Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM, March 29, 2026

 Venue: Lecture Hall, Renhouli Aesthetic Education Base, University Town Campus

 Invited by: Professor Liang Zhenxing

 Organizers: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering / Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fuel Cell Technology

 Title: Research and Application of Highly Efficient and Stable Ultra-Low Noble Metal PEMWE Catalysts Based on Service-State Characteristics

 Speaker: Xing Wei, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

 Time: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM, March 29, 2026

 Biography:

 Xing Wei, Doctor of Science, is a researcher at the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the Chinese Chemical Society. He serves as Director of the Electrochemistry Professional Committee of the Chinese Chemical Society, a member of the International Society of Electrochemistry, and an editorial board member of journals such as Electrochemistry, ChemCatChem, and EER. He is also the leader of a major scientific research team of the Jilin Provincial Organization Department and a recipient of the State Council Special Allowance. He has participated in the evaluation of projects by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and other institutions on multiple occasions. His research interests focus on proton exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen-electric energy conversion, including large-scale PEM electrolysis of water for hydrogen production using renewable energy and proton exchange membrane fuel cells. He has led and completed dozens of national and provincial-level scientific research projects, such as key research and development projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology during the "14th Five-Year Plan" and the "13th Five-Year Plan", 863 key projects during the "12th Five-Year Plan", key projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and major projects of the Jilin Provincial Science and Technology Development Plan. He has won one first prize and two second prizes of provincial and ministerial-level science and technology awards, as well as a second prize of the Invention Award of the Chinese Society of Chemical Industry. As a corresponding author, he has published over 300 SCI papers in journals such as J. Am. Chem. Soc., Nat. Commun., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Adv. Mater., and Energy Environ. Sci., with over 26,000 citations and an H-index of 81. Many of his papers have been selected as highly cited papers. He has also obtained over 60 patents, with several transferred.

 Abstract:

 Addressing the global challenge of insufficient activity and stability in low-noble-metal catalysts for PEM water electrolysis (PEMWE), this study proposes a catalyst construction design concept guided by service-state characteristics. Considering the high current density, strong corrosive environment, and fast mass transport characteristics under service conditions, novel long-term stable low-noble-metal catalyst structures were constructed at the sub-nanometer to single-atom scale. The catalytic reaction mechanisms and performance under service conditions were elucidated. Controllable synthesis strategies such as galvanic replacement and lattice confinement were developed to successfully prepare catalyst systems with novel structures, including single-atom and cluster synergistic catalysts. Combining advanced in-situ spectroscopic techniques with theoretical calculations, the mechanism of dynamic oxygen species migration at the catalyst-support interface enhancing catalytic activity and stability was clarified. The local orbital strong coupling stabilization mechanism of homogeneous heterophase supports was elucidated, providing theoretical guidance for reducing iridium content in PEMWE. Based on the influence of multi-species cross-scale transport within the device on membrane electrode assembly (MEA) performance, ultra-thin catalytic layers with high active site density and hierarchical porous structures were developed. These enhance mass transport while preserving the intrinsic catalytic properties, achieving efficient performance output.

 Title: Directional Conversion of C1 Molecules via Electrocatalysis Based on Interface Engineering and Atomic-Level Site Construction

 Speaker: Hou Yang, Zhejiang University

 Time: 10:00 AM – 10:40 AM, March 29, 2026

 Biography:

 Professor Hou Yang is a Tenured Professor and Qiushi Distinguished Professor at Zhejiang University, doctoral supervisor, and a recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars. He currently serves as Dean of the School of Biological and Chemical Engineering at NingboTech University, Vice Dean of the Hydrogen Energy Research Institute at Zhejiang University, and Director of the Hydrogen Production Technology Center. He was selected for the Zhejiang University "Hundred Talents Program," is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a specially appointed expert of Zhejiang Province, a recipient of the Zhejiang Provincial High-Level Talent Program (Innovation Long-Term), and a recipient of the Zhejiang Provincial "Outstanding Young Scientist" Fund. He has been recognized as a National Outstanding Science and Technology Worker in the Petroleum and Chemical Industry and has consecutively been named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher, a top 2% scientist worldwide, and among the top 100,000 global scientists. He has published over 300 papers in leading international journals such as Nature Catal., Nature Rev. Clean Technol., Nature Commun., Joule, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., and J. Am. Chem. Soc., with over 35,000 citations and an H-index of 103. He holds over 40 authorized Chinese patents. He serves as Associate Editor for Nano-Micro Letters and Vice Chair of the Water Electrolysis for Hydrogen Production Materials Standardization Sub-Technical Committee under the Chinese Society for Testing Materials. He has received the First Prize for Natural Science from the Chinese Society of Particuology.

