Publications

Our research spans advanced electron microscopy, 4D-STEM and electron ptychography, functional and quantum materials, nanoscale electromagnetic states, and in-situ microscopy.

By year

2026

Atomically Sharp but Three-Dimensionally Rough Ferroelectric Domain Walls in BiFeO3 Nano-islands

Zelin Wang, Lisha Liu, Kun Xu, Zehao Dong, Shaoxuan Zheng, Jing-Feng Li, Zhen Chen^*, Jing Zhu^*

Advanced Functional Materials, e79356 (2026).

DOI →

Polarization vector maps at depths Z = 8.5, 12, 16 and 20 nm across a BiFeO3 nano-island, showing the domain wall shifting with depth; 2 nm scale bar.

Cryogenic energy storage enabled by dipole glass with unit-cell-level polar disorder

Yangyang Si, Denan Li, Yijie Li, Changsheng Chen, Jingxuan Li, Chao Zhou, Hao Xiong, Tianfu Zhang, Wenjing Liao, Zhongqi Ren, Huaicheng Yuan, Dong Li, Jing-Kai Qin, Cheng-Yan Xu, Ye Zhu, Yunlong Tang, Sujit Das, Jieun Kim, Junling Wang, Hao Pan, Fei Li, Zhen Chen, Shi Liu, Zuhuang Chen

Nature Nanotechnology (2026).

DOI →

Cryogenic energy storage enabled by dipole glass with unit-cell-level polar disorder

Observation of thermally stable polar metallic state in perovskite nitride CeWN3

Xubin Ye, Shaoxuan Zheng, Zhaoliang Chen, Zunyi Deng, Zhiyu Liao, Xianggang Qiu, Xiao Wang, Zhiwei Hu, Chang-Yang Kuo, Chien-Te Chen, Chih-Wen Pao, Cheng Dong, Zhao Pan, Jiawang Hong, Lin Gu, Zhen Chen, Youwen Long

Science Advances 12, eaeh6191 (2026).

DOI →

Observation of thermally stable polar metallic state in perovskite nitride CeWN3

A Ferromagnetic Polar Metal With Efficient Electrical Switch of Magnetism

Wenxiao Shi^#, Huan Lei^#, De Hou^#, Haojin Wang^#, Zhou Wang, Jiahui Cai, Zhongqi Deng, Yu Xie, Junting Zhang, Daming Tian, Hui Zhang, Zhe Yuan, Bowen Yu, Tianlin Zhou, Jianjie Li, Jing Zhang, Jing Wu, Zezhong Zhang, Nicolas Gauquelin, Banggui Liu, Fengxia Hu, Jirong Sun, Johan Verbeeck, Yuanchang Li^*, Zhen Chen^*, Zhigao Sheng^*, Yuansha Chen^*, Yunzhong Chen^*, Baogen Shen

Advanced Materials 38, e74269 (2026).

DOI →

Intrinsic polar vortex crystals in A-site layer-ordered perovskites

Chao Xu^*, Nengneng Luo, Junyi Yue, Changsheng Chen, Tieyuan Bian, Chi Zhang, Xiangli Che, Jianwen Liang, Molly Meng-Jung Li, Jun Yin, Zhen Chen, Shujun Zhang, Xiaoqing Pan, Ye Zhu^*

Nature 653, 83-89 (2026).

DOI →

Atomistic Structure of Transient Switching States in Ferroelectric AlScN

Jiawei Huang^#, Jinyang Li^#, Xinyue Guo^#, Tongqi Wen, David J. Srolovitz^*, Zhen Chen^*, Zuhuang Chen^*, Shi Liu^*

Physical Review Letters 136, 026801 (2026).

DOI →

Atomistic Structure of Transient Switching States in Ferroelectric AlScN

The plastic deformation ability of σ phase during creep in superalloys

Yiwei Ju^#^*, Zhen Chen^#^*, Guoqing Li^#, Shizhong Liu, Kaihan Gao, Shuai Li, Yang Zhang, Shuan Ma, Zhenxue Shi, Hengqiang Ye, Jiarong Li^*, Jing Zhu^*

Scripta Materialia 271, 117007 (2026).

DOI →

The plastic deformation ability of σ phase during creep in superalloys

Atomic-scale quantification of hydrogen in metal hydrides by electron ptychography

Pengcheng Li^#, Chenglin Pua^#, Zehao Dong, Zhengxiong Su, Tao Liu, Chao Cai, Huahai Shen, Lin Gu^*, Zhen Chen^*

Science Advances 12, eaed5872 (2026).

