Developing efficient electrocatalysts and photoelectrocatalysts based on the first-row transition metals for half reactions (water oxidation, chloride oxidation, water/proton reduction and carbon dioxide reduction) in solar fuels production and artificial photosynthesis; related catalytic mechanism studies; electroanalysis and electrogenerated chemiluminescence

Awardee for “Thousand Youth Talents Plan” in 2013, PR China.

Zuofeng Chen is professor in School of Chemical Science and Engineering of Tongji University since 2014. He got his Ph. D. at the University of Hong Kong in 2009 and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University. Up to date, he has authored 80 research articles with more than 2000 citations and 3 patents. He was awarded “Postdoctoral Research Excellence” by UNC-Chapel Hill in 2011-2012 and is the winner of the “Thousand Youth Talents Plan” by Chinese government in 2013.

1. Wang, J. Y.; Ji, L. L.; Chen, Z. F.* “In situ rapid formation of a nickel−iron-based electrocatalyst for water oxidation.” ACS Catalysis2016, DOI 10.1021/acscatal.6b01837.

2. Lu, C.; Du, J. L.; Su, X. J.; Zhang, M T.; Xu, X. X.; Meyer, T. J.; Chen, Z. F.;* “Cu(II) aliphatic diamine complexes for both heterogeneous and homogeneous water oxidation catalysis in basic and neutral solutions.” ACS Catalysis2016, 6(1), 77-83.

3. Zhu, L.; Du, J. L.; Zuo, S. S.; Chen, Z. F.* “Cs(I) cation enhanced Cu(II) catalysis of water oxidation.” Inorganic Chemistry2016, 55(14), 7135-7140.

4. Lu, C.; Wang, J. Y.; Chen, Z. F.* “Water oxidation by copper-amino acid catalysts at low overpotential.” ChemCatChem2016, 8, 2165-2170.

5. Du, J. L.; Chen, Z. F.;* Chen, C. C.;* Meyer, T. J. “An alternative half reaction to water oxidation: chloride oxidation to chlorine catalyzed by silver ion.” Journal of the American Chemical Society2015, 137(9), 3193-3196.

6. Du, J. L.; Chen, Z. F.;* Ye, S. R.; Wiley, B. J.; Meyer, T. J. “Copper as a robust and transparent electrocatalyst for water oxidation.” Angewandte Chemie International Edition2015, 54(7), 2073-2078.

7. Chen, Z. F.;Ye, S. R.; Stewart, I. E.; Wiley, B. J.* “Copper nanowire networks with transparent oxide shells that prevent oxidation without reducing transmittance.”ACS Nano2014, 8(9), 9673-9679.

8. Chen, Z. F.;^‡Ye, S. R.;^‡Wilson, A. R.; Ha, Y. C.; Wiley, B. J.* “Optically transparent hydrogen evolution catalysts made from networks of copper-platinum core-shell nanowires.” Energy & Environmental Science,2014, 7, 1461-1467. (^‡equal contribution)

9. Chen, Z. F.; Rathmell, A. R.;Ye, S. R.; Wilson, A. R.; Wiley, B. J.* “Optically transparent water oxidation catalysts based on copper nanowires.” Angewandte Chemie International Edition2013, 52, 13708-13711.

10. Chen, Z. F.; Meyer, T. J.* “Copper(II) catalysis of water oxidation.” Angewandte Chemie International Edition2013, 52(2), 700-703.