Faculty

Dr. Muhammad Ihsan Ul Haq is an Assistant Professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department of King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM). He earned his B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Sciences and Technology in 2015. After gaining valuable industry experience as a Trainee Engineer and Assistant Manager at Atlas Battery Limited, he pursued his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) under the joint supervision of Prof. Jang-Kyo Kim and Prof. Baoling Huang. During his Ph.D. studies, he also worked as a Visiting Researcher with Prof. Yury Gogotsi at the A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at Drexel University, USA. Before joining KFUPM, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. Robert Kostecki in the Energy Storage & Distributed Resources Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) from January 2022 to September 2024.

Educational Qualification

  • COBE Artificial Intelligence: Business Strategies and Applications (2024), Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
  • Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering – Nanotechnology Concentration (2020), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong
  • B.E.  Mechanical Engineering (2015), National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan

Courses Teaching

  • MSE 203 Thermodynamics of Materials

Research Interests

Dr. Ihsan Ul Haq's research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of nanostructured materials for energy conversion and storage, with a special emphasis on developing high-performance electrodes for batteries. He is particularly interested in using advanced electron microscopy, chromatography, and spectroscopy techniques to probe electrode-electrolyte interphases and uncover the fundamental mechanisms driving energy storage processes. Additionally, he explores the integration of artificial intelligence to accelerate the discovery and optimization of new materials, aiming to revolutionize the future of sustainable energy technologies.

Research Experience

  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Energy Storage & Distributed Resources Division, Energy Technologies Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA, Jan. 2022 – Sep. 2024.
  • Facility Researcher, National Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA, Feb. 2022 – Aug. 2024.
  • Research Collaborator, Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA, June. 2022 – Aug. 2024.
  • Affiliate Researcher, Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA, Apr. 2022 – Aug. 2024.
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong, Oct. 2020 – Dec. 2021.
  • Visiting Researcher, A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute, Materials Science & Engineering Department, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA, Jan. 2020 – Jul. 2020.

Selected Publications

Li/Na metal batteries

  1. N. Mubarak, F. Rehman, M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, M. Xu, Y. Li, Y. Zhao, Z. Lu, B. Huang, J.-K. Kim, Highly sodiophilic, defect-rich, lignin-derived skeletal carbon nanofiber host for sodium metal batteries. Adv. Energy Mater., 2022, 12, 2103904. [Link]
  2. M. Xu, Y. Li, M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, N. Mubarak, Z. Liu, J. Wu, Z. Luo, J.-K. Kim, NaF-rich solid electrolyte interphase for dendrite-free sodium metal batteries, Energy Storage Mater., 2022, 44, 477-486. [Link]
  3. N. Mubarak, M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, H. Huang, J. Cui, S. Yao, A. Susca, J. Wu, M. Wang, X. Zhang, B. Huang, J.-K. Kim. Metal–organic framework-induced mesoporous carbon nanofibers as an ultrastable Na metal anode host, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020, 8, 10269-10282. [Link]
  4. J. Cui, S. Yao, M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, J. Wu, J.-K. Kim, Correlation between Li plating behavior and surface characteristics of carbon matrix toward stable Li metal anodes. Adv. Energy Mater., 2019, 9, 1802777. [Link]

Li/Na/K ion batteries

  1. M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, J. Cui, N. Mubarak, M. Xu, X. Shen, Z. Lu, B. Huang, J.-K. Kim, Revealing cathode electrolyte interface on flower-shaped Na3V2(PO4)3/C cathode through cryogenic electron microscopy. Adv. Energy Sustainability Res., 2021, 2, 2100072. (Invited) [Link]
  2. J. Cui, S. Yao, M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, N. Mubarak, M. Wang, J. Wu, J.-K. Kim, Rational exploration of conversion-alloying reaction based anodes for high-performance K-ion batteries. ACS Materials Lett., 2021, 3, 406-413. [Link]
  3. M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, H. Huang, J. Wu, J. Cui, S. Yao, W.G. Chong, B. Huang, J.-K. Kim. Thin solid electrolyte interface on chemically bonded Sb2Te3/CNT composite anodes for high performance sodium ion full cells. Nano Energy, 2020, 71, 104613. [Link]
  4. J. Cui, S. Yao, W.G. Chong, J. Wu, M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, L. Ma, M. Zhao, Y. Wang, J.-K. Kim, Ultrafast Li+ diffusion kinetics of 2D oxidized phosphorous for quasi-solid-state bendable batteries with exceptional energy densities. Chem. Mater., 2019, 31, 4113-4123. [Link]
  5. M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, H. Huang, J. Cui, S. Yao, J. Wu, W.G. Chong, B. Huang, J.-K. Kim. Chemical interactions between red P and functional groups in NiP3/CNT composite anodes for enhanced sodium storage. J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018, 6, 20184-20194. [Link]

