Yigao Yuan

Bio: Yigao Yuan is a Postdoctoral Scholar in Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University. Joining the Dionne Lab in 2025, he utilizes environmental and in-situ TEM to investigate microscopic deuterium loading in metal hosts for clean energy applications. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Rice University (2024), advised by Naomi Halas and Peter Nordlander, where his research on sustainable plasmonic photocatalysis was recognized with the John L. Margrave Thesis Award and the Stauffer-Rothrock Fellowship. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Nanjing University (2019). Outside of research, Yuan enjoys reading history and playing sports.

Postdoctoral research project: Investigating Atomic-Scale Mechanisms of Electrochemical Deuteration of Palladium for Enhanced Lattice Confinement Fusion Rates.  Our research investigates fusion fuel for lattice confinement fusion, a clean energy pathway utilizing metal lattices like palladium to confine deuterium. This confinement offers two key advantages: high deuterium concentration and the electron screening effect, which lowers reaction barriers. Recent advances show that electrochemical loading enhances fusion rates, but the underlying atomic mechanisms remain unclear. We employ in-situ electron microscopy to study the microscopic thermodynamics, kinetics, and atomic structure of deuterium loading in real-time. By elucidating how electrochemistry alters these properties at atomic resolution, we aim to develop novel strategies—including (electro)chemical fabrication to optimize fuel density, and nanophotonic approaches to enhance the local screening effect and lower the reaction barrier.

Research focus:  Renewable Energy - Lattice Confinement Fusion

Advisors:  Jennifer Dionne - Materials Science and Engineering | Wah Chiu - Bioengineering