over 200 cycles at 1 C. To unequivocally confirm that the performance enhancement originates from the optimized plating process, we assembled pouch cells under harsh conditions (N/P ratio of 0.8). Even with most capacity contributed by Li plating, the KPHC-based cells achieved a high state of charge (SOC) of 74.2% at a 5 C rate, while maintaining 80% retention after 2310 cycles. This work elucidates the role of curvature in Li nucleation and the effect of hierarchically porous structures on Li plating, offering a universal design principle for the development of advanced fast-charging LIBs.

  PublisherDOI

• A multiscale analysis of interfacial adhesion properties in asphalt mixtures incorporating recycled concrete aggregates

  Materials Today Communications · 2025-01-13 · 12 citations

  article1st author
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Michael R. Wasielewski

  Northwestern University

  67 shared

• J. Fraser Stoddart

  UNSW Sydney

  49 shared

• Ryan M. Young

  Northwestern University

  26 shared

• Arthur E. Bragg

  Johns Hopkins University

  26 shared

• Zhichang Liu

  Hiroshima University

  24 shared

• Jessica M. Anna

  University of Pennsylvania

  22 shared

• Yunyan Qiu

  19 shared

• Dengke Shen

  Zhongshan People's Hospital

  19 shared

Awards & honors

• Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award from the University o…