On October 31, 2025, Professor Bo Shouhang from the PuYuan Institute of Future Technology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University teamed up with Professor Chen Songliang from Pujiang International College, along with other researchers, to form an interdisciplinary research group. They published a research paper entitled "Three-Dimensional Operando Photoacoustic Microscopy Reveals Hidden Patterns in the Complex Electrochemical Plating Process of Lithium Metal" in the renowned "Journal of the American Chemical Society" (JACS).

In this study, the researchers employed three-dimensional photoacoustic microscopy under actual battery operating conditions. This approach enabled them to uncover three distinct modes in the complex electrochemical deposition process of lithium metal. By doing so, they offered a mechanistic insight into the reasons behind the uneven deposition of lithium metal and the subsequent formation of lithium dendrites. This discovery is of great significance as it paves the way for advancing and refining strategies aimed at mitigating dendrite growth.

Moreover, the study generates a wealth of data that can be utilized to bolster artificial intelligence-driven diagnostic technologies for lithium metal batteries. It also optimizes the evaluation methods for ensuring the safety of lithium metal anodes.

Professor Bo Shouhang and Professor Chen Songliang served as the corresponding authors of the paper. The first authors are doctoral students Zhou Jingying and Tang Xingye, both hailing from the Future Battery Research Center of the PuYuan Institute of Future Technology and Pujiang International College. Other co-authors include doctoral student Yu Xinyu, also from the Future Battery Research Center of the PuYuan Institute of Future Technology and Pujiang International College.