Mr Kai Dong

Higher Degree by Research Candidate

School of Chemical Engineering

College of Engineering and Information Technology


Kai Dong is a PhD student in the School of Chemical Engineering at Adelaide University, working under the supervision of Prof. Shizhang Qiao and Dr. Wenhao Ren. His research focuses on organic electrosynthesis methodology and the electrochemical conversion of small molecules into value-added chemicals.
Kai has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed journal publications with over 3600 citations and an h-index of 32. His work has appeared in journals including Nature Synthesis, Nature Protocols, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, and ACS Catalysis. He currently serves as an Editorial Board Member of Scientific Reports (Springer Nature).

Modern chemistry has achieved remarkable success in transforming complex molecules, yet the fundamental question of how simple inorganic molecules evolve into complex organic systems remains one of the central challenges in science. In nature, living systems efficiently convert small inorganic molecules such as CO₂, N₂, and H₂O into sugars, lipids, and proteins through sophisticated catalytic networks powered by renewable energy. Understanding and replicating such transformations represents a grand opportunity for sustainable chemical synthesis.

My research aims to develop electrochemical strategies that enable the conversion of simple molecular feedstocks into value-added organic molecules. By using electricity as a programmable driving force, electrochemical systems provide a unique platform to control reaction pathways, generate reactive intermediates, and construct chemical bonds under mild conditions. I focus particularly on organic electrosynthesis methodologies and the design of catalytic systems that enable selective molecular transformations.

A key direction of my work is the development of electrochemical platforms for synthesizing high-value small molecules and isotopically labeled compounds. These molecules play critical roles in biological tracing, metabolic analysis, and disease diagnostics, yet their current production methods remain costly and inefficient. By integrating electrocatalysis, reaction engineering, and mechanistic understanding, my goal is to establish scalable electrochemical routes for producing these important chemical reagents.

Ultimately, my research seeks to bridge inorganic and organic chemistry through electrochemical processes, providing new strategies for sustainable chemical manufacturing and advancing our understanding of molecular transformations at electrified interfaces.

Date Position Institution name
2025 - ongoing Editorial Board Member Springer Nature Limited

Language Competency
Chinese (Mandarin) Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review
English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review

Date Institution name Country Title
2020 - 2023 Sichuan Normal University China Master
2016 - 2020 University of Jinan China Bachelor

Year Citation
2025 Dong, K., Han, S., Li, Y., Wang, Z., Xue, C., Sun, X., . . . Zhang, B. (2025). Testing, quantification, in situ characterization and calculation simulation for electrocatalytic nitrate reduction. Nature Protocols, 59 pages.
DOI Scopus1 WoS4
2024 Dong, K., Yao, Y., Li, H., Li, H., Sun, S., He, X., . . . Tang, B. (2024). H₂O₂-mediated electrosynthesis of nitrate from air. Nature Synthesis, 3(6), 763-773.
DOI Scopus160 WoS166
2022 Dong, K., Xu, Z., He, X., Zhao, D., Chen, H., Liang, J., . . . Sun, X. (2022). Ultrathin single-crystal PtSe2 nanosheets for high-efficiency O2 electroreduction to H2O2. Chemical Communications, 58(76), 10683-10686.
DOI Scopus29 WoS30 Europe PMC9
2022 Dong, K., Liang, J., Wang, Y., Zhang, L., Xu, Z., Sun, S., . . . Sun, X. (2022). Conductive Two-Dimensional Magnesium Metal-Organic Frameworks for High-Efficiency O2 Electroreduction to H2O2. ACS Catalysis, 12(10), 6092-6099.
DOI Scopus168 WoS166
2022 Dong, K., Wang, Y., Zhang, L., Fan, X., Li, Z., Zhao, D., . . . Sun, X. (2022). Epoxidation of olefins enabled by an electro-organic system. Green Chemistry, 24(21), 8264-8269.
DOI Scopus38 WoS39
2021 Dong, K., Liang, J., Wang, Y., Xu, Z., Liu, Q., Luo, Y., . . . Sun, X. (2021). Honeycomb Carbon Nanofibers: A Superhydrophilic O2-Entrapping Electrocatalyst Enables Ultrahigh Mass Activity for the Two-Electron Oxygen Reduction Reaction. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 60(19), 10583-10587.
DOI Scopus308 WoS321 Europe PMC94
2021 Dong, K., Liang, J., Ren, Y., Wang, Y., Xu, Z., Yue, L., . . . Sun, X. (2021). Electrochemical two-electron O2reduction reaction toward H2O2production: Using cobalt porphyrin decorated carbon nanotubes as a nanohybrid catalyst. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 9(46), 26019-26027.
DOI Scopus79 WoS76
2021 Dong, K., Liang, J., Wang, Y., Ren, Y., Xu, Z., Zhou, H., . . . Sun, X. (2021). Plasma-induced defective TiO2-x with oxygen vacancies: A high-active and robust bifunctional catalyst toward H2O2 electrosynthesis. Chem Catalysis, 1(7), 1437-1448.
DOI Scopus143 WoS140
2020 Jiang, Y., Dong, K., Yan, X., Chen, C., Ni, P., Yang, C., & Lu, Y. (2020). Metal-polydopamine framework-derived (Co)/N-doped carbon hollow nanocubes as efficient oxygen electrocatalysts. Sustainable Energy and Fuels, 4(7), 3370-3377.
DOI Scopus18 WoS16
2020 Jiang, Y., Dong, K., Lu, Y., Liu, J., Chen, B., Song, Z., & Niu, L. (2020). Bimetallic oxide coupled with B-doped graphene as highly efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction. Science China Materials, 63(7), 1247-1256.
DOI Scopus18 WoS17
2020 Dong, K., Lei, Y., Zhao, H., Liang, J., Ding, P., Liu, Q., . . . Sun, X. (2020). Noble-metal-free electrocatalysts toward H2O2production. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 8(44), 23123-23141.
DOI Scopus157 WoS153
- Lu, Y., Sehrish, A., Manzoor, R., Dong, K., & Jiang, Y. (2019). Recent progress on electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide. Chemical Reports, 1(2), 81-101.
DOI
- Yang, Q., Yang, Y., Zhang, Y., Zhang, L., Sun, S., Dong, K., . . . Sun, X. (n.d.). Highly Efficient Activation of Peroxymonosulfate by Biomass Juncus Derived Carbon Decorated with Cobalt Nanoparticles for the Degradation of Ofloxacin. SSRN Electronic Journal.
DOI

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