Electrocatalysis

Indiscriminate use of fossil fuels has aroused severe concerns about climate change due to the green-house gases being accumulated. Recycling carbon dioxide gas into useful chemicals and fuels represents one of the promising strategies to not only reduce the carbon emission, but also provide a mean for storing renewable energy as a chemical form for global energy demand. The carbon dioxide molecules can be converted (photo)electrochemically into formic acid, carbon monoxide, methane, ethylene, ethanol and even C3 -C4 chemicals, as well as can be coupled to various organic molecules to form high-value compounds. Our group focus on the development of novel catalysts and the construction of commercially available system that allow for the production of chemicals and fuels with high selectivity, high production rate and low energy input.

Sustainable Energy Future

Carbon Dioxide Reduction

Green Hydrogen Production

Chlor-Alkali Electrolysis

Nanomaterial

Nanomaterials are an interesting class of materials whose structural components, such as atomic clusters, crystallites or molecules, have dimensions in the range of 1 to 100 nm, a length scale that determines the physical properties of materials and which are observed by interesting phenomena due to quantum phenomena. They show unique electrical, optical, magnetic, mechanical and sensing properties that are tunable by regulating their size and allow new applications that are difficult to achieve with their bulk counterparts. Our group current focus is the development of multimetallic catalysts such as metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived mesoporous carbon that impregnated with various metals.

Multi-metallic Nanoparticle

Mixed Metal Oxide (MMO) Nanoparticle

In situ Analysis

Designing an efficient and selective electrocatalysis system for electrochemical conversion reactions remains a challenge due to a lack of understanding of the reaction mechanism. Shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS) is a promising strategy for experimentally unraveling a reaction pathway and rate-limiting step by detecting intermediate species and catalytically active sites that occur during the reaction regardless of substrate. 

In situ Raman Spectroscopy

Core-Shell Nanoparticle Antenna for SERS

Simulation Study

DFT calculation is one of the most important simulation methods for designing catalyst materials and understanding their electronic structures. The electronic structures are closely related to intermediate binding energies which determine the reaction rate from Sabatier principle. Catalyst materials with a medium intermediate binding energy can be designed to faciliate a electrocatalytic reaction.  Moreover, it suggests why a specific surface favors a reaction pathway and can give higher catalytic activity for a specific reaction, based on gibbs free energy diagram over the reaction coordinate. Our lab is utilizing open database of materials (Materials Project) and web-based calculation platform (Materials Square) for simulation work that can be easily accessible for any researchers. 

Density Functional Theory (DFT) Calculation