Yi Zeng joined NREL in 2020. His area of expertise is heat and mass transfer, including fundamental thermal transport theory at nanoscale, phase change heat transfer, and moisture transport in buildings. Prior to joining NREL, Yi was a graduate researcher at Auburn University, Alabama. He worked on molecular dynamics studies of phase transition of n-alkanes mixtures, coupling-decoupling mechanism affecting thermal interfacial conductance of n-alkanes and Fokker-Planck theory of lattice thermal conductivity of crystalline solids.

Research Interests

Nanoscale thermal transport

Interfacial heat transfer

Solid-liquid phase change materials for thermal energy storage

Moisture storage and transport in buildings 

Education

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University

M.S., Engineering Thermophysics, Zhejiang University

B.S., Thermal Engineering, Central South University 

Featured Work

Thermal Coupling-Decoupling Mechanism of Heat Transfer across Van Der Waals Interfaces in N-Eicosane, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer (2021)

Generalized Langevin Equation Theory of Thermal Conduction across Material Interfaces, Physica Status Solidi (b) (2020)  
 
Contribution of the Hydroxyl Group on Interfacial Heat Conduction of Monohydric Alcohols: A Molecular Dynamics Study, Journal of Heat Transfer (2020)  
 
Fokker-Planck Equation for Lattice Vibration: Stochastic Dynamics and Thermal Conductivity, Physical Review B (2019)  
 
Close-Contact Melting on an Isothermal Surface with the Inclusion of Non-Newtonian Effects, Journal of Fluid Mechanics (2019)  
 
Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the Crystallization Process of n-Alkane Mixtures and the Resulting Thermal Conductivity, Energy & Fuels (2018)  
 
A Molecular Dynamics Study of the Effect of Thermal Boundary Conductance on Thermal Transport of Ideal Crystal of N-Alkanes with Different Number of Carbon Atoms, Journal of Applied Physics (2016)  
 
Heat Transfer during Melting of Graphene-Based Composite Phase Change Materials Heated from Below, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer (2014)