Leading Chinese materials scientist Li Haibo died suddenly at the age of 41 on Tuesday, according to media reports.
Li, a professor at Ningxia University who specialised in nano materials, electrochemistry and optoelectronic materials, was named among the top 2 per cent of global scientists in a list released by Stanford University in 2023.
His research areas included improving lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery storage performance and seawater desalination by removing salt that exists in the form of ions.
His area of expertise was nano materials, including carbon nanotubes and graphene, as well as electrochemistry, including energy storage systems called supercapacitors, and optoelectronic materials such as thin-film solar cell electrodes.
Wuhan-based outlet Jiupai News reported that Li had died of a sudden illness, citing an academic at the university, who said it was unlikely there would be an obituary or memorial service.
After graduating from East China Normal University with a PhD in physics in 2012, Li went on a one-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of South Australia and served as a researcher at the Singapore University of Technology and Design in 2014.
