Guiliang Xu preview image

Guiliang Xu

Chemist

Biography

Guiliang Xu is a chemist in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division at Argonne National Laboratory and a CASE scientist at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago. He received his Bachelor’s degree in 2009 and Ph.D. in 2014 from Xiamen University.

Dr. Xu has over 15 years of research experience in the design, synthesis and processing of multifunctional materials for advanced energy storage systems, including lithium-ion, sodium-ion, lithium-sulfur, and solid-state batteries. He utilizes cutting-edge characterization techniques to elucidate the fundamental relationships between material structure and electrochemical performance, enabling the development of safer, higher-energy-density battery materials.

Selected Leading Publications (Total publication: 150+; Google scholar citations: >18,000, H-index 75, *Corresponding author)

Lithium-ion Batteries 

  1. Zhao, C.; Wang, C.; Liu, X.; Hwang, I.; Li, T.; Zhou, X.; Diao, J.; Deng, J.; Qin, Y.; Yang, Z.; Wang, G.; Xu, W.; Sun, C.; Wu, L.; Cha, W.; Robinson, I.; Harder, R.; Jiang, Y.; Ticer, T.; Li, J.; Lu, W.; Li, L.*; Liu, Y.*; Sun, S. G.; Xu, G. L.*; Amine, K.*. Suppressing strain propagation of ultrahigh-Ni cathodes during fast-charging via epitaxial entropy-assisted coating. Nature Energy 2024, 9, 345-356.
  2. Liu, X.; Xu, G. L.*; Kolluru, V. S.; Li, Q.; Zhou, X.; Liu, Y.; Yin, L.; Zhuo, Z.; Daali, A.; Fan, J.; Liu, W.; Ren, Y.; Xu, W.; Deng, J.; Hwang, I.; Ren, D.; Feng, X.; Sun, C.; Huang, L.; Zhou, T.; Du, M.; Chen, Z.; Sun, S.-G.; Chan, M.; Yang, W. *; Ouyang, M. *; Amine, K.* Origin and regulation of oxygen redox instability in high-voltage battery cathodes. Nature Energy, 2022, 7, 808-817.
  3. Liu, X., Yin, L.; Ren, D.; Wang, L.; Ren, Y.; Xu, W.; Lapidus, S.; Wang, H.; He, X.; Chen, Z.; Xu, G. L.*; Ouyang, M.*; Amine, K.* In situ observation of thermal-driven degradation and safety concerns of lithiated graphite anode. Nature Commun. 2021, 12, 4235.
  4. Liu, X.; Xu, G. L.*; Yin, L.; Hwang, I.; Li, Y.; Lu, L.; Xu, W.; Zhang, X.; Chen, Y.; Ren, Y.; Sun, C. -J.; Chen, Z.; Ouyang, M.* and Amine, K.*  Probing the Thermal-Driven Structural and Chemical Degradation of Ni-rich Layered Cathodes by Co/Mn Exchange J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 19745-19753.
  5. Xu, G. L.; Liu, Q.; Lau, K.; Liu, Y.; Liu, X.; Gao, H.; Zhou, X.; Zhuang, M.; Ren, Y.; Li, J.; Shao, M.; Ouyang, M.; Pan, F.; Chen, Z.; Amine, K.*; Chen, G.*, Building ultraconformal protective layers on both secondary and primary particles of layered lithium transition metal oxide cathodes. Nature Energy, 2019, 4, 484-494.

Sodium-ion Batteries

  1. Zuo, W.; Liu, Z.; Dopilka, A.; Yang, Z.; Li, Y.; Kubal, J.; Kim, H.; Liu, F.; Ngo, A.; Weker, J.; Chen, Z.; Kostecki, R.; Knoerzer, J.; Srinivasa, V.; Cui, Y.*; Amine, K.*; Xu, G. L.* Nat. Rev. Mater. 2026, 11, 117-135.
  2. Zuo, W.; Ren, F.; Barai, P.; Hou, D.; Zhou, S.; Wang, G.; Li, T.; Jia, X.; Qin, Y.; Yang, Z.; Xu, W.; Liu, Y.; Yan, H.; Chu, Y. S.; Yang, Y.; Srinivasan, V.; Xiao, X.*; Amine, K.*; Xu, G. L.* Gases-mediated defect engineering in earth-abundant Mn-rich layered oxides for non-aqueous sodium-based batteries. Nature Nanotechnol. 2025, 20, 1667-1677.
  3. Zuo, W.; Gim, J.; Li, T.; Hou, D.; Gao, Y.; Zhou, S.; Zhao, C.; Jia, X.; Yang, Z.; Liu, Y.; Xu, W.; Xiao, X.*; Xu, G. L.*; Amine, K*. Microstrain screening towards defect-less layered transition metal oxide cathodes. Nature Nanotechnol. 2024, 19, 1644-1653.
  4. Xu, G. L.*; Liu, X.; Zhou, X.; Zhao, C.; Hwang, I.; Daali, A.; Yang, Z.; Ren, Y.; Sun, C. J.; Chen, Z.; Liu, Y.*; Amine, K.*. Native Lattice Strain induced Structural Earthquake in Sodium Layered Oxide Cathodes. Nature Commun. 2022, 13, 436.
  5. Liu, X.; Xiao, B.; Daali, A.; Zhou, X.; Yu, Z.; Li, X.; Liu, Y.; Yin, L.; Yang, Z.; Zhao, C.; Zhu, L.; Ren, Y.; Cheng, L.; Ahmed, S.; Chen, Z.; Li, X.*; Xu, G. L. *; Amine, K. * A Stress/interface-compatible Red Phosphorus Anode for High-energy and Durable Sodium-ion Batteries. Acs Energy Lett. 2021, 6, 547-556.

