Professor, Ph.D. in chemistry
Group website
https://yuhang4007.wixsite.com/mysite
Yuhang Wang received his Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from Fudan University (China) in 2017. His Ph.D. research at Prof. Gengfeng Zheng’s group was focused on nanomaterials for energy storage and conversion. He worked with Professor Edward (Ted) Sargent as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto from 2017 to 2020. He was the guest editor for the Journal of Nanomaterials on the special issue Defect engineering in nanomaterials for electrocatalysis in 2020. He is the recipient of the Dow Sustainability Innovation Award (2016, Runner-up) and MRS Graduate Student Travel Grant (2016).
Wang joined the Institue of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM) in December 2020 as a full Professor. His research focuses on electrocatalytic syntheses of renewable fuels.
Contact: yhwang1988@suda.edu.cn
Research interests:
The Wang group develops electrochemical devices that synthesize fuels and chemical stocks using renewables. We perform our research in 3 dimensions:
We pursue insight into mechanisms of electrocatalytic processes. By utilizing advanced in-situ/operando characterization techniques, the team is steering the physics, chemistry, and materials science allowing us to understand the catalytic reactions better and dynamically.
We make catalytic materials enabling selective and active renewable-fuel syntheses. Our team capitalizes on new mechanistic findings to rationally design catalysts having unique compositions, electronic structures, and surfaces. Our approach may lead to discoveries of highly selective and active catalyst materials.
We build reactors for industrially relevant electrochemical manufactures of fuels and chemicals. The lab is endeavoring to push the performance of electrocatalytic systems to the regime that meets the demand for practical applications.
Selected publications
1. Y. Wang, J. Liu, G. Zheng*. Designing copper-based catalysts for efficient carbon doxide electroreduction.Adv. Mater.33, 2005798(2020)
2. X. Lv†, L. Shang†, S. Zhou*, S. Li,Y. Wang, Z. Wang, T.-K. Sham, C. Peng, G. Zheng*. Electron-deficient Cu sites on Cu3Ag1catalyst promoting CO2electroreduction to alcohols.Ad. Energy Mater.10, 2001987 (2020).
3. A. Ozden†, F. Li†, F. Pelayo García de Arquer, A. Rosas-Hernández, A. Thevenon,Y. Wang, S.-F. Hung, X. Wang, B. Chen, J. Li, J. Wicks, M. Luo, Z. Wang, T. Agapie*, J. C. Peters*, E. H. Sargent*, D. Sinton*. High-rate and efficient ethylene electrosynthesis using a catalyst:promoter:transport layer.ACS Energy Lett.5, 2811-2818 (2020).
4. J. Li†, A. Xu†, F. Li, Z. Wang, C. Zou, C. M. Gabardo,Y. Wang, A. Ozden, Y. Xu, D.-H. Nam, Y. Lum, J. Wicks, B. Chen, Z. Wang, J. Chen, Y. Wen, T.-T. Zhuang, M. Luo, X. Du, T.-K. Sham, B. Zhang, E. H. Sargent*, D. Sinton*. Enhanced multi-carbon alcohol electroproduction from CO via modulated hydrogen adsorption.Nat. Commun.11, 3685 (2020).
5. W. R. Leow†, Y. Lum†, A. Ozden,Y. Wang, D.-H. Nam, B. Chen, J. Wicks, T.-T. Zhuang, F. Li, D. Sinton, E. H. Sargent*. Chloride-mediated selective electrosynthesis of ethylene and propylene oxides at high current density.Science368, 1228-1233 (2020).
6. Y. Wang†,A. Xu†, Z. Wang†, L. Huang, J. Li, F. Li, J. Wicks, M. Luo, D.-H. Nam, C.-S. Tan, Y. Ding, J. Wu, C.-T. Dinh, D. Sinton, G. Zheng, E. H. Sargent*.Enhanced nitrate-to-ammonia activity on copper-nickel alloys via tuning of intermediate adsorption.J. Am. Chem. Soc.142, 5702-5708 (2020).
