研究方向1：【电解水制氢关键材料】
电解水是绿氢制备的核心技术，电解水利用的电解槽是一个复杂的集成体涉及多种功能材料，本实验室针对水电解槽需要的关键材料展开研究和开发，基于分子科学，配位化学和材料化学设计并合成新一代高性能阴离子交换膜（AEM）及离子溶剂化膜（ISM）；探索碱性析氧（OER）和析氢（HER）催化剂的简易和宏量制备；开发可应用于质子交换膜电解水的低铱/非铱酸性OER催化剂。
代表作：
1.X. Cui, Y. Ding, F. Zhang, X. Cao, Y. Guo, L. Sun, B. Zhang*, Reserved Charges in a Long-Lived NiOOH Phase Drive Catalytic Water Oxidation. Nature Chemistry, 2025, in press
2.Z. Wei, Y. Ding*, W. Shi, F. Zhang, Y. Song, X. Cui, Y. Guo, L. Sun, Q. Jiang, B. Zhang*, Lanthanum-Assisted Lattice Anchoring of Iridium in Co3O4 for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Low-Iridium Water Electrolysis. Nature Communications, 2025, 16, 8145. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63577-x.
3.Y. Song, W. Zhao, Z. Wang, W. Shi, F. Zhang, Z. Wei, X. Cui, Y. Zhu, T. Wang, L. Sun, B. Zhang, Sub‑4 nm Ru-RuO2 Schottky Nanojunction as a Catalyst for Durable Acidic Water Oxidation. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2025, 147, 13775–13783. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c01876
4.B. Zhang, L. Fan, R. B. Ambre, T. Liu, Q. Meng, B. J. J. Timmer, and Licheng Sun*, Advancing Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers with Molecular Catalysts, Joule, 2020, 4, 1408–1444. DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.2020.06.001.
5.X. Cui, T. Tang, F. Zhang, L. Sun, B. Zhang*, New Benchmark for Pure Nickel-Based Oxygen-Evolution Electrocatalyst: Tailored Large NiMoO4.xH2O Monocrystals for Complete Reconstruction. Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy, 2025, 366, 125024. DOI:10.1016/j.apcatb.2025.125024
研究方向2：【电催化CO2还原制甲酸】
甲酸是最具电子经济效益的CO2还原产物，可作为燃料直接应用于甲酸燃料电池，也可以作为储氢载体应用。本实验室在材料催化剂中引入质子摆渡概念，通过研究氰胺化合物中[NCN]结构互变传递质子，加快反应动力学，维护金属活性中心氧化态稳定性；通过晶体与微结构优化，构筑酸性稳定的电催化CO2还原催化剂体系，开发具有工业应用前景的CO2还原产甲酸电催化体系。
代表作：
1.B. Jia, Z. Chen, K. Zhu, W. Shi, Z. Hu, T. Wang*, L. Sun, B. Zhang*, Gallium modulated tin oxide for continuous production of formic acid via durable acidic CO2 electroreduction, Science Advances, 2025, 11, eadw7326. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adw7326.
2.K. Zhu, B. Jia, Z. Chen, Z. Hu, L. Sun, T. Wang*, and B. Zhang*, Sn Catalysts with Build-in [NCN]2− as Proton Relay for Industrial-Grade CO2 Reduction at Low Overpotential, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2025, 137, e202507422. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202507422.
3.B. Jia, Z. Chen, C. Li, Z. Li, X. Zhou, T. Wang, W. Yang, L. Sun, and B. Zhang*, Indium Cyanamide for Industrial-Grade CO2 Electroreduction to Formic Acid, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2023, 145, 14101−14111. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c04288.
研究方向3：【电催化氨氧化】
尽管光伏技术和水电解槽的进步已实现大规模绿氢生产，但大规模的氢气存储仍是关键挑战。将绿氢转化为绿氨提供了一种有效解决方案，因氨既可直接作为氨燃料电池的燃料，也可通过电化学裂解再生氢气。两条低温利用路径——直接氨燃料电池与电化学氨裂解——根本上都依赖于高效的电化学氨氧化反应（将氨转化为氮气）。因此实现高效的氨氮转化构成了实际应用低温氨技术的核心瓶颈。为应对这一挑战，本实验室的研究将聚焦于：1）通过理性分子设计开发高性能氨氧化催化剂；2）阐明基础反应机制；3）建立明确的构效关系。这些分子层面的认知将指导后续多相催化剂的工程化设计，以集成于氨燃料电池和电解槽中。
代表作：
1.J. Li, X. Shi, F. Zhang, X. Lu, Y. Zhang, R.-Z. Liao*, B. Zhang *. Electrocatalytic Ammonia Oxidation by a Ruthenium Complex Bearing a 2,6-Pyridinedicarboxylate Ligand. JACS Au, 2025, 5 (4), 1812–1821. DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.5c00054.
2.H. Xiong, J. Yang, J. Li, Y. Cai, F. Zhang, J.-Y. Chen*, R.-Z. Liao, L. Sun, B. Zhang*. Electrochemical Ammonia Oxidation Catalyzed by a Ruthenium Complex with a Dangling Sulfonate Group. ACS Catalysis, 2025, 8633–8642. DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.5c01166.
3.J. Li, F. Zhang, H. Xiong, Y. Cai, B. Zhang*. Molecular Catalysts for Electrocatalytic Ammonia Oxidation. Science China Chemistry, 2024, 67, 3976−3993. DOI: 10.1007/s11426-024-2137-5.