Lithium-Sulfur Batteries:

  1. Zhao, C.; Jeong, H.; Hwang, I.; Li, T.; Wang, Y.; Bai, J.; Li, L.; Zhou, S.; Su, C. C.; Xu, W.; Yang, Z.; Alamazrouei, M.; Sun. C. J.; Cheng, L.; Xu, G. L.*; Amine, K.*Polysulfide-incompatible additive suppresses spatial reaction heterogeneity of Li-S batteries. Joule 2024, 8, 3397-3411.
  2. Zhou, S.; Shi, J.; Liu, S.; Li, G.; Pei, F.; Chen, Y.; Deng, J.; Zheng, Q.; Li, J.; Zhao, C.; Hwang, I.; Sun, C.; Liu, Y.; Deng, Y.; Hung, L.; Qiao, Y.; Xu, G. L. *; Chen, J. F.; Amine, K. *, Sun, S. G.; Liao, H.*. Visualizing Interfacial Collective Reaction Behaviour of Li-S Batteries. Nature, 2023, 621, 75-81.
  3. Zhao, C.; Daali, A.; Hwang, I.; Li, T.; Huang, X.; Robertson, D.; Yang, Z.; Trask, S.; Xu, W.; Sun, C. J.; Xu, G. L.*; Amine, K*. Pushing lithium-sulfur batteries towards practical working conditions through cathode-electrolyte synergy. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, e202203466.
  4. Zhao, C.; Xu, G. L.*; Yu, Z.; Zhang, L.; Hwang, I.; Mo, Y.-X.; Ren, Y.; Cheng, L.; Sun, C. -J.; Ren, Y.; Zuo, X.; Li, J.-T.; Sun, S.-G.; Amine, K.* and Zhao, T.*. A high-energy and long-cycling lithium-sulfur pouch cell via a macroporous catalytic cathode with double-end binding sites. Nat. Nanotechnol., 2021, 16, 166-173.
  5. Xu, G. L.; Sun, H.; Luo, C.; Estevez, L.; Zhuang, M. H.; Gao, H.; Amine, R.; Wang, H.; Zhang, X.; Sun, C. J.; Liu, Y. Z.; Ren, Y.; Heald, S.; Wang, C. S.; Chen, Z.*; Amine, K.*, Solid-State Lithium/Selenium-Sulfur Chemistry Enabled via a Robust Solid-Electrolyte Interphase. Adv. Energy Mater.  2018,1802235.

All-Solid-State Batteries:

  1. Lee, J.; Zhou, S.; Ferrari, V.; Zhao, C.; Sun, A.; Nicholas, S.; Liu, Y.; Sun, S.; Wierzbicki, D.; Parkinson, D.; Bai, J.; Xu, W.; Du, Y.; Amine, K.*; Xu, G. L.* Halide segregation to boost all-solid-state lithium-chalcogen batteries. Science 2025, 388, 724-729.
  2. Dou, Y.; Zhou, S.; Dawkins, J.; Zaghib, K.; Amine, K.; Xu, G. -L.*; Deng, S. Manganese-Based Spinel Cathodes: A Promising Frontier for Solid-State Lithium-Ion Batteries. Adv. Mater. 2025 38, e14126.
  3. Lee, S.-Y.; Rawal J.; Lee, J.; Gautam, J.; Kim, S.; Xu, G. L.*; Amine, K.*; Park, S. J.* Solid-State Electrolytes and Their Interfacial Properties: Implications for Solid-State Lithium Batteries. Electrochemical Energy Reviews 2025, 8, 9.
  4. Lee, J.; Zhao, C.; Wang, C.; Chen, A.; Sun, X.; Amine, K.*; Xu, G. L*. Bridging the gap between academic research and industrial development in advanced all-solid-state lithium–sulfur batteries. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2024, 53, 5264-5290.
  5. Paolella, A.; Liu, X.; Daali, A.; Xu, W.; Hwang, I.; Savoie, S.; Girard, G.; Nita, A. G.; Perea, A.; Demers, H.; Zhu, W.; Guerfi, A.; Vijh, A.; Bertoni, G.; Gazzadi, G. C.; Berti, G.; Sun, C.; Ren, Y.; Zaghib, K.; Armand, M.; Kim, C.; Xu, G. L.*; Amine, K *. Enabling High-performance NASICON-based Solid-state Lithium Metal Batteries towards Practical Conditions. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2021, 2102765.
Patents issued at Argonne
  • Gui-Liang Xu, Zonghai Chen and Khalil Amine. Phosphorus-carbon composites as battery anode materials. US 11,923,527. Date of Patent, March 05, 2024.
  • Gui-Liang Xu, Jianzhao Liu, Zonghai Chen and Khalil Amine. Poly(alkylene oxide) siloxane-based electrolytes for rechargeable batteries. US 11,769,905 B2. Date of Patent, Sep 26, 2023.
  • Gui-Liang Xu, Xiang Liu and Khalil Amine, Electroactive materials for secondary batteries. US 11, 394, 022 B2. Date of Patent July 19, 2022.
  • Gui-Liang Xu, Zonghai Chen and Khalil Amine, Selenium-doped sulfur cathodes for rechargeable batteries. US 10, 601, 077 B2. Date of Patent, Mar 24, 2020.
  • Gui-Liang Xu, Zonghai Chen and Khalil Amine. High performance layered cathode materials for high voltage sodium-ion batteries. US 10,325,730 B2. Date of Patent, June 18, 2019.