Yet-Ming Chiang

Kyocera Professor of Ceramics

SB Materials Science and Engineering, MIT, 1980
ScD Ceramics, MIT, 1985

Room 13-4086, 77 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, MA  02139
617-253-6471 (phone) 617-253-6201 (fax)
ychiang@mit.edu

Prof. Chiang's research focuses on the design, synthesis, and characterization of advanced inorganic materials and related devices. Current topics include new cathode and anode materials for lithium ion batteries, phase transformations in electroactive materials, electrochemical device design, electrochemical-to-mechanical energy conversion, self-assembling colloids, and the stability and defect chemical properties of interfaces in inorganic materials.

Selected publications

Y.K. Cho, R. Wartena, S.M. Tobias, Y.-M. Chiang, “Towards Self-Assembling Colloidal-Scale Devices: Selecting and Using Short-range Surface Forces between Conductive Solids,” Adv. Funct. Mater., 17, 379-389, (2007)

N. Meethong, H.-Y. S. Huang, S.A. Speakman, W. C. Carter, Y.-M. Chiang, “Strain Accommodation during phase transformations in olivine-based cathodes as a materials selection criterion for high-power rechargeable batteries,” Adv. Funct. Mater., 17, 1115–1123 (2007).

Y. Koyama, T.E. Chin, U. Rhyner, R.K. Holman, S.R. Hall, Y.-M. Chiang, “Harnessing the Actuation Potential of Solid State Intercalation Compounds,” Adv. Funct. Mater., 16, 492–498 (2006).

G.R. Maskaly, R.E. Garcia, W.C. Carter, and Y.-M. Chiang, “Ionic Colloidal Crystals: Ordered, Multicomponent Structures via Controlled Heterocoagulation,” Phys. Rev. E, 73, 2006.

K. T. Nam, D.W. Kim, P.J. Yoo, C.-Y. Chiang, N. Meethong, P.T. Hammond, Y.-M. Chiang, A.M. Belcher, “Virus enabled synthesis and assembly of nanowires for lithium ion battery electrodes,” Science, 312[5775], 885–888 (2006).

J. Luo, Y.-M. Chiang and R.M. Cannon, “Nanometer-thick surficial films in oxide ceramics as a case of prewetting,” Langmuir, 21 7358–7365 (2005).

S.-Y. Chung, J. T. Bloking, and Y.-M. Chiang, “Electronically Conductive Phospho-olivines As Lithium Storage Electrodes,” Nature Materials, 1, 123–128 (2002).

Y.-M. Chiang, D.P. Birnie, III, and W.D. Kingery, Physical Ceramics: Principles for Ceramic Science and Engineering, John Wiley and Sons, 1997.

In Feb. 2008, Prof. Chiang spoke on "The Impact of Materials Advances for the Coming Electric Vehicle Revolution" at CalTech. The talk is available through CalTech's Streaming Theatre.

The Boston Sunday Globe Magazine profiled Prof. Chiang as part of their "Living Green" issue (Nov. 18, 2007).

In June 2007, Prof. Chiang was the Lemelson-MIT Inventor of the Week. His work with lithium-ion batteries has been reported in Tech Talk and Technology Review. As reported in Technology Insider, he presented this work at the New Materials track of the MIT Research and Development conference in November 2005. In March 2006, Technology Insider reported that A123Systems, a startup which is developing, manufacturing, and marketing batteries based on lithium metal phosphate, has received further funding. As part of their series on "Boston at the Cross Roads," WBUR interviewed Prof. Chiang (broadcast May 23, 2006).

With Prof. Steven R. Hall of Aero Astro, Prof. Chiang's work with rechargeable batteries has resulted in the discovery of a way for structures to make incremental adjustments—essentially, to morph—on demand. See Tech Talk and Technology Review for further details.

Prof. Chiang was the recipient of a grant from the Deshpande Center which is supporting his work on ionic colloidal crystals (ICC). The May 2003 issue of Technology Insider wrote about the Deshpande Center grants.