 Abstract:

 Facing the global challenge of carbon emissions, utilizing renewable electricity to drive the directional conversion of C1 molecules such as CO₂/CO into high-value chemicals is a crucial pathway for closing the carbon cycle and achieving green transformation in the chemical industry. This report addresses challenges in electrocatalytic C1 conversion, such as low product selectivity, strong hydrogen evolution competition, and difficulty in C–C coupling. Employing "interface engineering" and "atomic-level site regulation" strategies, efficient directional conversion of CO₂/CO to high-value C2+ products was achieved. A dual-nitrogen site modified Cu catalyst was used to reconstruct the interfacial water network, effectively suppressing hydrogen evolution and achieving highly selective ethanol synthesis at ampere-level current densities. A Cd-Cu single-atom alloy catalyst was constructed to regulate site hydrogen affinity, enabling directed protonation of the OCCH intermediate. This shifted the CO reduction pathway from ethylene-dominated to acetate-dominated and improved overall cell energy efficiency. Furthermore, a Sn-Cu atomically adjacent dual-site catalyst was designed. Leveraging the oxophilicity of Sn sites, key C1 intermediate CH₂O was stabilized, promoting its coupling with the C2 intermediate OCCOH. This enabled efficient propanol synthesis in an MEA system, with a heterojunction structure suppressing product crossover and enhancing system stability. This work provides effective strategies and theoretical support for the high-value conversion of carbon resources driven by renewable energy.

 Title: Novel Redox Pairs for Next-Generation Battery Technologies

 Speaker: Chao Dongliang, Fudan University

 Time: 10:40 AM – 11:20 AM, March 29, 2026

 Biography:

 Professor Chao Dongliang is Executive Director of the Aqueous Battery Research Center at the School of Intelligent Materials and Future Energy, Fudan University, and Deputy Director of the Fudan University Journal Center. He is a recipient of national and Shanghai high-level overseas talent introduction programs, and a Shanghai Shuguang Scholar. He serves as Executive Editor-in-Chief of Science and AI, Associate Editor of Mater. Today Energy (Q1), and a member of the Editorial Working Group for National Science Review. He is a supervising instructor for projects winning the Gold Award at the National Postdoctoral Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition (Shanghai Gold Award) and the Silver Award at the China International College Student Innovation Competition (Shanghai Gold Award). His research focuses on aqueous electrochemistry fundamentals and applications. He has authored one monograph and published 150 papers, with over one third being ESI Highly Cited Papers. His work has received over 32,000 citations, with an H-index of 90. He leads projects including the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Youth, General, Key) and sub-projects of the National Key R&D Program. His awards include MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35, Shanghai Science and Technology Young 35 Leading Program, EES Lectureship, Chinese Electrochemistry Youth Award, and Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (for five consecutive years).

 Abstract:

 Recently, frequent incidents of spontaneous combustion and explosion in mobile phones, electric vehicles, and energy storage power stations have drawn significant attention to battery safety. Additionally, China relies on imports for 70% of its lithium battery resources, making the development of new, safe battery technologies crucial for ensuring national energy security. Addressing the national demand for next-generation safe battery technologies and actively responding to the call for developing new productive forces, the eAB team led by Chao Dongliang is dedicated to developing novel aqueous batteries with intrinsic safety and low cost. Moving beyond existing battery systems and approaches, this report starts with the bottleneck facing aqueous batteries—energy density (<50 Wh/kg). Centered on the fine-tuning of redox pairs, the fundamental units of electrochemical reactions, and employing the design and preparation of stable and reversible multi-electron transfer reactions as a means, the report aims to develop methods for controllable customization and tracking of electrochemical reaction pathways, create high-capacity, high-voltage redox pairs, and construct novel aqueous battery systems, ultimately providing systematic device-level solutions for the design of high-specific-energy aqueous batteries (>150 Wh/kg).