DOI → arXiv →

Atomic-scale quantification of hydrogen in metal hydrides by electron ptychography

2025

Interstitial oxygen order and its competition with superconductivity in La2PrNi2O7+δ

Zehao Dong^#, Gang Wang^#, Ningning Wang^#, Wen-Han Dong^#, Lin Gu, Yong Xu, Jinguang Cheng^*, Zhen Chen^*, Yayu Wang^*

Nature Materials 24, 1927 (2025).

DOI → arXiv →

Interstitial oxygen order and its competition with superconductivity in La2PrNi2O7+δ

Hydrogenated PdCoO2: A layered Metallic Oxide with Robust Room-Temperature Ferromagnetism

Di Tian^#, Haotian Zheng^#, Zewei Huang^#, Sijie Wu, Pengcheng Li, Cong Li, Jianbing Zhang, Xinyu Shu, Jinling Zhou, Yang Liu, Yanhong Gu, Meng Wang, Di Yi, Tianxiang Nan, Zhen Chen, Qing He, Huaqiang Wu, Shuyun Zhou, Weidong Luo^*, Pu Yu^*

Physical Review X 15, 041030 (2025).

DOI →

Critical Thickness and Long-Term Ambient Stability in Superconducting LaPr2Ni2O7 Films

Yuexin Shi^#, Chenyao Song^#, Yingze Jia^#, Yanzhi Wang, Qi Li, Ye Chen, Yue Yang, Junchi Fu, Ming Qin, Dongsheng Song, Zhen Chen^*, Huiqiu Yuan^*, Yanwu Xie^*, Meng Zhang^*

Advanced Materials 38, e10394 (2025).

DOI →

Sub-nanometer depth resolution and single dopant visualization achieved by tilt-coupled multislice electron ptychography

Zehao Dong, Yang Zhang, Chun-Chien Chiu, Sicheng Lu, Jianbing Zhang, Yu-Chen Liu, Suya Liu, Jan-Chi Yang, Pu Yu, Yayu Wang, Zhen Chen^*

Nature Communications 16, 1219 (2025).

DOI → arXiv →

Sub-nanometer depth resolution and single dopant visualization achieved by tilt-coupled multislice electron ptychography

Super-Resolution Ptychography with Small Segmented Detectors

Xiyue Zhang, Zhen Chen, Yu-Tsun Shao, Ariana Ray, Yi Jiang, David Muller^*

Microscopy and Microanalysis 31, ozae134 (2025).

DOI →

Solar Flare Tracks: Unveiling Features and Their Impact on Distinct Lunar Soil Transformations

Yujie Chen, Yan Fang, Xiaoqian Fu, Chenglin Pua, Wentao Yuan, Jiangang Guo, Tianping Ying, Yong Wang, Jun Ding, Suya Liu, Guang Yang, Zhen Chen, Ze Zhang, Fanqi Meng, Lin Gu, Xiaolong Chen, Jinhua Li, Qian Yu

Advanced Functional Materials 35, 2509781 (2025).

DOI →

Atomic-Scale Roughness of Freestanding Oxide Membranes Revealed by Electron Ptychography

Huaicheng Yuan, Yu-Chen Liu, Li-Shu Wang, Zehao Dong, Jan-Chi Yang, Zhen Chen^*

arXiv (2025).

arXiv →

2024

Visualization of Oxygen Vacancies and Self-doped Ligand Holes in La3Ni2O7-δ

Zehao Dong^#, Mengwu Huo^#, Jie Li^#, Jingyuan Li, Pengcheng Li, Hualei Sun, Lin Gu, Yi Lu^*, Meng Wang^*, Yayu Wang^*, Zhen Chen^*

Nature 630, 847 (2024).

DOI →

Visualization of Oxygen Vacancies and Self-doped Ligand Holes in La3Ni2O7-δ

Quantification of hybrid topological spin textures and their nanoscale fluctuations in ferrimagnets

Yuxuan Zhang^#, Teng Xu^#, Wanjun Jiang, Rong Yu^*, Zhen Chen^*

Nano Letters 24, 2727 (2024).

DOI →

Quantification of hybrid topological spin textures and their nanoscale fluctuations in ferrimagnets

Imaging Point Defects in Quantum Materials Using Multislice Electron Ptychography

Zhen Chen^*, Zehao Dong, Pengcheng Li, Yayu Wang

Microscopy and Microanalysis 30, 1501 (2024).

