I completed my PhD study at PartCat group (UNSW Sydney) in 2021 where I developed strong interest in the use of the knowledge of “catalysis” and “surface chemistry” for solving the two most urgent crises – our over-reliance on fossil fuels and global warming. hydrogen is taken as an important fragment in facilitating the transition from limited fossil fuels to sustainable renewable sources. Hydrogen is itself an essential building block in the chemical industry (for ammonia manufacture, refinery process, and methanol production). The proposed concept of power-to-X by ARENA illustrates a unique opportunity of using hydrogen for energy storage (via water splitting reaction powered by clean electricity) and energy conversion (via fuel cells) The application of H2 itself as an energy carrier, although currently limited by the high cost in its storage and transport, could be promising given its high energy density per mass and environmentally friendly feature. Alternatively, the generated hydrogen can be used for upgrading CO2 to liquid chemicals (ammonia, methanol) or methane via catalytic reactions, after which they can be conveniently stored and transported with current industrial infrastructure.

I am currently working on reactions to convert CO2, methane and other light alkanes into value-added fuels and chemical where H2 serve as either a reactant or a product. The exploration of active nanostructured catalysts and novel catalytic systems is a key component in the process. In addition to this, I am also working on the surface chemistry study via advanced characterisation techniques, which ultimately pave a way to our understanding of the catalytic behaviour and thus instruct us on improving the efficiency and efficacy of the system. 

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