Yao Zheng

Professor Yao Zheng

ARC Future Fellow

School of Chemical Engineering

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

oxygen reduction reaction, hydrogen evolution reaction, electrocatalysis

Professor Zheng specializes in catalysis and materials chemistry, pioneering the seamless integration of experimental and theoretical approaches to advance catalyst design for energy conversion applications. His research has significantly shaped fundamental studies in electrocatalysis and battery technologies. His transformative contributions to fuel cells, hydrogen production, and CO₂ conversion are reflected in his strong international profile, extensive publication record, and successful research translation. Over the past 15 years, he has also led the development of two key principles in catalysis: electrocatalytic refineries and the local reaction environment theory. These original concepts have been validated as universal principles in energy-related electro- and photo-catalytic processes.

Professor Zheng has also been at the forefront of computation-guided material and catalyst design, integrating chemical reaction thermodynamics, kinetics, and materials chemistry. His research bridges materials engineering, physical chemistry, electrochemistry, and quantum chemistry, enabling the development of novel electrocatalysts for key reactions, including oxygen and hydrogen evolution, CO₂ reduction, and electrocatalytic refinery processes. By combining in situ/ex situ spectroscopic characterization with density functional theory calculations, he has made significant breakthroughs in understanding reaction mechanisms and designing high-performance catalysts.

One of Professor Zheng’s most notable achievements is the direct production of ultrapure hydrogen from raw, untreated seawater via electrolysis—eliminating the need for rare, highly purified deionized water. This groundbreaking technology, protected by three patents, is scalable to pilot plants and holds immense potential for driving greener industries while alleviating pressure on freshwater resources in Australia. In 2023, drawing on over a decade of research in hydrogen electrocatalysis, he developed a robust strategy for direct seawater electrolysis by leveraging localized reaction environment control on catalyst surfaces. This breakthrough removes a major barrier to hydrogen production, making it particularly beneficial for Australia, where abundant sunlight and seawater create ideal conditions for sustainable hydrogen generation.

Professor Zheng has published 200 refereed journal articles – 32 are first- and 90 are corresponding-authored. As lead author (first and corresponding), he published Nature Energy (3), Nature Chem., Nature Chem. Eng., Sci. Adv. (4), Nature Commun. (6), J. Am. Chem. Soc. (15), Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. (10), Adv. Mater. (5), Chem. Rev., Chem. Soc. Rev. (3) etc. His overall publications have attracted >53,000 citations with an h-index of 93 (Web of Science, as of 25 Nov 2024). He was awarded as Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers in Chemistry for 2019–2024.

  • Appointments
    Date Position Institution name
    2024 - ongoing Professor University of Adelaide
    2021 - 2023 Associate Professor University of Adelaide
    2021 - 2024 ARC Future Fellowship University of Adelaide
    2020 - 2021 Senior Lecturer University of Adelaide
    2019 - 2019 Senior Research Fellow University of Adelaide
    2016 - 2018 DECRA Research Fellow The University of Adelaide
    2014 - 2015 Postdoc Research Fellow The University of Adelaide

  • Education
    Date Institution name Country Title
    2014 University of Queensland Australia PhD in Chemical Engineering
    2009 Nanjing University of Technology China ME in in Chemical Engineering
    2006 Nanjing University of Technology China BE in in Chemical Engineering

ARC Discovery Project, DP240102575, Yao Zheng, Kenneth Davey, Tao Ling, Seawater Electrolysis for Hydrogen and Commodity Chemicals Production, $600,925.

ARC Center of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation, CE230100032, Led by Liming Dai, UNSW, $35,000,000. 

ARC Linkage project, LP210301397, Shizhang Qiao, Yao Zheng, Xiaoyong Xu, Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells with Novel Perovskite-based Cathode, $735,120 + $300,000 (industry).

Strategic Impact Fund, University of Adelaide, 2021, Yao Zheng, Xiaoyong Xu, Metal-Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cell for Electric Vehicles, $100,000.

ARC Future Fellowship, FT200100062, Yao Zheng, Electrocatalytic Refinery for Fuels and Chemicals, $800,000.

