Dr. Yanan Sun

Educational background

Master-Ph.D. joint study program

Sep. 2014 – Jul. 2019

National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China 

Thesis topic: Preparation of Porous Carbon-Based Materials and their Applications in Gas Adsorption and Energy Storage

Supervisor: Prof. Bao-Hang Han

Working Experience

Permanent Research Scientist

Jan. 2026 – current

Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Germany

Joint Research Group Operando Battery Analysis (CE-GOBA)

Postdoctoral Researcher

Jan. 2023 – Jan. 2026

Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Germany

Supervisor: Prof. Philipp Adelhelm

Postdoctoral Researcher

Jul. 2020 – Dec. 2022

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany

Supervisor: Prof. Philipp Adelhelm

Research Scholar

Aug. 2019 – Jan. 2020

National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Publications and Patents

2025

Hui Wang, Yanan Sun, Thorsten Schultz, Katherine A Mazzio, Vinita Ahuja, Yongchun Li, Volodymyr Baran, Norbert Koch, Philipp Adelhelm. SnS Anodes with High Volumetric Capacity for Na‐ion Batteries and Their Characterization in Ether and Ester Electrolytes. Small 2025, 21 (40), e03066.

Yanan Sun, Gustav Åvall, Shu-Han Wu, Guillermo A Ferrero, Annica Freytag, Pedro B Groszewicz, Hui Wang, Katherine A Mazzio, Matteo Bianchini, Volodymyr Baran, Sebastian Risse, Philipp Adelhelm. Solvent co-intercalation in layered cathode active materials for sodium-ion batteries. Nature Materials 2025, 24, 1441–1449.

A. Ferrero, G.; Åvall, G.; Janßen, K.; Son, Y.; Kravets, Y.; Sun, Y.; Adelhelm, P. Solvent Co-Intercalation Reactions for Batteries and Beyond. Chem. Rev. 2025, 125 (6), 3401–3439.

Yongchun Li, Konstantin Köster, Katherine A. Mazzio, Yanan Sun, Annica I. Freytag, Deniz Wong, Christian Schulz, Götz Schuck, Volodymyr Baran, Alba San Jose Mendez, Marcin Zając, Payam Kaghazchi, Philipp Adelhelm. ‘Oxygen Bound to Magnesium’ as High Voltage Redox Center Causes Sloping of the Potential Profile in Mg-Doped Layered Oxides for Na-Ion Batteries. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2025, e19132.

Jia Guo, Yaolin Xu, Yanchen Liu, Pengwei Li, Yunhong Che, Yaqi Li, Kjeld Pedersen, Götz Schuck, Peter Kjær Kristensen, Volodymyr Baran, Yanan Sun, Philipp Adelhelm, Daniel-Ioan Stroe. Degradation Mechanisms of LiNi0.5Mn0.3Co0.2O2/graphite Battery in Real-Life Driving Scenarios. Energy Storage Materials 2025, 80, 104441.

Kravets, Y.; Sun, Y.; Wang, H.; Adelhelm, P. Role of Silicon as Structural Stabilizer and Redox-Active Element in Multicomponent (Sn, Sb, Fe, Si) Alloy Electrodes for Na-Ion Batteries. Batteries Supercaps 2025, 8, e202400690.

Book translation to Chinese: Sun, Y. Sodium-Ion Batteries: Materials, Characterization, and Technology, Chapter 9, May 2025. ISBN 978-7-111-77320-7.

Yin, X.; Yang, L.; Zhao, W.; Hu, Z.; Xu, J.; Du, Y.; Liu, Z.; Sun, Y.; Deng, Y.; Wang, J.; Adelhelm, P.; Si, R.; Zhou, D. Gradient Structural Design Inducing Rocksalt Interface and P2/P3 Biphasic Bulk for Layered Oxide Cathode with Prolonged Sodium Ion Storage. Adv. Energy Mater. 2025, 2406184.

2024

Yin, X.; Yang, L.; Zhao, W.; Li, Z.; Xu, J.; Du, Y.; Liu, Z.; Sun, Y.; Deng, Y.; Wang, J.; Adelhelm, P.; Yao, X.; Si, R.; Zhou, D. Synergetic Modulation of Interlayer–Intralayer Spacings for P2-Type Layered Oxide Cathode with Superior Rate Performance. ACS Energy Lett. 2024, 9 (8), 3922–3930.

Li, Y.; Mazzio, K. A.; Yaqoob, N.; Sun, Y.; Freytag, A. I.; Wong, D.; Schulz, C.; Baran, V.; Mendez, A. S. J.; Schuck, G.; Zając, M.; Kaghazchi, P.; Adelhelm, P. Competing Mechanisms Determine Oxygen Redox in Doped Ni–Mn Based Layered Oxides for Na-Ion Batteries. Adv. Mater. 2024, 2309842.

2022

Yang, L.; Sun, Y.; Adelhelm, P. Electrochemical properties of layered NaxNix/2Mn1‐x/2O2 (0.5 ≤ × ≤ 1.1) with P3 structure as cathode for sodium‐ion batteries. Energy Technol. 2022, 10, 2101121.

