Publications

Jun, 2026

Journal

Constructing Highly Durable Fuel Cell Catalysts Through Integrating Graphitic Shell-Protected Composite Carbon Support with Gaseous Co Deposition-Driven PtCo Intermetallics

Metal dissolution, nanoparticle agglomeration, and carbon support corrosion cause significant performance degradation of current PtCo catalysts under acidic and oxidative oxygen reduction reaction. Here, an integrated strategy is presented to design high-performance Pt3Co intermetallic catalysts by regulating gaseous Co deposition-driven diffusion into Pt nanoparticles sup…

May, 2026

Journal

Hollow-structured Ni-N-C catalysts for highly selective CO2 electroreduction

Atomically dispersed single-atom catalysts have emerged as promising non-precious catalyst alternatives to expensive Ag and Au catalysts for electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). In particular, nickel-nitrogen-carbon (Ni-N-C) catalysts have demonstrated a high faradaic efficiency (FE) toward CO formation at low overpotentials. Nonetheless, the exact nature of Ni…

May, 2026

Journal

Regulating in situ gaseous deposition to construct highly durable Fe–N–C oxygen-reduction fuel cell catalysts

The activity–stability trade-off challenges the design of high-performance atomically dispersed iron–nitrogen–carbon (Fe–N–C) catalysts for the acidic oxygen reduction reaction in polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Here we develop an in situ chemical vapour deposition approach during catalyst synthesis to break the trade-off, producing highly stable Fe–N–C catalysts while mai…

May, 2026

Journal

Durable Thin-Film Porous Transport Electrodes for High Current Density PEM Water Electrolysis

Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers rely on relatively expensive Ir-based catalysts for efficient and durable hydrogen production. To reduce system costs, Ir loadings can be reduced if performance and durability are maintained. Sputter deposition is a readily scalable method to synthesize uniform, low-loading catalyst layers with controlled composition. A catalyst…

Apr, 2026

Journal

How Selective Transport Layer Improves Efficiency and Durability of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

In any electrochemical device, the separator or membrane allows specific ions to transport but blocks electrons and other chemical species, enabling the electrochemical energy to be harvested. However, small amounts of undesired species are known to permeate through the membrane, reducing overall system efficiency and lifetime. An emerging concept called the “Selective Tra…

Mar, 2026

Conference Paper

In situ Gas Cell TEM Investigation of Nanoporous and Zeolite-based Nanocatalysts

A crucial application of in situ transmission electron microscopy is the understanding of nanocatalysts and the effect of the environment on their structure. Pre-treatments, such as calcination or annealing, can dramatically impact the catalytic properties by modifying the morphology and composition of nanostructures. Zeolites and nanoporous structures are particularly sen…

Mar, 2026

Conference Paper

Elucidating Processes at Hard-Soft Interfaces in Next-Generation Electrochemical Devices by Cryogenic Electron Microscopy

Mar, 2026

Conference Paper

Investigating the Degradation Mechanism of Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers Using Analytical Electron Microscopy

Feb, 2026

Journal

Unravelling the Stability Stressors of Atomically Dispersed Fe–N–C Oxygen Reduction Catalysts

Enhancing the catalytic stability of Fe–N–C catalysts for cathodic oxygen reduction in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) necessitates an in-depth understanding of their degradation mechanisms. This study identifies key stressors affecting the stability of Fe–N–C catalysts, specifically acidic environment, oxygen (O2), and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Through e…

Feb, 2026

Journal

Low-iridium stabilized ruthenium oxide anode catalyst for durable proton-exchange membrane water electrolysis

While mixing iridium (Ir) with ruthenium oxide (RuO2) has proven to be an effective strategy for reducing Ir loading in anode catalysts for proton-exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysers, achieving industrially relevant long-term stability typically requires an Ir-rich, Ru-lean combination. Here, by combining density functional theory with Metropolis Monte Carlo method…

Jan, 2026

Journal

Oxygen Reduction on Platinum-Nickel and Platinum-Cobalt Alloy Based Catalysts for High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Catalyst layers, with commercial PtNi/TKK (TECNiE52; platinum 46.5 wt%), PtCo/TKK (TEC36E52; platinum 45.8 wt%) catalysts, and an in-house catalyst PtNi-NC (platinum 38.4 wt%), synthesised using acoustic mixer and a tube furnace, are prepared using three different ionomers: 20 wt% Nafion®, 60 wt% polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and an in-house 5 wt% ionomer (‘Ionomer X’).…

Dec, 2025

Journal

Recent developments in catalyst-related PEM fuel cell durability

Cost and durability remain the two major barriers to the widespread commercialization of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)-based power systems, especially for the most impactful but challenging fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) application. Commercial FCEVs are now on the road; however, their PEMFC systems do not meet the cost targets established by the U.S. D…