ARC Discovery Project, DP190103472, Yan Jiao, Yao Zheng, Shaojun Guo, Egill Skulason, Yihan Zhu, Catalysts for Hydrogen-free Ammonia Production by Electrochemical Method. $350,000.

ARC DECRA Fellowship, DE160101163, Yao Zheng, Design of Nanostructured Electrocatalysts for Water Splitting, $365,000.

ARC Discovery Project, DP170104464, Yao Zheng, Jiaguo Yu, Design of Photocatalysts for Solar Hydrogen Production, $410,500.

ARC LIEF, LE 220100114, Advanced materials synthesis and environmental characterisation facility, $1,040,375.00.

ARC LIEF, LE210100153, Integrated In situ Characterisation Facilities for Energy Studies, $497,264.

ARC LIEF, LE210100109, Raman Spectroscopic System for In-Operando Electrochemical Studies, $240,000.

2016 Semester 1, Lecture Research Practice_3610_CHEM_ENG_4056

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2024 Principal Supervisor Seawater Electrolysis for Hydrogen Production Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Dengyu Fu
    2024 Principal Supervisor Design of novel ion exchange membrane for efficient electrodialysis seawater desalination Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Ziyuan Xu
    2023 Principal Supervisor Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction and Clean Energy Generation by Functional Nanomaterials Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Haifeng Shen
    2023 Principal Supervisor Design of high-performance heterojunction electrocatalysts for green hydrogen evolution Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Deyu Bao
    2023 Co-Supervisor A Novel High-Entropy ZIF for Electrocatalysts and Ion-Exchange Membranes in Seawater Electrolysis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Zekang Wang
    2022 Principal Supervisor Designing catalyst for electrocatalysis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Hao Liu
    2022 Principal Supervisor Design and development of high-performance electrocatalysts Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Linsen Huang
    2022 Principal Supervisor Nanomaterials for electrocatalytic refinary Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Xiaogang Sun
    2022 Principal Supervisor Multiscale Design of Nanomaterials for Efficient Chemicals Electrosynthesis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Yingjie Gao
    2022 Principal Supervisor Electrocatalytic Urea Oxidation and CO2 Reduction for Environmental Protection Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Chaojie Chen
    2021 Principal Supervisor Correlated Single Atoms for Electrocatalysis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Yunling Jiang
    2021 Co-Supervisor Designing Nanostructured Electrocatalysts for Sustainable Clean Energy Generation Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Jun Xu
    2021 Principal Supervisor Design, synthesis and application of electrocatalysts Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Xintong Gao
    2020 Principal Supervisor Nanostructured Electrocatalysts for Overall Water Splitting/CO2 reduction reaction Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Min Zheng

  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2022 - 2023 Principal Supervisor Synthesis of high entropy Metal Organic Frameworks by molecular cleavage engineering Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mr Zekang Wang
    2018 - 2022 Principal Supervisor Cu-based catalysts for electrochemical CO2 reduction Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Xianlong Zhou
    2018 - 2021 Co-Supervisor Noble Metal Catalysts for Electrocatalytic Water Splitting in Acidic Environments Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Jieqiong Shan
    2017 - 2018 Co-Supervisor Reinforcement of Natural Rubber using Nanostructured Carbon Materials Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mr Yang Shi
    2017 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Design and Mechanism Study of Electrocatalysts for Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Xuesi Wang
    2017 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Directing Selectivity of Carbon Dioxide Reduction Reaction via Heteroatom Doping Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Xing Zhi
    2017 - 2021 Co-Supervisor Production of Chemicals from Air Through Electrocatalytic Nitrogen and Oxygen Reduction Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Laiquan Li
    2016 - 2020 Co-Supervisor Designing Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials for Electrocatalytic Clean Energy Conversion Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Huanyu Jin
    2016 - 2020 Co-Supervisor Copper and Copper Alloy Electrocatalysts for the Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Fuels Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Anthony Joseph Vasileff
    2015 - 2017 Co-Supervisor Fabrication of Carbon-based Nanomaterial for Energy Conversion Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Bita Bayatsarmadi
  • Position: ARC Future Fellow
  • Phone: 83135981
  • Email: yao.zheng01@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Engineering Annexe, floor Second Floor
  • Room: 203
  • Org Unit: Materials Engineering
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