Research Interests: Solid-state Inorganic Materials Synthetic Chemistry - Chemical transformation in inorganic-organic hybrid nanostructures - Designed synthesis of vacancy-rich or amorphous nanostructures - Understanding and manipulation of chemical transformation at the nanoscale solid/liquid (gas) interface
Catalysis and Hydrogen Energy - Photocatalytic, Electrocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic water splitting - Electro (photo)- catalytic organicsconversion, especially coupled with hydrogen production - Artificial nitrogen cycle (N2-to-NO3-, NO3--to-NH3)
In Situ Characterization and Modeling - Raman spectroscopy - X-ray absorption near edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure - Theoretical understanding of the structural transformation and catalytic mechanism (density functional theory)
Research Grants: 1. National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21871206), 0.65 million RMB, 2019.01-2022.12, PI: Bin Zhang 2. National "10000 People Plan"-Young Talents of China (No. [2018]6), 2 million RMB, 2018.6-2021.5, PI: Bin Zhang 3. National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21701122), 0.25 million RMB, 2018.01-2020.12, PI: Yifu Yu 4. Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin City (No. 17JCJQJC44700), 1 million RMB, 2017.10-2021.09, PI: Bin Zhang 5. Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin City (No. 16JCZDJC30600), 0.20 million RMB, 2015.04-2019.03, PI: Bin Zhang 6. The Tianjin Top Youth Talents (No. [2015]4), 1 million RMB, 2017.01-2018.04, PI: Bin Zhang 7. National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21422104), 1 million RMB, 2015.01-2017.12, PI: Bin Zhang (Completed project with excellent grade from NSFC)
Research Collaborators: 1. Density functional theory calculation - Prof. Weichao Wang at Nankai University, China - Prof. Jianping Xiao, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China - Aassociate Prof. Wei Zhou, Tianjin University, China
2. X-ray absorption near edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure The BESSY II Synchrotron Facility, Germany - Prof. Kathrin M. Lange at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, and Universität Bielefeld, Germany - Dr. Tristan Petit at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Germany Canadian Light Source, Saskatoon, Canada - Prof. Shuhui Sun at Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique-Énergie Matériaux et Télécommunications, Canada - Dr. Ning Chen at Canadian Light Source, Saskatoon, Canada Singapore Light Source, Singapore - Dr. Yonghua Du at Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, A*STAR, Singapore Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, China - Dr. Lirong Zheng at Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, China
Collaborating publications: 1. Jingfang Zhang, Jieyu Liu, Lifei Xi, Yifu Yu, Ning Chen, Shuhui Sun, Weichao Wang*, Kathrin M. Lange, Bin Zhang*, Single-Atom Au/NiFe Layered Double Hydroxide Electrocatalyst: Probing the Origin of Activity for Oxygen Evolution Reaction, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2018, 140, 3876–3879. 2. Chao Zhang, Yanmei Shi, Yifu Yu*, Yonghua Du, Bin Zhang*, Engineering Sulfur Defects, Atomic Thickness, and Porous Structures into Cobalt Sulfide Nanosheets for Efficient Electrocatalytic Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution, ACS Catal., 2018, 8, 8077–8083. 3. Nannan Meng, Jian Ren, Yang Liu, Yi Huang, Tristan Petit*, Bin Zhang*, Engineering Oxygen-containing and Amino Groups into Two-dimensional Atomically-thin Porous Polymeric Carbon Nitride for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production, Energy Environ. Sci., 2018, 11, 566–571. 4. Dali Liu, Changhong Wang, Yifu Yu, Bo-Hang Zhao, Weichao Wang*, Yonghua Du, Bin Zhang*, Understanding the Nature of Ammonia Treatment to Synthesize Oxygen Vacancy-Enriched Transition Metal Oxides, Chem, 2019, 5, 376–389. 5. Yanmei Shi, Yu Yu, Yu Liang, Yonghua Du, Bin Zhang*, In Situ Electrochemical Conversion of an Ultrathin Tannin Nickel Iron Complex Film as an Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalyst, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2019, 58, 3769–3773. 6. Yuting Wang, Wei Zhou, Ranran Jia, Yifu Yu, Bin Zhang*, Unveiling the Activity Origin of Copper-based Electrocatalyst for Selective Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2020, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201915992.