7. Y. Wang†, Z. Wang†, C.-T. Dinh†, J. Li†, A. Ozden, M. G. Kibria, A. Seifitokaldani, C.-S. Tan, C. M. Gabardo, H. Zhou, F. Li, Y. Lum, C. McCallum, Y. Xu, M. Li, A. Proppe, A. Johnston, P. Todorovic, T.-T. Zhuang, D. Sinton, S. O. Kelly, E. H. Sargent*.Catalyst synthesis under CO2electroreduction favours faceting and promotes multi-carbon hydrocarbon electrosynthesis.Nat. Catal.3, 98-106 (2020).
8. Y. Lum†, J. E. Huang†, Z. Wang, M. Luo, D.-H. Nam, W. R. Leow, B. Chen, J. Wicks, Y. Li,Y. Wang, C.-T. Dinh, J. Li, T.-T. Zhuang, F. Li, T.-K. Sham, D. Sinton, E. H. Sargent*. Tuning hydroxyl binding energy enables selective electrochemical oxidation of ethylene to ethylene glycol.Nat. Catal.3, 14-22 (2020).
9. F. Li†, Y. Li†, Z. Wang†, J. Li†, D.-H. Nam, Y. Lum, M. Luo, X. Wang, A. Ozden, S.-F. Hung, B. Chen,Y. Wang, J. Wicks, Y. Xu, Y. Li, C. M. Gabardo, C.-T. Dinh, Y. Wang, T.-T. Zhuang, D. Sinton, E. H. Sargent*. Cooperative CO2-to-ethanol conversion via enriched intermediates at molecule:metal catalyst interfaces.Nat. Catal.3, 75-82 (2020).
10. F. Li†, A. Thevenon†, A. Rosas-Hernandez†, Z. Wang†, Y. Li†, C. M. Cabardo, A. Odzen, C.-T. Dinh, J. Li,Y. Wang, J. Edwards, Y. Xu, C. McCallum, L. Tao, Z.-Q. Liang, M. Luo, X. Wang, H.-H. Li, C. O’Brien, C.-S. Tan, D.-H. Nam, R. Quintero-Bermudez, T.-T. Zhuang, Y. Li, Z. Han, R. David Britt, D. Sinton, T. Agapie*, J. Peters*, E. H. Sargent*. Molecular tuning of CO2-to-ethlyene conversion.Nature557, 509-513 (2020).
11. J. Li†, Z. Wang†, C. McCallum†, Y. Xu, F. Li,Y. Wang, C. M. Gabredo, C.-T. Dinh, T.-T. Zhuang, L. Wang, J. Howe, Y. Ren, E. H. Sargent*, D. Sinton*. Constraining CO coverage on copper promotes high-efficiency ethylene electroproduction.Nat. Catal.2, 1124-1131 (2019).
12. Y. Wang†, J. Liu†, Y. Wang, Y. Wang, G. Zheng*. Efficient solar-driven electrocatalytic CO2reduction in a redox-medium-assisted system.Nat. Commun.9, 5003 (2018).
13. Y. Wang,L. Chen, X. Yu, Y. Wang*, G. Zheng*.Superb alkaline hydrogen evolution and simultaneous electricity generation by Pt-decorated Ni3N nanosheets.Adv. Energy Mater.7, 1601390 (2017).
14. Y. Wang, J. Liu, Y. Wang, A. M. Al-Enizi, G. Zheng*.Tuning of CO2reduction selectivity on metal electrocatalysts.Small13, 1701809 (2017).
15. Y. Wang†, X. Cui†, Y. Zhang†, L. Zhang, X. Gong*, G. Zheng*. Achieving high aqueous energy storage via hydrogen generation passivation.Adv. Mater.28, 7626-7632 (2016).
Career
We are actively looking for postdoctoral fellows and research assistants in the development of materials and devices for electrochemical greenhouse gas upgrading. The research is aimed at developing industrially-relevant green-house gas electrocatalysis technology through in-depth fundamental research and applied-goal-guided device and system engineering.
We are seeking candidates having demonstrated expertise in the following categories:
Material synthesis and electrochemistry
Membrane electrode assembly and solid-oxide electrochemical cells
Multiphysics modeling using COMSOL and other software
For any further information, please contact Professor Yuhang Wang (yhwang1988@suda.edu.cn)
Edited by Juan Yang