DOI →

Imaging Point Defects in Quantum Materials Using Multislice Electron Ptychography

Imaging of Hydrogen Atoms and Their Inhomogeneity in Multi-Principal-Element Alloys via Multislice Electron Ptychography

Pengcheng Li, Chenglin Pua, Zehao Dong, Zhengxiong Su, Lin Gu, Zhen Chen^*

Microscopy and Microanalysis 30, 1850 (2024).

DOI →

Imaging interstitial atoms with multislice electron ptychography

Zhen Chen^*, Yu-Tsun Shao, Steven E. Zeltmann, Harikrishnan K. P., Ethan R. Rosenberg, Caroline A. Ross, Yi Jiang, David A. Muller^*

arXiv (2024).

arXiv →

2023

Breakthrough and application of electron ptychography techniques

Zhen Chen^*

Physics 52, 353 (2023).

DOI →

Breakthrough and application of electron ptychography techniques

Systematic control of ferrimagnetic skyrmions via composition modulation in Pt/Fe1-xTbx/Ta multilayers

Teng Xu^#, Yuxuan Zhang^#, Zidong Wang, Hao Bai, Chengkun Song, Jiahao Liu, Yan Zhou, Soong-Geun Je, Alpha T. N’Diaye, Mi-Young Im, Rong Yu, Zhen Chen^*, Wanjun Jiang^*

ACS Nano 17, 7920 (2023).

DOI →

Systematic control of ferrimagnetic skyrmions via composition modulation in Pt/Fe1-xTbx/Ta multilayers

Three-dimensional inhomogeneity of zeolite structure and composition revealed by electron ptychography

Hui Zhang, Guanxing Li, Jiaxing Zhang, Daliang Zhang, Zhen Chen, Xiaona Liu, Peng Guo, Yihan Zhu, Cailing Chen, Lingmei Liu, Xinwen Guo, Yu Han

Science 380, 633 (2023).

DOI →

2022

Lorentz electron ptychography for imaging magnetic textures beyond the diffraction limit

Zhen Chen^*, Emrah Turgut, Yi Jiang, Kayla X. Nguyen, Matthew J. Stolt, Song Jin, Daniel C. Ralph, Gregory D. Fuchs, David A. Muller^*

Nature Nanotechnology 17, 1165 (2022).

DOI →

$Lorentz electron ptychography for imaging magnetic textures beyond the diffraction limit$

2021

Electron ptychography achieves atomic-resolution limits set by lattice vibrations

Zhen Chen, Yi Jiang, Yu-Tsun Shao, Megan E. Holtz, Michal Odstrčil, Manuel Guizar-Sicairos, Isabelle Hanke, Steffen Ganschow, Darrell G. Schlom, David A. Muller

Science 372, 826 (2021).

DOI →

Electron ptychography achieves atomic-resolution limits set by lattice vibrations

Imaging the spin chirality of ferrimagnetic Néel skyrmions stabilized on topological antiferromagnetic Mn3Sn

Teng Xu, Zhen Chen, Heng-An Zhou, Zidong Wang, Yiqing Dong, Lucia Aballe, Michael Foerster, Pierluigi Gargiani, Manuel Valvidares, David M. Bracher, Tatiana Savchenko, Armin Kleibert, Riccardo Tomasello, Giovanni Finocchio, Soong-Guen Je, Mi-Young Im, David A. Muller, Wanjun Jiang

Physical Review Materials 5, 084406 (2021).

DOI →

2020

Mixed-state electron ptychography enables sub-angstrom resolution imaging with picometer precision at low dose

Zhen Chen, Michal Odstrcil, Yi Jiang, Yimo Han, Ming-Hui Chiu, Lain-Jong Li, David A. Muller^*

Nature Communications 11, 2994 (2020).

DOI →

Mixed-state electron ptychography enables sub-angstrom resolution imaging with picometer precision at low dose

Operando control of skyrmion density in a Lorentz transmission electron microscope with current pulses

Albert M. Park, Zhen Chen, Xiyue S. Zhang, Lijun Zhu, David A. Muller, Gregory D. Fuchs

Journal of Applied Physics 128, 233902 (2020).

DOI →

Operando control of skyrmion density in a Lorentz transmission electron microscope with current pulses

2018

Electron ptychography of 2D materials to deep sub-ångström resolution

Yi Jiang^#, Zhen Chen^#, Yimo Han, Pratiti Deb, Hui Gao, Saien Xie, Prafull Purohit, Mark W. Tate, Jiwoong Park, Sol M. Gruner, Veit Elser, David A. Muller^*

Nature 559, 343 (2018).

DOI →