Redox flow batteries

  1. Y. Li, S. Yang, Y. Zhao, N. Mubarak, M. Xu, M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, T. S. Zhao, Q. Chen, J.-K. Kim, Deciphering the exceptional kinetics of hierarchical nitrogen-doped carbon electrodes for high-performance vanadium redox flow batteries, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2022, 10, 5605-5613. [Link]
  2. Y. Zhao, Y. Li, M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, N. Mubarak, M. Xu, X. Qin, T. S. Zhao, J.-K. Kim, Highly porous carbon nanofiber electrodes for vanadium redox flow batteries, Nanoscale, 2022, 14, 5804-5813. [Link]

Lithium-sulfur batteries

  1. W.G. Chong, F. Xiao, S. Yao, J. Cui, Z. Sadighi, J Wu, M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, M. Shao, J.-K. Kim, Nitrogen-doped graphene fiber webs for multi-battery energy storage. Nanoscale, 2019, 11, 6334-6342. [Link]
  2. S. Yao, J. Cui, J.-Q. Huang, Z. Lu, Y. Deng, W.G. Chong, J. Wu, M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, F. Ciucci, J.-K. Kim, Novel 2D Sb2S3 nanosheet/CNT coupling layer for exceptional polysulfide recycling performance. Adv. Energy Mater., 2018, 8, 1800710. [Link]

Book Chapters

  1. M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, H. Cha, R. Kostecki, “Chapter 33: Silicon–Carbon–Lithium Hybrid Nanocomposites”, Nanostructured Materials for Lithium/Sulfur Batteries (Engineering Materials, First Edition), 2024, Vol 1, ISBN 978-3-031-66225-6.

Selected Conferences

  1. M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, J.M. Larson, H. Cha, A. Dopilka, R. Kostecki, A Study of the SEI Layer Cross-Talk in Si/C Composite Li-Ion Anodes. 245th Electrochemical Society Meeting, San Francisco, USA, May 26-30, 2024. (Invited)
  2. M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, B. Huang, J.-K. Kim, Role of thin and uniform solid electrolyte interface in high-rate sodium storage of Sb2Te3/CNT and Sb2Se3/CNT composite anodes. 2020 Virtual Materials Research Society Spring/Fall Meeting & Exhibit, USA, Nov. 27- Dec. 4, 2020.
  3. M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, J. Cui, B. Huang, J.-K. Kim, Sb2Te3/CNT composite anodes for high performance sodium ion full cells with exceptional energy and power densities. 2019 Materials Research Society Spring Meeting & Exhibit, Phoenix, USA, April 22-26, 2019.
  4. M. Ihsan-Ul-Haq, J. Cui, B. Huang, J.-K. Kim, NiP3/f-CNT nanocomposite as high performance anode for sodium ion batteries. 1st Int. Conf. Energy Storage Mater., Shenzhen, China, Nov. 18-21, 2017.

Editorial Contributions and Professional Affiliations

Dr. Ihsan Ul Haq serves as a reviewer for leading journals such as ACS Nano, Nanoscale, Journal of Power Sources, New Journal of Chemistry, and RSC Advances. He is also an active member of prestigious professional organizations, including the Materials Research Society (USA) and The Electrochemical Society (USA).

Dr. Muhammad Ihsan Ul Haq Assistant Professor Building 16 Room 174 +966 13 860 5867 +966 13 860 2949 (MSE Dept.) muhammad.ihsanulhaq@kfupm.edu.sa ORCID ID Google Scholar