Xinrong’s research centers at the interface of polymer synthetic chemistry and electrochemical energy storage, where she dedicates herself to seeking creative solutions in response to the challenges in new energy economy and future technological revolution. Her research group has developed next-generation energy storage systems including all-solid-state batteries/ supercapacitors, facilitated by in-house established synthetic tools to access electrochemically active organic energy materials including fluorinated polymers, polysiloxanes, conducting polymers, covalent organic frameworks, ionic liquids and eutectic electrolytes. Her group is also working on developing data automation and high-throughput methods in battery materials discovery, analysis and production.

She has had papers published in leading academic journals including Chem, Adv. Funct. Mater., ACS Energy Lett., J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Chem. Sci, Chem. Soc. Rev., etc. Her teaching interests at Duke Kunshan include organic chemistry, polymer materials, electrochemical energy storage. She has been active in guiding students to use in-class knowledge to solve cutting-edge energy problems in real life, which has led to her leading teams of undergraduates winning national prizes in college competitions.

Xinrong received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Boston University where she worked on the synthesis and characterization of macromolecules and understanding their structure-property relationships. Her Ph. D training was also received from MIT, where she expanded her research expertise to the interface of

polymer science and energy storage. Prior to joining DKU, she worked as a research team leader at BASF-global battery materials to develop battery materials for electric vehicles, associate professor at Yunnan University, and a postdoctoral associate at Boston University.