Research

Our research interest is to employ chemistry, materials science, nanotechnology and surface science to tackle the challenges in electrochemical energy storage and conversion. We strives to understand material structures and properties at solid/liquid interfaces under electrochemical conditions and to establish design principles for new and improved electrocatalysts and battery materials for the electrochemical conversion reactions of carbon dioxide, water, hydrogen, lithium, sulfur, nitrogen, and hydrocarbons.

Electrocatalytic Carbon Dioxide Conversion

  • Developing multi-component catalyst materials with remarkable properties: Heterogenized molecular catalysts; Cooperative catalysis enabled by strong metal-oxide, metal-phosphide, metal-metal, and nanoparticle-molecule interactions.
  • Improving electrochemical reactions by designing catalyst architectures beyond active sites.

High-Energy Rechargeable Batteries

  • Investigating and understanding chemistry at material/electrolyte (including solid state electrolyte) interfaces
  • Developing sulfur-based cathode materials with high charging-discharging cycling stability
  • Developing high-efficiency and long-cycle lithium and sodium metal anodes

Transition Metal Phosphosulfides

  • Investigating materials synthesis, solid state chemistry, surface structure and electrocatalytic reactivity of transition metal phosphosulfides
  • Discovering and utilizing restructuring-induced electrocatalytic reactivity