Sun, Y.; Adelhelm, P. Lifting the redox potential of layered sulfide cathodes for sodium-ion batteries. Matter 2022, 5 (8), 2500–2501.

2021

Sun, Y.; Yang, J. Q.; Ding, X. S.; Ji, W.-Y.; Jaworski, A.; Hedin, N.; Han, B.-H. Synergetic contribution of nitrogen and fluorine species in porous carbons as metal-free and bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts for zinc–air batteries. Appl. Catal. B- Environ. 2021, 120448.

Palaniselvam, T.; Babu, B.; Moon, H.; Hasa, I.; Santhosha, A. L.; Goktas, M.; Sun, Y.; Zhao, L.; Han, B.-H.; Passerini, S.; Balducci, A.; Adelhelm, P. Tin-Containing Graphite for Sodium-Ion Batteries and Hybrid Capacitors. Batteries Supercaps 2021, 4, 173-182.

2020

Sun, Y.; Goktas, M.; Zhao, L.; Adelhelm, P.; Han, B.-H. Ultrafine SnO2 nanoparticles anchored on N, P-doped porous carbon as anodes for high performance lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2020, 572, 122–132.

Zhou, H.-Y.; Sui, Z.-Y.; Zhao, F.-L.; Sun, Y.; Wang, H.-Y.; Han, B.-H. A nanostructured porous carbon/MoO2 composite with efficient catalysis in polysulfide conversion for lithium–sulfur batteries. Nanotechnology 2020, 31, 315601.

2019

Sun, Y.; Yang, L.; Sui, Z.-Y.; Zhao, L.; Goktas, M.; Zhou, H.-Y.; Xiao, P.-W.; Adelhelm, P.; Han, B.-H. Synthesis and thermodynamic investigation of MnO nanoparticle anchored N-doped porous carbon as the anode for Li-ion and Na-ion batteries. Mater. Chem. Front. 2019, 3 (12), 2728–2737.

Sun, Y.; Zhang, M.-L.; Zhao, L.; Sui, Z.-Y.; Sun, Z.-Y.; Han, B.-H. A N, P Dual-doped Carbon with High Porosity as an Advanced Metal-Free Oxygen Reduction Catalyst. Adv. Mater. Interfaces 2019, 6 (14), 1900592.

Palaniselvam, T.; Goktas, M.; Anothumakkool, B.; Sun, Y.; Schmuch, R.; Zhao, L.; Han, B.‐H.; Winter, M.; Adelhelm P. Sodium Storage and Electrode Dynamics of Tin-Carbon Composite Electrodes from Bulk Precursors for Sodium-Ion Batteries. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2019, 1900790.

Patent: Han, B.-H.; Sun, Y.; Zhao, L.; Sui, Z.-Y. A N, P doped aerogel-derived N, P co-doped porous carbon: the preparation method and application. Patent application No.: 201910192756.3. Application date: March 14, 2019.

2018

Sun, Y.; Sui, Z.-Y.; Li, X.; Xiao, P.-W.; Wei, Z. X.; Han, B.-H. Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbons Derived from Polypyrrole-Based Aerogels for Gas Uptake and Supercapacitors. ACS Applied Nano Mater. 2018, 1 (2), 609616.

Yuan, N.; Sun, Y.; Liu, Z.-W.; Han, B.-H. Facile synthesis of diamine-functionalized hollow mesoporous silica sphere with self-templating method. J. Porous. Mater. 2018, 25,1715–1721.

Wang, E.-J.; Sui, Z.-Y.; Sun, Y.; Ma, Z.; Han B.-H. Effect of Porosity Parameters and Surface Chemistry on Carbon Dioxide Adsorption in Sulfur-Doped Porous Carbons. Langmuir 2018, 34 (22), 6358–6366.

Li, X.; Sui, Z.-Y.; Sun, Y.; Xiao, P.-W.; Wang, X.-Y.; Han, B.-H. Polyaniline-derived hierarchically porous nitrogen-doped carbons as gas adsorbents for carbon dioxide uptake. Microporous and Mesoporous Mater. 2018, 257, 85-91.

2017

Sui, Z.-Y.; Yang, Q.-S.; Zhou, H.-Y.; Li, X.; Sun, Y.; Xiao, P.-W.; Wei, Z.-X.; Han, B.-H. Nitrogen-doped graphene aerogel as both a sulfur host and an effective interlayer for high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries. Nanotechnology 2017, 28, 495701.

2016

Liu, J.; Chen, Q.; Sun, Y.; Xu, M.-Y.; Liu, W.; Han, B.-H. Gold nanoparticles encapsulated in hierarchical porous polycarbazole: preparation and application in catalytic reduction. RSC Adv. 2016, 6, 48543-48549.

