Electrocatalyst
Xiaohan's research focuses on the design, fabrication, and electrochemical applications of nanoporous metal materials for electrocatalysis. Particular emphasis is placed on Cu-based porous metals and Cu-centered bimetallic and multimetallic systems, where the composition, morphology, pore architecture, and surface electronic structure are tailored to enhance catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability. Interests mainly encompass three areas: methanol electro-oxidation, electrochemical sensing, and CO₂ reduction. For methanol electro-oxidation, I investigate porous Cu-based catalysts and their bimetallic/multimetallic counterparts to improve catalytic activity and reaction kinetics. In electrochemical sensing, I explore the high surface area, abundant active sites, and turnable surface properties of porous metal architectures for the sensitive and selective detection of target analytes. For CO₂ electroreduction, my research focuses on Cu-based porous and hierarchical catalysts for the selective conversion of CO₂ into value-added products, with particular attention to the relationship between catalyst structure, local reaction environment, and product selectivity. A key aspect of research is the use of electrochemical synthesis and electrodeposition strategies to construct three-dimensional porous and hierarchical metal architectures. By controlling electrodeposition parameters, precursor chemistry, additives/templates, and substrate–catalyst interactions, I aim to establish precise structure–composition–property relationships and develop scalable approaches for preparing high-performance electrocatalysts. Overall, her aims to develop highly active, selective, and durable porous Cu-based electrocatalysts and to understand how their nanoscale and mesoscale structures regulate electrochemical reactions. This work provides fundamental insights into porous metal electrocatalysis while contributing to the development of efficient technologies for clean energy conversion, chemical production, and electrochemical sensing.