Background Information: 

Akun Liang, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the College of Science at Ningbo Eastern Institute of Technology (tentative name) and a doctoral supervisor. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Valencia in Spain in 2022, with the highest dissertation grade (cum laude). He then conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Edinburgh in the UK. His primary research focuses on the synthesis of functional metal nitrides under high pressure and high temperature and the regulation of the physical properties of functional materials under high pressure. His research methods mainly include laser-heated diamond anvil cells, combined with various in-situ measurement techniques, including single-crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, visible light absorption spectroscopy, and in-situ resistance measurements under high pressure. To date, his research findings have been published as first author or corresponding author in journals such as Prog. Mater. Sci., J. Am. Chem. Soc., Adv. Funct. Mater., Phys. Rev. B, Phys. Rev. Mat., and Phys. Rev. Res.. Due to his research achievements during his master's and doctoral studies, he received the Jamieson Award from AIRAPT in 2023, the Premis Extraordinaris de Doctorat 2023-2024 from the University of Valencia in Spain, and during his postdoctoral research, he was awarded the EPSRC IAA Innovation Competition award in the UK.

Research Field:

1. Synthesis and characterization of functional nitrides under high temperature and high pressure.

2. Regulation of the physical properties of various functional materials under high pressure.

Educational Background:

2019-2022: PhD. (majoring in semiconductor physics), Department of Applied Physics, University of Valencia

2016-2019: Master (majoring in high-pressure physics), Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Sichuan University

2012-2016: Bachelor (majoring in physics), Department of Physics, Sichuan Normal University

Work Experience:

2025.01-Present: Assistant Professor, College of Science, Eastern Institute of Technology

2023.02-2025.01: Post-doctoral researcher associate, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh,

Awards and Honors:

2023: Jamieson Award  (AIRAPT)

2023: EPSRC IAA Innovation Competition award

2024: Premis Extraordinaris de Doctorat (University of Valencia)

Representative Works:

General Information

As of February 2025, a total of 54 SCI papers have been published, with 19 as the first author or corresponding author. The total number of citations for these papers is over 750, and the H-index is 16.

Google Scholar:

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=D7Rk5VoAAAAJ&hl=en

Here are 10 representative works (with * indicating corresponding author):

1. A. Liang, R. Turnbull, D. Errandonea,* A review on the advancements in the characterization of the high-pressure properties of iodates, Prog. Mater. Sci. 136, 101092 (2023).

2. A. Liang, J. Gonzalez-Platas, R. Turnbull, C. Popescu, I. Fernandez-Guillen, R. Abargues, P. Boix, L-T. Shi, and D. Errandonea,* Reassigning the Pressure-Induced Phase Transitions of Methylammonium Lead Bromide Perovskite, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 144, 20099 (2022).

3. A. Aslandukov,* A. Liang,* A. Ehn, F. Trybel, Y. Yin, A. Aslandukova, F. I. Akbar, U. Ranieri, J. Spender, R. T. Howie, E. L. Bright, J. Wright, M. Hanfland, G. Garbarino, M. Mezouar, T. Fedotenko, I. A. Abrikosov, N. Dubrovinskaia, L. Dubrovinsky, D. Laniel，Synthesis of LaCN3, TbCN3, CeCN5, and TbCN5 Polycarbonitrides at Megabar Pressures，J. Am. Chem. Soc. 146, 18161 (2024).

4. A. Liang,* I. Osmond, G. Krach, L.T. Shi, L. Brüning, U. Ranieri, J. Spender, F. Tasnadi, B. Massani, C. R. Stevens, R. Stewart McWilliams, E. Lawrence Bright, N. Giordano, S. Gallego-Parra, Y. Yin, A. Aslandukov, F. Iasmin Akbar, E. Gregoryanz, A. Huxley, M. Peña-Alvarez, J.G. Si, W. Schnick, M. Bykov, F. Trybel, D. Laniel,* High-Pressure Synthesis of Ultra-Incompressible, Hard and Superconducting Tungsten Nitrides, Adv. Funct. Mater, 2313819(2024).

5. A. Liang, L. T. Shi, R. Turnbull, F. J. Manjón, J. Ibáñez, C. Popescu, M. Jasmin, J. Singh, K. Venkatakrishnan, G. Vaitheeswaran, D. Errandonea,* Pressure-induced band-gap energy increase in a metal iodate, Phys. Rev. B 106, 235203 (2023).

6. A. Liang, F. Rodriguez, P. Rodriguez-Hernandez, A. Muñoz, R. Turnbull, and D. Errandonea,* High-pressure tuning of d−d crystal field electronic transitions and the electronic band gap in Co(IO3)2, Phys. Rev. B 105, 115204 (2022).

7. A. Liang, R. Turnbull, C. Popesc, F. J. Manjón, E. Bandiello, P.Rodriguez-Hernandez, A. Muñoz, I. Yousef, Z. Hebboul, and D. Errandonea,* Pressure-induced phase transition and increase of oxygen-iodine coordination in magnesium iodate, Phys. Rev. B 105, 054105 (2022).

8. A. Liang, C. Popescu, F. J. Manjon, A. Muñoz, Z. Hebboul, and D. Errandonea,* Structural and Vibrational Study of Zn(IO3)2 Combining High-Pressure Experiments and Density-Functional Theory, Phys. Rev. B 103, 054102 (2021).

9. A. Liang, R. Turnbull, P. Rodriguez-Hernandez, A. Muñoz, M. Jasmin, L. T. Shi, and D. Errandonea,* General relationship between the band-gap energy and iodine-oxygen bond distance in metal iodates, Phys. Rev. Mat 6, 044603 (2022).

10. A. Liang, Y. Liu, L. Shi, L. Lei, F. Zhang, Q. Hu, and D. He,* Melting Temperature of Diamond and Cubic Boron Nitride at 15 Gigapascals, Phys. Rev. Res. 1, 033090 (2019).