Grants and Awards

SALSA short-term research grant

Cathode-electrolyte interface studies by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy on Air-Sensitive Layered Sulfides for Na-Ion Batteries

1 March, 2024 – 28 February, 2025

Proposer: Sun, Y

Best oral presentation award

Solvent co-intercalation in layered cathode active materials for sodium-ion batteries. Conference: 9th International Conference on Sodium Batteries

11-14 November, 2024

First author: Sun, Y.

Best poster award (8th International Conference on Sodium Batteries)

Revealing solvated ion intercalation of layered sulfides for sodium-ion batteries

21-24 September, 2023

First author: Sun, Y

Second Price Scholarship in NCNST

2018

Third Price Scholarship in NCNST

2015, 2016, 2017

Merit Student Award

University of the Chinese Academy of Science

2015, 2017

Best Poster Award in Annual Conference of the Chinese Society of Chemistry

2016

First author: Sun, Y.

Chinese National Scholarship

2010

Conferences & Visits

International Conference on sodium-ion batteries (ICNaB2025)

6-10 Oct. 2025

Sydney, Australia

Invited talk: Solvent Co-intercalation Chemistry in Sodium-ion Batteries

Batterieforum Deutschland 2025

21-23 Jan. 2025

Berlin, Germany

Poster presentation: Co-intercalation for tuning the electrochemical properties of layered cathode active materials in Na-ion batteries

IOP-HU Early Career Researcher Conference on Energising Materials

28-29 Nov. 2024

Berlin, Germany

Oral talk: Operando Analytical Techniques and their Applications to the Investigation of Solvent Co-intercalation

9th International Conference on Sodium Batteries

11-14 Nov. 2024

Richland, United States

Oral talk: Solvent co-intercalation in layered cathode active materials for sodium-ion batteries

HZB Battery Retreat

14-15 Oct. 2024

Magdeburg, Germany

Oral talk: Co-intercalation for tuning the electrochemical properties of layered cathode active materials in Na-ion batteries

Sodium Battery Symposium (SBS) 5

23-25 Sep. 2024

Berlin, Germany

Poster presentation: Intercalation and Co-intercalation Considerations for Tuning the Electrochemical Properties of Layered Cathode Materials in Na-Ion Batteries

International Symposium on Beyond Li-Ion Batteries 2024 – BeLi24

01-06 Sep. 2024

Padova, Italy

Oral talk: Operando tracking of phase transitions and redox reactions of layered cathode materials in Na-ion batteries

International Symposium on ‘Green Technologies for Excellence (GteX)’ for Young Researchers

24-26 Jun. 2024

Tokyo, Japan

Oral talk: Tuning the electrochemical properties of layered sulfide materials for Na-ion batteries

The 22nd International meeting on lithium batteries

16-21 Jun. 2024

Hongkong, China

Poster presentation: Operando Tracking of Phase Transitions and Redox Reactions of Layered Cathode Materials in Na-Ion Batteries

TechBlick Online Event 2024

14-15 Feb. 2024

Online Oral talk (Invited): Strategies for improving the properties of layered cathode materials for Na-ion batteries

MATSUS Fall 2023 Conference

16-20 Oct. 2023

Torremolinos, Spain

Oral talk: Revealing solvated ion intercalation of layered sulfides for sodium-ion batteries

8th International Conference on Sodium Batteries

21-24 Sep. 2023

Liyang, China

Poster presentation: Revealing solvated ion intercalation of layered sulfides for sodium-ion batteries

Chemical Energy Division Retreat

16-17 Feb.

2023, Berlin, Germany

Poster presentation: Understanding the Phase Transition Involving Redox Activities in Sodium Layered Sulfide Cathodes

7th International Conference on Sodium Batteries

04-09 Dec. 2022

Ulm, Germany

Oral talk: Understanding the Phase Transition Involving Redox Activities in Sodium Layered Sulfide Cathodes

Electrochemistry 2022

27-30 Sep. 2022

Berlin, Germany

Oral talk: Understanding the Phase Transition Involving Cationic/Anionic Redox Activities in Sodium Layered Sulfide Cathodes

2019 Internation Symposium on Electrocatalysis and Electrosynthesis (2019 ISEE)

March, 2019

Xi’an, China

Presentation topic: A N, P dual-doped carbon with high porosity as an advanced matel-free oxygen reduction catalyst

2018 Conference on Chemistry of Energy Materials (ChEM 2018)

 August, 2018

Beijing, China

Presentation topic: Nitrogen-doped porous carbons derived from polypyrrole-based aerogels for gas uptake and supercapasitors

Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena

April-July

2018: Jena, Germany

Receiving side: Prof. P. Adelhelm

Project title: Sodium-ion storage in nanostructured carbon materials

The 1st International Symposium on Porous Organic Polymers (POPs2017)

 September, 2017: Zhangjiajie, China

The 30th Annual Conference of the Chinese Chemical Society

 June, 2016

Dalian, China

Poster topic: Polypyrrole-derived nitrogen-doped porous carbon materials as gas adsorbents

Award: Best Poster Award in Annual Conference of the Chinese Society of Chemistry