 Title: Enhancing Electrocatalysis through Local Microenvironment

 Speaker: He Chuanxin, Shenzhen University

 Time: 11:20 AM – 12:00 PM, March 29, 2026

 Biography:

 Professor He Chuanxin is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Shenzhen University. In 2025, he received the National Natural Science Foundation of China Outstanding Young Scientists Fund (Category A). In 2019, he was recognized as a High-Level Talent by the Ministry of Education. He received the Second Prize for Natural Science from Guangdong Province (ranked first) in 2021 and has been named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher from 2023 to the present. In the past five years, as a corresponding author, he has published over 80 SCI papers, including in Nat. Sustain. (1), Sci. Adv. (1), J. Am. Chem. Soc. (4), Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. (10), Nat. Commun. (2), Adv. Mater. (9), Energy Environ. Sci. (3), Nat. Sci. Rev. (2), and CCS Chem. (2). His total publications have been cited over 17,000 times, with an H-index of 67. He is a major inventor on 43 national invention patent applications, with 27 granted, and 5 US patent applications, with 3 granted. Two patents have been commercialized.

 Abstract:

 In energy catalysis, catalyst materials are the foundation. How to systematically prepare novel catalysts and understand the relationship between material structure, local microenvironment, and catalytic activity is the key to their application. In recent years, we have developed a range of material preparation methods and explored the application of local microenvironment regulation in electrocatalysis. Based on a dual-confinement strategy, we achieved the dispersion of metals in carbon supports ranging from nano, sub-nano, to single-site levels. By combining composition and size dimensions, we constructed high-activity centers for electrocatalysis of various small molecules, enabling their efficient conversion. We explored catalytic mechanisms of small molecule conversion by constructing model catalytic systems such as metal clusters, providing theoretical guidance for the preparation of efficient electrocatalytic materials. By combining methods such as interface modification, micro/nano-structure control, and external field assistance, we developed strategies to regulate the local microenvironment at the interface. This enables the enrichment of reaction substrates and intermediates and optimizes the proton-coupled electron transfer process, enhancing the overall apparent performance of small molecule conversion. We established methods to couple active centers with the local microenvironment, improving conversion efficiency while reducing reaction energy consumption. We applied these local microenvironment regulation strategies to the construction of electrocatalytic devices, developing efficient electrocatalytic systems and exploring applications in small molecule electrocatalytic conversion.

 Title: Directed Assembly of Mesoporous Materials via Single Micelles

 Speaker: Li Wei, Fudan University

 Time: 3:00 PM – 3:40 PM, March 29, 2026

 Biography:

 Professor Li Wei is a National High-Level Talent, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Shanghai Shuguang Scholar, and Shanghai Outstanding Academic Leader. He has long been dedicated to the design, synthesis, and application of functional mesoporous materials. In the past five years, as a corresponding author, he has published over 100 papers in international journals such as Nature Sustain. (1), Nature Protoc. (2), Nature Commun. (2), Sci. Adv. (2), J. Am. Chem. Soc. (8), Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. (8), Adv. Mater. (9), Natl. Sci. Rev. (2), Chem (2), Chem. Rev. (1), Chem. Soc. Rev. (1), and Acc. Chem. Res. (1). His publications have been cited over 30,000 times, with an H-index of 92. He received the First Prize for National Natural Science in 2020 (second contributor), has been named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher for six consecutive years (2019–2024), and was honored as one of the 11th Shanghai Youth Science and Technology Talents in 2022. He leads two National Key Research and Development Program projects and two key joint projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. He serves as a council member of the International Mesostructured Materials Association, a member of the Energy Chemistry Committee of the Chinese Chemical Society, a member of the Editorial Working Group for Natl. Sci. Rev., an Advisory Editor for iScience, and an Associate Editor for Battery Energy.

