Dongfang Yang

National Research Council Canada Canada

Dongfang Yang received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Guelph in 1995. He joined National Research Council of Canada in London, Ontario in 2001 and is now a senior research officer. His current research interests include laser materials processing; pulsed laser, sputtering, and e-beam deposition of thin films; new materials development for energy storage devices; chemical and optical sensor development; and electrochemical studies of organic adsorption and self-assembly monolayers. He is an editor or member of the editorial board for over 11 scientific journals and was listed among the top 2% most-cited scientists since 2020, according to a recent Stanford study. He received the IAAM Scientist Award and Medal in 2021 and was named a Vebleo Fellow in 2022.

5books edited

2chapters authored

Latest work with IntechOpen by Dongfang Yang

A thin film is a layer of material ranging from fractions of a nanometer to several micrometers in thickness. Thin films have been employed in many applications to provide surfaces that possess specific optical, electronic, chemical, mechanical and thermal properties. Through ten chapters consisting of original research studies and literature reviews written by experts from the international scientific community, this book covers the deposition and application of thin films.

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Thin Films

Edited by Dongfang Yang

Books edited

By Katherine Lochhead, Eric Johlin and Dongfang Yang

Long-term stability is a requisite for the widespread adoption and commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Encapsulation constitutes one of the most promising ways to extend devices for lifetime without noticeably sacrificing the high power conversion efficiencies that make this technology attractive. Among encapsulation strategies, the most investigated methods are as follows: (1) glass-to-glass encapsulation, (2) polymer encapsulation, and (3) inorganic thin film encapsulation (TFE). In particular, the use of UV-, heat-, water-, and/or oxygen-resistant thin films to encapsulate PSCs is a new and promising strategy for extending devices for lifetime. Thin films can be deposited directly onto the PSC, as in TFE, or can be used in conjunction with glass-to-glass and polymer encapsulation to effectively prevent the photo-, thermal-, oxygen-, and moisture-induced degradation of the perovskite. This chapter will outline perovskite degradation mechanisms and provide a summary of the progress made to-date in the encapsulation of PSCs, with a particular focus on the most recent and promising advances that employ thin films. Additionally, the strengths and limitations of TFE approaches will be identified and contrasted against existing encapsulation strategies. Finally, possible directions for future research that can further enhance encapsulation effectiveness and extend PSC for lifetimes towards the 25-year target will be proposed.

Part of the book: Thin Films

Applications of Pulsed Laser Ablation in Li-Ion Battery Research

By Katherine Gibson and Dongfang Yang

Harnessing pulsed laser ablation processes in the manufacturing of energy storage devices is a new and promising strategy for the facile development of next-generation Li-ion batteries. In laser ablation, a pulsed laser is focused on a material surface such that the transfer of energy causes the removal of localized material via high throughput and environmentally-friendly processing. This chapter will provide a summary of the recent advances in laser ablation technologies for producing Li-ion battery materials and components. In terms of electrode optimization, it will examine the use of pulsed lasers to: (1) generate large specific surface area nanoparticles of active materials or stable integrative anodes; (2) deposit compositionally complex and stoichiometric thin film active materials; (3) create electrode architectures with increased Li-ion diffusion kinetics, enhanced wettability or free space to accommodate Si anode volume expansions, and; (4) remove the superficial inactive or solid electrolyte interface layers from electrode surfaces. It will also investigate the laser ablation of current collectors to produce textures with improved adhesion and the use of pulsed lasers for cutting and structuring solid ceramic electrolyte. Finally, this chapter will discuss the application of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for chemical composition analysis of Li-ion batteries throughout their operating cycle.

Part of the book: Pulsed Laser Processing Materials [Working title]