 Abstract:

 Since the advent of functional mesoporous materials, they have attracted extensive interest. Their unique mesoscopic structures and properties, ultra-high specific surface area, large pore volume, and large, uniform, tunable pore sizes offer broad application prospects in petroleum cracking, catalysis, adsorption, separation, and particularly in energy conversion and storage. Here, we primarily discuss recent research progress in the directed assembly of mesoporous materials via single micelles. We discovered new mechanisms for constructing single micelle building blocks by modulating organic-inorganic/organic-organic intermolecular interactions with small molecules. We developed various novel synthesis methods, including "nanoemulsion," "liquid-liquid two-phase interfacial assembly," "reverse micelle assembly," and "coordination-regulated self-assembly." We prepared novel mesoporous materials such as vertically porous mesoporous thin films, dendritic mesoporous carbon spheres, mesoporous titanium oxide phase junctions, and deformable mesoporous hollow silica spheres. The resulting functional mesoporous materials not only possess unique, uniform morphologies but also feature controllable mesoporous channel structures, high specific surface areas, large pore volumes, and open pore channels. These unique structures and functionalities endow these materials with excellent application prospects in energy storage, catalysis, and beyond.  

 Title: Solid-State Batteries and Construction Methods for Key Materials

 Speaker: He Yanbing, Tsinghua University

 Time: 3:40 PM – 4:20 PM, March 29, 2026

 Biography:

 Professor He Yanbing is a Tenured Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at Tsinghua University, and Vice Dean of the Institute of Materials Research at Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School. His research focuses on solid-state batteries and key materials. To date, he has published over 260 papers in journals such as Nature, Nat. Nanotechnol., Nat. Commun., Adv. Mater., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., JACS, and NSR, with over 27,000 SCI citations. He holds over 60 authorized Chinese invention patents, 4 PCT patents, and has licensed 6 patents for commercialization. He has led the development of 4 group standards for solid-state batteries. His research achievements have earned him a Second Prize for National Technological Invention (fifth contributor, 2017), a First Prize for Natural Science from Guangdong Province (second contributor, 2019), the 10th Hou Debang Chemical Science and Technology Youth Award (2018), and a Second Prize for Science and Technology from Guangdong Province (first contributor, 2015). He has been recognized as a High-Level Talent by the Ministry of Education (2018), a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (2021–2024), an Elsevier China Highly Cited Researcher (2024), and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2022). He serves as a council member of the Solid State Ionics Division of the Chinese Ceramic Society, Executive Editor-in-Chief of Energy Materials and Devices, and an editorial board member of Energy Storage Materials. He leads projects including the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (2023), the Shenzhen Outstanding Young Scientist Fund (2020), key joint projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, general projects, and sub-projects of the National Key R&D Program.

 Abstract:

 Severe thermal/electrochemical interfacial side reactions between lithium battery electrodes and liquid electrolytes can easily lead to thermal runaway, significantly compromising battery safety. The application of solid-state electrolytes can significantly reduce electrode/electrolyte side reactions, thereby improving the safety performance of lithium batteries. However, high solid-solid interfacial impedance and low ion transport flux hinder the industrialization of solid-state batteries. To address these challenges, our research team focuses on solving the scientific issues of "cross-interface, cross-phase, and cross-gap" ion transport that limit the reaction kinetics of solid-state battery systems. We proposed and elucidated the mechanism of in-situ solid-state interfacial reactions, constructing ion-conductive composite interfaces and plastic interfaces, achieving atomic-level solid-solid interfacial coupling and cross-interface compatibility. We invented a novel method for coupling dielectric ceramic materials, revealing the mechanisms of lithium salt dissociation and spontaneous ion transport across phases, and developed composite solid-state electrolytes with high ionic conductivity. We proposed a strategy for constructing highly stable interfacial layers on cathode materials with a low oxidation potential, creating an efficient elastic solid-polymer-solid ion transport network spanning gaps, which significantly enhanced the long-cycle performance of all-solid-state batteries at room temperature. Based on these achievements, we proposed the quantifiable concept of ion transport flux, providing an important criterion for solid-state battery research. These research outcomes have advanced the industrial development of solid-state batteries.

Announced by School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering