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Click here for my past activities since April 2015   

Research

Theme: Electrochemical technologies and liquid salts innovations for materials, energy and environment

  Laboratory in Nottingham (Click the small pictures to see the larger photo taken in 2005).

The area of my research may be best described as "Materials Electrochemistry" and “Electrochemical Technologies”, which require expertise in electrochemistry, molten salts and ionic liquid chemistry, metallurgy, corrosion control at elevated temperatures, optical and electron microscopy, physical and chemical analysis, metal and metal oxide powder processing, polymer processing and etc.

Since obtaining my MSc degree in 1985, I have researched in a number of sub-areas of materials chemistry/electrochemistry, including

---- CO₂ capture and conversion (CCC), reclamation (CCR) or utilisation (CCU) in liquid salts via electrochemical means
---- thermochromic and cryochromic composites of polymer and ionic liquid,
---- photo-electro-catalysis on carbon nanotubes supported semi-conductor materials,
---- supercapacitors, supercapatteries, batteries and fuel cells,
---- electrochemical or chemical preparation and applications of composites of carbon nanotube-conducting polymers,
---- electrolytic extraction of metals and alloys from solid metal oxides (compounds) in liquid salts (molten salts and ionic liquids),
---- electrochemistry at three-phase (or multiphase) interlines (3PI)
---- carbon nanotubes production in molten salts,
---- cathodic refining/recycling of metals (Ti and Cu and their alloys) in molten salts,
---- supramolecules and their electrochemical applications,
---- intramolecular interactions within host-guest systems, 
---- charge transfer mechanism in conducting polymers,
---- manganese dioxides (and other transition metal oxides) in primary batteries and supercapacitors.

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Carbon Capture and Conversion (CCC): Seasonal Energy Storage Assisted by Liquid Salts

CO₂ is not a waste. It is actually a valuable carbon source in view of fossil resources becoming scarcer in the near future. Nature does not store this gas as evidenced by its very low level in the atmosphere. Instead, nature captures CO₂ and reclaims the carbon via photosynthesis to produce foods, fuels and materials. In principle, and in practice to some extent, this carbon capture and conversion (CCC) process in plants is replicable at a higher rate and efficiency through process engineering which prefers to keep the captured CO₂ in a liquid for convenience of mass transport through pumps and pipes. In addition, sufficient thermal stability of the CO₂ loaded fluid is a necessity to allow, e.g., renewable energy driven electrolytic or catalytic conversion of CO₂ to more useful chemicals or materials.

In 2006, we received the Braine Mercer Feasibility Award from the Royal Society to explore the feasibility of using solar energy to drive electrochemical capture of CO₂ and conversion of it to more useful materials in molten salts, such as various nanostructured carbons. The work has continued with funding from the University of Nottingham, and produced very promising results. Particularly, the process indicates the high potential of using the electrochemical cycle between CO₂ and carbon, very much like that between water and hydrogen, for seasonal energy storage (of course daily use is also feasible). This concept is particularly meaningful to countries where sunlight is plentiful in the summer, but winter days are typically short (UK and all countries in the northern and southern hemispheres of the Earth.) There are also many opportunities for use of the nanostructured carbons, such as in batteries and supercapacitors.

Our publications on CCC in molten salts:

1.        Electrochemical manufacturing of nanocarbons from carbon dioxide in molten alkali metal carbonate salts: Roles of alkali metal cations,
Adv. Manuf., 4 (2016) 23-32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40436-015-0125-2

2.        (Open Access) Electro-deposition and re-oxidation of carbon in carbonate containing molten salts,
Faraday Discuss., 172 (2014) 105-116. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C4FD00046C

3.        (Open Access) Carbon electrodeposition in molten salts: Electrode reactions and applications,
RAC Adv., 4 (2014)35808-35817. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c4ra04629c

4.        Indirect electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon nanopowders in molten alkali carbonates: Process variables and product properties,
Carbon, 73 (2014) 163-174.

5.        Utilisation of carbon dioxide for electro-carburisation of mild steel in molten carbonate salts,
J. Electrochem. Soc., 158 (2011) H1117-H1124.

6.        Chloride ion enhanced thermal stability of carbon dioxide captured by monoethanolamine in hydroxyl imidazolium based ionic liquids,
Energy & Environ. Sci., 4 (2011)  2125-2133.

 

Ionic Liquids: Opportunities and Challenges for Electrochemistry and Materials

 

 

Thermochromic films of ionic liquids & polymer (Samples: XJ Wei)	Transparent window film at normal temperatures	Normal day with clear windows
Removable film on smart window	Dark blue at high  temperatures	Hot day with coloured windows

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In my understanding, liquid salts refer to “liquids of ions or ionic matters” disregarding temperatures, and hence include the traditional high temperature molten salts and the relatively new room temperature ionic liquids. By convention, molten is a state resulting from heating, and liquid is a condensed fluid under ambient conditions. The facts that both are salts in nature and work only in the liquid state have led the academic community to search for a common term for both, but such a term has not yet been universally accepted due to a number of reasons. I prefer liquid salts because both words are well known to the general public.  Our work in ionic liquids has just started, but already made some meaningful progresses in two directions, electrochemistry and functional materials, as shown below.

Modulation of composition and structure in the composites of polymer and ionic liquid can lead to thermochromic behaviour in response to temperature variation. In our recent work, these novel composites changed colour in the temperature range (e.g. 30 ~ 80^oC) that is readily achievable under direct or indirect sunlight, and hence termed as solar-thermochromic composites. This finding signifies applications in many areas, but particularly the built environment for improved energy efficiency. For example, these materials may be applied in truly smart windows that can, at high summer temperatures, automatically reduce light transmittance through windows and hence the energy consumption for air conditioning and refrigeration.

The University of Nottingham has selected results from our research on thermochromic window films for exhibition in London’s UBPA Case, Zone E, Shanghai Expo.

 

Our publications involving ionic liquids:

1.        High energy supercapattery with an ionic liquid solution of LiClO₄,
Faraday Discuss. 326 (2016) 604-612. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C5FD00232J

2.        (Open Access) Cryo-solvatochromism in ionic liquids,
RSC Adv., 4 (2014) 40281 – 40285. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C4RA08116A

3.        A Comparative Study of Anodic Oxidation of Bromide and Chloride Ions on Platinum Electrodes in 1-Butyl-3-Methylimidazolium Hexafluorophosphate
J. Electroanal. Chem., 688 (2013) 371-378.

4.        Chloride ion enhanced thermal stability of carbon dioxide captured by monoethanolamine in hydroxyl imidazolium based ionic liquids,
Energy & Environ. Sci., 4 (2011)  2125-2133.

5.        Capacitance at the electrode/ionic liquid interface,
Acta Phys. Chim. Sin., 26 (2010) 1239-1248 (in Chinese).

6.        Solar-thermochromism of pseudocrystalline nanodroplets of ionic liquid–Ni^II complexes immobilized inside translucent microporous PVDF films,
Adv. Mater., 21 (2009) 776-780.

7.        Thermo-solvatochromism of chloro-nickel complexes in 1-hydroxyalkyl-3-methyl- imidazolium cation based ionic liquids,
Green Chem., 10 (2008) 296-305.

8.        Electro-reduction of solid cuprous chloride to copper nanoparticles in an ionic liquid,
Electrochem. Commun., 9 (2007) 1374-1381.

9.        Unusual anodic behaviour of chloride ion in 1-butyl-3-methylimidizolium hexafluorophosphate,
Electrochem. Commun., 7 (2005) 685-691.

 

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Supercapacitors and Supercapatteries: From Materials and Understanding to Up-Scalable Prototypes

 

Nanocomposites of CNTs and redox active materials with ideal bi-mode porosity.	Ideal capacitive performance in bipolarly stacked aqueous cells.	Pseudo-capacitance vs.  the band model for semiconductors.
Small sandwich-type supercapacitor with conducting polymers	Bipolarly stacked aqueous supercapattery of high voltage and high power.	Ambitious supercapattery in “salt caverns” (105~7 L) for MW electricity storage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our research on carbon nanotube composites with redox active materials, e.g. conducting polymers and transition metal oxides, started with the unprecedented use of anionised CNTs as the dopant in electrochemical synthesis of conducting polymers. This preliminary work led to our first grant of £202k from the EPSRC between 2002 and 2006.  The research has been boosted by the 2007 E.ON Research Initiative Award with a total funding of €1.04m for three years starting from April 2008. This project aims to develop a new supercapattery and power electronic system for large scale and intelligent electricity storage.

 

Following the press release from the University of Nottingham in June 2008, a number of internet media have published articles commenting on the supercapattery concept and its potential.  In particular, the article published by Green Car Congress has attracted many interesting comments, discussions and debates. 

 

The University of Nottingham has selected results from our research on supercapacitors for exhibition in London’s UBPA Case, Zone E, Shanghai Expo.

Currently, we have achieved the following useful technical data (27 Sept 2014)
  Electrode capacitance: > 25 F/cm² (single cells),
  Cycle life: > 15000 cycles in charging-discharging tests (single electrode),

                   > 5000 cycles (single cells and stacks)
  Cell voltage/specific energy: > 1.8 V / 30 Wh/kg with aqueous electrolyte membranes (single and stacked cells),

                                                > 4.5 V / 100 Wh/kg with non-aqueous electrolyte membranes (single cells),

  up to 150 cm² in geometric coverage of the electrode surface with active materials (single and stacked cells),
  up to 5.0  mm single cell thickness,
  Stacks of 2 to 19 cells connected with bipolar plates,
  up to 25 V of maximum stack voltage,
  > 5 years working life with storage and intermittent tests (stack, still ongoing).

Our main publications in this field are given below.

1.        Mechano-Fenton-Piranha oxidation of carbon nanotubes for energy application,
Adv. Sust. Sys., (2019) 1900065  (7 pages) https://doi.org/10.1002/adsu.201900065

2.        Faradaic processes beyond Nernst’s law: Density functional theory assisted modelling of partial electron delocalisation and pseudocapacitance in graphene oxides,
Chem. Commun., 53 (2017) 10414–10417. https://doi.org/10.1039/c7cc04344a

3.        Mechanisms and designs of asymmetrical electrochemical capacitors,
Electrochim. Acta, 247 (2017) 344–357. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2017.06.088

4.        Supercapacitor and supercapattery as emerging electrochemical energy stores,
Int. Mater. Rev., 62(4) (2017) 173–202.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09506608.2016.1240914

5.        Redox electrode materials for supercapatteries,
J. Power Sources, 326 (2016) 604-612. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2016.04.095

6.        Capacitive and non-capacitive faradaic charge storage,
Electrochim. Acta,  206 (2016) 464-478. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2016.01.213

7.        Redox electrolytes in supercapacitors,
J. Electrochem. Soc., 162(5) (2015) A5054-A5059. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1149/2.0111505jes)

8.        (Invited review, free access) Understanding supercapacitors based on nano-hybrid materials with interfacial conjugation
Prog. Nat. Sci. – Mater. Int. 23 (2013) 245-255. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pnsc.2013.04.001)

9.        20 V stack of aqueous supercapacitors with carbon (-), titanium bipolar plates and CNT-polypyrrole composite (+),
AIChE J., 58 (2012) 974-983.

10.    Theoretical specific capacitance based on charge storage mechanisms of conducting polymers: Comment on ‘Vertically oriented arrays of polyaniline nanorods and their super electrochemical properties’,
Chem. Commun., 47 (2011) 4105-4107.

11.    Unequalisation of electrode capacitances for enhanced energy capacity in asymmetrical supercapacitors,
Energy Environ. Sci., 3(10) (2010) 1499 - 1502.

12.    Nanostructured materials for the construction of asymmetrical supercapacitors,
Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. Part A - J. Power Energy, 224(A4) (2010) 479-503.

13.    Individual and bipolarly stacked asymmetrical aqueous supercapacitors of CNTs/SnO₂ and CNTs/MnO₂ nanocomposites,
J. Electrochem. Soc., 156 (2009) A846-A853.

14.    Internally referenced analysis of charge transfer reactions in a new ferrocenyl bithiophenic conducting polymer through cyclic voltammetry,
Chem. Commun., (2008) 6606-6608.

15.    Nanoscale micro-electrochemical cells on carbon nanotubes
Small, 3 (2007) 1513-1517.

16.    Carbon nanotube stabilised emulsions for electrochemical synthesis of porous nanocomposite coatings of poly[3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene]
Chem. Comm., (2006) 4629-4631.

17.    Electrochemical fabrication and capacitance of composite films of carbon nanotubes and polyaniline
J. Mater. Chem., 15 (2005) 2297 – 2303.

18.    Composites of carbon nanotubes and polypyrrole for electrochemical supercapacitors
Chem. Mater. 14 (2002) 1610-1613.

19.    Carbon nanotubes and polypyrrole composites: coating and doping
Adv. Mater., 12 (2000) 522-526.

 

World Changing Research: Click hear to see a short video including our work on supercapatteries at YouTube.

 

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A Letter to Nature and the invention of the FFC Cambridge Process

 

Our "Letter to Nature" entitled "Direct electrochemical reduction of titanium dioxide to titanium in molten calcium chloride" was published on 21 September 2000, accompanied by a commentary "A moving oxygen story" written by Prof. H. Flower. The Letter had attracted immediate attention of the press, such as The Financial Times, The Economist, Science News, MRS Bulletin, Chemistry in Britain and etc.  The work described in the Letter summarises my research in the past five years and formed the basis for the development of what is now known as the FFC Cambridge Process (details are described elsewhere: text or scheme). This year (2003) saw a real industrial activity resulting from our work when Timet obtained $12.3 million from the US Government…

The relevant work, dealing with titanium and other metals, was also reported at many international conferences, such as the followings.

EUCHEM 2000 Conference on Molten Salts, Karrebæksminde, 20-25 August 2000

ITA 16th Annual Conference & Exhibition, New Orleans, 8-11 October 2000

TMS 2001 Annual Meeting & Exhibition, New Orleans, 10-15 February 2001

Intertech's Conference, TiO₂ 2001, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 16-18 May 2001

MS6 Shanghai, 6th International Conference on Molten Salt Chem. & Tech., Shanghai, 08-13 Oct. 2001

ICMR 2001 Akita, 4th International Conference on Materials Engineering for Resources, Akita, Oct. 11-13, 2001

EUCAS'01, 5th European Conference on Applied Superconductivity, Tech. Univ. Denmark, Copenhagen, 26-30 Aug. 2001

…….

11th International Symposium on Molten Salts Chemistry and Technology (MS11), Orleans, France, 19-23 May 2019.

Representative follow-on works on the FFC Cambridge Process

1.      Chapter 11 - Invention and Fundamentals of the FFC Cambridge Process,
in Extractive Metallurgy of Titanium – A review of the conventional and recent advances in extraction and production of titanium metal, Elsevier, Oxford, (2020) pp. 227-286.

2.      Development of the Fray-Farthing-Chen Cambridge Process: Towards the sustainable production of titanium and its alloys,
JOM, 70 (2018) 129-137.. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11837-017-2664-4

3.      Chapter 25 –Advanced Extractive Electrometallurgy,
in Springer Handbook of Electrochemical Energy, eds. Breitkopf C, Swider-Lyons K, Springer, (2017) 801-834.
ISBN: 978-3-662-46656-8. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46657-5_25

4.      Electrolysis of metal oxides in MgCl₂ based molten salts with an inert graphite anode,
Faraday Discuss. 190 (2016) 85-96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C5FD00231A

5.      Environmental and energy gains from using molten magnesium–sodium–potassium chlorides for electro-metallisation of refractory metal oxides,
Prog. Nat. Sci. Mater. Int., 25 (2015) 650-653. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pnsc.2015.11.002

6.      (Open Access) Influences of graphite anode area on electrolysis of solid metal oxides in molten salts,
J. Solid State Electrochem., 18 (2014) 3317-3325.

7.      (Open Access) Near-net-shape production of hollow titanium alloy components via electrochemical reduction of metal oxide precursors in molten salts,
Metall. Mater. Trans. B, 44 (2013) 272-282.

8.      A robust alumina membrane reference electrode for high temperature molten salts,
J. Electrochem. Soc., 159 (2012) H740-H746.

9.      Processing nanomaterials in molten salts: Partially electro-metallized nano-TiO₂ as support of nano-Pt for enhanced catalytic oxidation of CO and CH₃OH,
Chem. Eur. J., 71 (2011)  8562-8567.

10.  Metal-to-oxide molar volume ratio: The overlooked barrier to solid-state electro-reduction and a green bypass through recyclable NH₄HCO₃,
Angew. Chem. Int. Edit., 49 (2010) 3203 –3206.

11.  More affordable electrolytic LaNi₅-type hydrogen storage powders
Chem. Commun. (2007) 2515-2517.

12.  A direct electrochemical route from ilmenite to hydrogen storage ferrotitanium alloys
Chem.-Eur. J., 12 (2006) 5075-5081.

13.  Electrochemical metallisation of solid terbium oxide
Angew. Chem. Int. Edit., 45 (2006) 2384-2388.

14.  Perovskitization assisted electrochemical reduction of solid TiO₂ in molten CaCl₂
Angew. Chem. Int. Edit., 45 (2006) 428-432.

15.  Electrochemistry at conductor / insulator / electrolyte three-phase interlines: A thin layer model
J. Phys. Chem. B, 109 (2005) 14043-14051.

16.  Electrochemical preparation of silicon and its alloys from solid oxides in molten calcium chloride
Angew. Chem. Int. Edit., 43 (2004) 733-736.

17.  Direct electrolytic preparation of chromium powder
Metall. Mater. Trans. B, 35 (2004) 223-233.

Two spin-off companies

Following the invention of the FFC Cambridge Process, the University of Cambridge (where I had worked for more than 7 years) had granted exclusive licences to British Titanium plc (formed in 1998, titanium and alloys) and Metalysis (formerly known as FFC Ltd, formed in 2001 and changed to its current name in 2003, non-titanium metals), both were formed solely to commercialise the FFC Cambridge Process.

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Teaching and Administration (Ningbo and Nottingham)

In Nottingham (2019 – )

Module convenor, Advanced Rheology and Materials (CHEE4005) to Yr 4 (Sept 2020 – )
Contributing lecturer, Materials and Sustainable Processes (CHEE2047) to Yr 2 (Jan 2020 – )
Contributing lecturer, Advanced Rheology and Materials (CHEE4005) to Yr 4 (Spet 2019 – Jan 2020)

Co-supervisor of MSc Project (CHEE4015), MSc Taught Course (Sept 2019 – )
Co-supervisor of MEng R&D Project (CHEE4013), Yr 4 (Sept 2020 – ) 

Departmental deputy senior tutor.

In the UNNC (University of Nottingham Ningbo China, 2014 – 2019), I was involved in teaching five modules at undergraduate levels.

Module convenor, Engineering Materials (H82ENM / CHEE2018) to Yr 3 (= Yr 2 in the UK) (Feb 2019 –)
Module convenor, Project Management (H83PRM) to Yr 4  (Feb 2016 – Jan 2018)
Module convenor, Process Engineering Fundamentals (H81PEF) to Yr 2  (Sept 2016 – Jan 2018)

Contributing lecturer, Industrial Process Assessment (H83IPA) to Yr 4 (Nov 2015 – Jan 2018)
Contributing lecturer, Engineering Materials (H82ENM) to Yr 3 (Apr 2015 – May 2017)
Contributing to supervision and assessment of Design Project (H83DPX)
Contributing to assessment of Engineering Week (account for 20% for every Yr 2 module.)

Director, Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies (May 2015 – Nov 2017)
Head of Department of Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (July 2016 – Nov 2017)

In Nottingham (2003 – 2014), I taught three main undergraduate subjects and supervised both design and research projects.

Module convenor and Lecturer of "Engineering Materials" (H82ENM) to Year 2 undergraduates (Oct. 2003 – Sept. 2014).
Module convenor of Energy Storage (H84ENS) to Year 4 and MSc students (start from Jan. 2013 – Sept. 2014)

Supervisor of Year3 Chemical Engineering Lab (Sept. 2013 – Sept. 2014)
Supervisor of MEng “Research and Design Projects” (H84MEP) (Sept 2012 – Sept. 2014)
Supervisor of MSc “Research and Design Projects” (H84MPR) (Jun 2013 – Sept. 2014)
Supervisor of Year 3 “Design Projects” (H83DPX & J13ENP) (2011-2013)

Supervisor of MEng “Research Projects” (H84MEP) (Sept 2004 – Sept. 2012)
Supervisor of MSc “Research Projects” (H84MPR) (Sept 2004 – Sept. 2012)

Supervisor of Visiting/Postdoctoral/Postgraduate researchers, (since Oct. 2003)
Internal examiner of PhD theses and MSc dissertations (since Jul. 2004).
Lecturer of “Process Engineering Fundamentals” (H81PEF) to first year undergraduates (Oct. 2005-Dec. 2009)

Department Director of MSc Courses / Leader of Department Postgraduate/Taught (PGT) Team (Aug. 2011 – Jul. 2014)
Department Senior Tutor of MSc students (Aug. 2011 – Jul. 2014).
Member of International Campus Group, Faculty of Engineering (Feb 2012-Oct 2013)
University approved panel chair for job interviews (since Oct. 2011 – Sept. 2014)

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Conferences

In 2019 (till November), I will attend the following conferences which I am helping the organisation and/or give invited presentation of our work.

 

·         10^th Asian Conference on Electrochemical Power Sources (ACEPS10-2019), Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 24-27 November 2019.

·         2019 National Conference on Molten Salts Chemistry and Technology, The Chinese Society for Metals, Wuhan, 1-3 November 2019

·         7th World Materials Summit and Celebration of 30th Anniversary for IUMRS, Hangzhou, 24-26 October 2019

·         Energy Storage Discussions, Mexican Energy Storage Network, Mexico City, Mexico, 14-16 October 2019.

·         RSC MSILDG 2019 Summer Meeting, Churchill College, University of Cambridge, UK, 12-14 August 2017.

·         2019 (4^th) Forum of Molten Salts Chemistry and Technology, Non-ferrous Metals Society of China, Dali, China, 1-4 July 2019.

·         11th International Symposium on Molten Salts Chemistry and Technology (MS11), Orleans, France, 19-23 May 2019.

·         6th International Symposium on Enhanced Electrochemical Capacitors (ISEECap2019), Nantes, France, 06-10 May 2019.

·         Energy for Life: Energy Solutions for Developing Economies, University of Nottingham, UK, 16-17 January 2019.

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Collaborations

---- Prof. Derek Fray, FREng, FRS (My former supervisor, Oct. 1994 to Jun.2001, Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge). Various areas of materials electrochemistry.

---- Prof. Paul D. Beer (My former supervisor, May 1992 to Sept 1994, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford). Supramolecular electrochemistry.

----Prof. Xianbo Jin (Xianbo was promoted to professor in Dec. 2009. College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University). Various areas of materials and liquid salts chemistry and electrochemistry.

---- Prof. Heyong He, Department of Chemistry, Fudan University. Redox active materials for catalysis.

---- Prof. Ling Peng (Ling was promoted to Director of Research in 2009, Département de chimie, CNRS, Marseille, France). Supramolecules and dendrimers, and their applications.

---- Prof. Yanqiu Zhu (Yanqiu left Nottingham in Aug 2010 to take the Chair of Functional Materials in the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter). Novel inorganic nanomaterials and their applications.

---- Prof. Wuzong Zhou (Wuzong was promoted to Chair in Aug. 2010. School of Chemistry, St Andrews University). Nanomaterials characterisations, particularly TEM.

---- Prof. Gianluca Li Puma (Gianluca took a chair position in Loughborough University in Oct. 2010) Composites of TiO₂ and carbon nanotubes for photo-electro-catalysis.

---- Prof. Shaowei Zhang (Shaowei has been appointed as a professor in Exeter University since Nov. 2011) Molten salt synthesis and electrolysis.

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Publications

Researcher ID: A-4577-2009: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/A-4577-2009

ORCiD (Open Researcher and Contributor Identifier): http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5589-5767

Scopus Author ID: 57200595823: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57200595823

Summary (updated on 01 Dec 2020)

1. 2 higher degree theses,
   268 original research, review, overview and commentary articles in refereed journals, books, internet, and magazines;

181 invited lectures at conferences and seminars;

278 contributed oral and poster presentations at national and international conferences (including 44 full papers and 27 short papers in published conference proceedings);

42   published, filed and in-process patents;

 

2. Records in ISI Web of Science (Search for AUTHOR IDENTIFIERS: A-4577-2009 or 0000-0002-5589-5767)

               

 

3. Records in Google Scholar – My Citations:

                      

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Guest Editorships

 

If you may have any query on the articles in these Issues, please email it to me and I will forward it to the respective authors.

 

Electrochemistry for Materials and Energy

 

Progress in Natural Science: Materials International, 25 (2015) 517-678 (01 December 2015)

 

Main authors include Andrew Abbott, François Béguin, Frank Endres, Elzbieta Frackowiak, Derek Fray, Yury Gogotsi, Chi-Chang Hu, Masashi Ishikawa, Sang Mun Jeong, San Ping Jiang, Xianbo Jin, Uday Pal, Nae-Lih Wu, and Yanqiu Zhu. All the articles in this special issue have been published as Open Access, and are free to download from the following webpage.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/10020071/25/6

 

 

Liquid Salts for Energy and Materials

 

Faraday Discussions, 190 (2016) 1-570 (01 August 2016)

 

Main authors include Derek Fray, Katherine McGregor, Xionggang Lu, Geir Martin Haarberg, Xianbo Jin, Bing Li, Toru H. Okabe, Anna K. Croft, Wei Xiao, Jennifer M. Pringle, Ye Liu, George Z. Chen, Dihua Wang, Shuqiang Jiao, Xiangling Yue, Yasuhiko Ito, Jianqiang Wang, Andrew R. Mount, Ian Farnan, Wei Q. Shi, Hongmin Zhu, Hongmin Zhu, Ali Reza Kamali, Paul A. Madden, Binjie Hu,  Ricky D. Wildman, John Irvine.

http://pubs.rsc.org/en/journals/journalissues/fd#!issueid=fd016190&type=current&issnprint=1359-6640

 

 

 

Higher degree theses

1. Preparation of Fibrous Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide (FEMD) from Acidic Solutions of MnCl₂ and Mn(NO₃)₂
   MSc Thesis, Fujian Teachers University, P. R. China, Dec. 1984
   Research area: Electrochemistry / Physical Chemistry.
   Supervisor: Prof. Zhang QX
2. Studies of Polymer Modified Electrodes
   PhD Thesis, University of London (Imperial College of Sci., Tech. & Med.), U.K., Mar. 1992
   Research area: Electrochemistry / Physical Chemistry.
   Supervisor: Prof. Albery WJ, FRS

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Representative research published in refereed journals

1.       Direct electrochemical reduction of titanium dioxide to titanium in molten calcium chloride
Chen GZ, Fray DJ* and Farthing TW
Nature, 407 (2000) 361-364.

2.       Faradaic processes beyond Nernst’s law: Density functional theory assisted modelling of partial electron delocalisation and pseudocapacitance in graphene oxides,
Li JF, O’Shea J, Hou XH, Chen GZ*,
Chem. Commun., 53 (2017) 10414–10417.

3.       Indirect electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon nanopowders in molten alkali carbonates: Process variables and product properties,
Ijije HV, Sun C-G, Chen GZ*
Carbon 73 (2014) 163-174.

4.       Supercapacitor and supercapattery as emerging electrochemical energy stores,
Chen GZ
Int. Mater. Rev., 62(4) (2017) 173–202.

5.       Nanoscale micro-electrochemical cells on carbon nanotubes,
Jin XB, Zhou W*, Zhang SW, Chen GZ*,
Small, 3 (2007) 1513-1517.

6.       Carbon nanotubes and polypyrrole composites: coating and doping
Chen GZ*, Shaffer MSP, Coleby D, Dixon G.; Zhou W, Windle AH and Fray DJ
Adv. Mater., 12 (2000) 522-526.

7.       Solar-thermochromism of pseudocrystalline nanodroplets of ionic liquid–Ni^II complexes immobilized inside translucent microporous PVDF films,
Wei XJ, Yu LP, Jin XB*, Wang DH, Chen GZ*,
Adv. Mater., 21 (2009) 776-780.

8.       Chloride ion enhanced thermal stability of carbon dioxide captured by monoethanolamine in hydroxyl imidazolium based ionic liquids,
Huang Q, Li Y, Jin XB*, Zhao D, Chen GZ*,
Energy & Environ. Sci., 4 (2011) 2125-2133.

9.       Electrochemical preparation of silicon and its alloys from solid oxides in molten calcium chloride,
Jin XB, Gao P, Wang DH, Hu XH, Chen GZ*,
Angew. Chem. Int. Edit., 43 (2004) 733-736. (selected as a "hot paper" by the editors)

10.    Electrochemistry at conductor / insulator / electrolyte three-phase interlines: A thin layer model,
Deng Y, Wang DH*, Xiao W, Jin XB, Hu XH, Chen GZ*,
J. Phys. Chem. B, 109 (2005) 14043-14051.

 

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Papers each received over 100 citations (cf. Web of Science, 27 May 2020)

 

 

	Publication References	Citations in			Total citations
		19	20	21
1.	Direct electrochemical reduction of titanium dioxide to titanium in molten calcium chloride, Nature 407 (2000) 361-364.	77	96	3	1110
2.	Electrochemical capacitance of a nanoporous composite of carbon nanotubes and polypyrrole, Chem Mater 14 (2002) 1610-1613.	15	14	0	534
3.	Peng C+, Carbon nanotube and conducting polymer composites for supercapacitors, Prog. Nat. Sci., 18 (2008) 777–788.	49	52	1	494
4.	Carbon nanotubes and polypyrrole composites: coating and doping, Adv  Mater 12 (2000) 522-526.	15	8	0	445
5.	A comparative study on electrochemical co-deposition and capacitance of composite films of conducting .., Electrochim Acta 53 (2007) 525-537. No 7 in top 25 most cited papers of the journal since 2007 (on 14 Jan 2012).	18	12	0	308
6.	Electrochemical capacitance of nanocomposite films formed by coating aligned arrays .., Adv Mater 14 (2002) 382-385.	12	4	0	292
7.	Nanoscale microelectrochemical cells on carbon nanotubes, Small, 3 (2007) 1513-1517	17	20	0	269
8.	Electrochemical molecular recognition: pathways between complexation and signalling, J Chem Soc Dalt Trans (1999) 1897-1909.	5	3	0	268
9.	Mechanisms of electrochemical recognition of cations, anions and neutral guest species by redox-active .., Coordin Chem Rev 185-6 (1999) 3-36.	7	6	2	263
10.	Redox electrolytes in supercapacitors, J Electrochem Soc, 162 (2015) A5054.	53	54	3	234
11.	Carbon nanotubes/titanium dioxide (CNTs/TiO2) ... sol-gel methods exhibiting enhanced photo.., App. Cat. B. Environ. 89 (2009) 503.	20	20	0	234
12.	Direct electrolytic preparation of chromium powder, Metall. Meter. Trans. B 35 (2004) 223.  Most cited of the journal since 2001. (08-03-2012)	9	12	1	206
13.	Redox deposition of manganese oxide on graphite for supercapacitors, Electrochem Commun  6 (2004) 499-504.	7	4	0	200
14.	Supercapacitor and supercapattery as emerging electrochemical energy stores, Int Mater Rev, 62 (2017)173-202	60	79	4	187
15.	Electrochemical preparation of silicon and its alloys from solid oxides in molten calcium chloride, Angew Chem Int Ed 43 (2004) 733-736	11	17	0	176
16.	Synthesis and characterization of novel acyclic, macrocyclic, and calix[4]arene ruthenium(II) …, Inorg Chem 35 (1996) 5868-5879.	2	2	0	176
17.	Spectroscopic and electrochemical studies of charge-transfer in modified electrodes, Faraday Discuss Chem Soc 88 (1989) 247-259.	0	1	0	155
18.	Understanding supercapacitors based on nano-hybrid materials with interfacial conjugation, Prog. Nat. Sci. – Mater. Int., 23 (2013) 245-255.	36	27	1	149
19.	Carbon nanotube/titanium dioxide (CNT/TiO2) core-shell nanocomposites ……. App. Catal. B-Environ.  110 (2011) 50-57	14	18	0	143
20.	Voltammetric studies of the oxygen-titanium binary…, J. Electrochem. Soc. 149 (2002) E455	7	6	0	143
21.	Selective electrochemical recognition of the dihydrogen phosphate anion in the presence ....., J Chem Soc Chem Comm (1993) 1834.	3	1	0	143
22.	Toward optimisation of electrolytic reduction of solid chromium oxide to chromium powder in …, Electrochim. Acta, 49 (2004) 2195-2208	4	5	0	142
23.	Photo-electro-catalysis enhancement on carbon nanotubes/titanium dioxide …, App Cat B Environ, 85 (2008) 17-23	4	11	0	140
24.	Cathodic deoxygenation of the alpha case on titanium and alloys in molten calcium chloride, Metall. Mater. Trans. B, 32 (2001) 1041-1052	14	19	0	134
25.	Electrochemical fabrication and capacitance of composite films of carbon nanotubes and polyaniline  J. Mater. Chem.  15    (2005):  2297-2303	9	4	0	129
26.	Unequalisation of electrode capacitances for enhanced energy capacity in asymmetrical supercapacitors, Energy Environ. Sci., 3 (2010) 1499-1502.	14	16	0	126
27.	Electrochemically driven three-phase interlines into insulator compounds: Electroreduction of solid SiO2…, ChemPhysChem, 7 (2006) 1750-1758	7	12	0	122
28.	Achieving high electrode specific capacitance with materials of low mass specific capacitance….., Electrochem Comm, 9 (2007) 83-88.	10	7	0	120
29.	Electrochemistry at conductor/insulator/electrolyte three-phase interlines: ……. J Phys Chem B, 109 (2005) 14043-14051.	5	11	0	118
30.	Anion recognition by novel ruthenium(ii) bipyridyl calix[4]arene receptor molecules, J Chem Soc Chem Comm   (1994) 1269-1271.	0	1	0	115
31.	"Perovskitization"-assisted electrochemical reduction of solid TiO2 in molten CaCl2….Angew Chem. Int. Ed. 45 (2006) 428-432	12	3	0	114
32.	New polyaza and polyammonium ferrocene macrocyclic ligands that complex and electrochem …J Chem Soc Chem Comm (1993) 1046-1048.	0	0	0	109
33.	Synthesis and applications of MOF-derived porous nanostructures, Green Energy & Environ., 3 (2017)  218-245	29	49	11	106
34.	Theoretical specific capacitance based on charge storage mechanisms of conducting polymers:.....Chem. Commun. 47 (2011) 4105-4107	11	10	0	106
35.	Extraction of titanium from different titania precursors by the FFC Cambridge process, J. Alloy. Compd., 420 (2006) (1-2) 37-45.	3	8	0	106
36.	Capacitive and non-capacitive faradaic charge storage, Electrochim. Acta, 206 (2016) 464–478	31	34	0	103
37.	Individual and bipolarly stacked asymmetrical aqueous supercapacitors …, J. Electrochem. Soc., 156(11) (2009) A846-A853	7	7	0	102
38.	Electrochemical recognition of charged and neutral guest species by redox-active receptor molecules, Adv. Phys. Org. Chem., 31 (1998) 1	1	2	0	100

 

 

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Latest publications [* denotes corresponding author(s)] (Click here for a full list)

 

2021

1.         Review—Recent advances in non-aqueous liquid electrolytes containing fluorinated compounds for high energy density lithium-ion batteries,
Xia L*, Miao H, Zhang CF, Chen GZ*, Yuan JL*,
Energy Storage Mater., (2021, acc. Mar.)

2.         Yttria-stabilized zirconia assisted green electrochemical preparation of silicon from solid silica in calcium chloride melt,
Gao YM*, Huang ZB, He L, Chen GZ, Qin QW, Li GQ,
Metall. Mater. Trans. B, (2021, online)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-021-02138-1

3.         (Open access) Mechanisms and product options of magnesiothermic reduction of silica to silicon for lithium-ion battery applications,
Tan Y, Jiang T*,  Chen GZ*,
Front. Energy Res., 9 (2021) 651386 (19 pages)
https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2021.651386

4.         Rheological study and printability investigation of titania inks for direct ink writing process,
Dolganov A, Bishop MT, Chen GZ, Hu D*,
Ceram. Int., (2021, ASAP online)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2021.01.045

5.         Quasi-solid-state electrolyte for rechargeable high-temperature molten salt iron-air battery,
Zhang SY, Yang Y, Cheng LW, Sun J, Wang XM,Nan PF, Xie CM, Yu HS, Xia YH, Ge BH, Zhang LJ, Guan CZ, Xiao GP, Chen GZ*, Wang JQ*,
Energy Storage Mater., 35 (2021) 142-147.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ensm.2020.11.014

6.         Design and optimization of electrochemical cell potential for hydrogen gas production,
Al-Shara NK, Sher F*, Iqbal SZ, Curnick O, Chen GZ,
J. Energy Chem., 52 (2021) 421-427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jechem.2020.04.026

2020

7.         Carbon emcoating architecture boosts lithium storage of Nb₂O₅,
Ji Q, Xu ZJ, Gao XW, Cheng Y-J*, Wang XY, Zuo XX, Chen GZ, Hu BJ*, Zhu J, Bruce PG, Xia YG,
Sci. China Mater., (2020, Online)  https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-020-1532-0

8.         Sustainable conversion of carbon dioxide into diverse hydrocarbon fuels via molten salt electrolysis,
Al-Juboori O, Sher F*, Rahman S, Rasheed T, Chen GZ*,
ACS Sust. Chem. Eng., 8 (2020) 19178-19188.  https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c08209

9.         Interactions of molten salts with cathode products in the FFC Cambridge Process,
Chen GZ,
Int. J. Min. Matall. Mater., 27(12) (2020) 1572-1585. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-020-2202-1

10.     Controllable synthesis of hierarchical micro/nano structured fepo₄ particles under synergistic effects of ultrasound irradiation and impinging stream,
Dong B, Qian HL, Xue CY, LI G, Zhang JW, Chen GZ, Yang XG *,
Adv. Powder Technol., 31(10) (2020) 4292-4300.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apt.2020.09.002

11.     Charge storage properties of aqueous halide supercapatteries with activated carbon and graphene nanoplatelets as active electrode materials,
Akinwolemiwa B,Wei CH, Yang QH, Chen GZ*,
Energy Environ. Mater., (2020, accepted on 29 Aug)  https://doi.org/10.1002/eem2.12133

12.     (Invited book chapter, peer reviewed) Chapter X - Nanomaterials enhanced heat storage in molten salts,
Guo XT, Hu D, Yu LP, Xia L, Chen GZ*,
in Energy – Sustainable Advanced Materials,
ed. Nature Springer (2020, in press)

13.     Enhancing hydrogen production from steam electrolysis in molten hydroxides via selection of non-precious metal electrodes,
Sher F*, Al-Shara NK, Iqbal SZ, Jahan Z, Chen GZ*,
Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 45 (53) (2020) 28260-28271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2020.07.183

14.     Electrochemical production of sustainable hydrocarbon fuels from CO₂ co-electrolysis in eutectic molten melts,
Al-Juboori O, Sher F*, Khalid U, Niazi MBK, Chen GZ*,
ACS Sust. Chem. Eng., 8 (2020) 12877-12890. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c03314

15.     (Free Access) Nanoporous versus nanoparticulate carbon-based materials for capacitive charge storage,
Chen Y*, Hao X, Chen GZ*,
Energy Environ. Mater., 3 (2020) 247-264. https://doi.org/10.1002/eem2.12101

16.     The effect of variable operating parameters for hydrocarbon fuel formation from CO₂ by molten salts electrolysis,
Al-Juboori O, Sher F*, Hazafa A, Khan MK, Chen GZ*,
J. CO₂ Util. 40 (2020) 101193 (12 pages). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcou.2020.101193

17.     Supercapattery: Merit-merge of capacitive and Nernstian charge storage mechanisms
Chen GZ,
Curr. Opinion Electrochem., 21 (2020) 358-367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coelec.2020.04.002

18.     Microfluidic formation of highly monodispersed multiple cored droplets using needle-based system in parallel mode,
Lian Z, Chan Y, Luo Y, Yang XG, Koh SK, Wang J, Chen GZ, Ren Y*, He J*,
Electrophoresis, 41 (2020) 891-901. https://doi.org/10.1002/elps.201900403

19.     (Open Access) Supercapatteries as high-performance electrochemical energy stores
Yu LP, Chen GZ*,
Electrochem. Energy Rev. 3(2) (2020) 271-285. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41918-020-00063-6

20.     Environmental assessment of the near-net-shape electrochemical metallisation process and the Kroll – electron beam melting process for titanium manufacture,
Dolganov A, Bishop MT, Tomatis M, Chen GZ*, Hu D*,
Green Chem., 22 (2020) 1952-1967. https://doi.org/10.1039/C9GC04036F

21.     A Co₉S₈ microsphere and N-doped carbon nanotube composite host material for lithium-sulfur batteries,
Xi YK, Angulakshmi N, Zhang BY, Tian XH, Tang ZH, Xie PF, Chen GZ, Zhou YK*,
J. Alloy Compd., 826 (2020) 154201 (9 pages). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2020.154201

22.     Electrochemical study of different membrane materials for the fabrication of stable, reproducible and reusable reference electrode,
Al-Shara NK, Sher F*, Iqbal SZ, Sajid Z, Chen GZ,
J. Energy Chem., 49 (2020) 33-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jechem.2020.01.008

23.     (Open Access) Synergetic treatment of dye contaminated wastewater using microparticles functionalized with carbon nanotubes/titanium dioxide nanocomposites,
Lian Z, Wei CH, Gao B, Yang XG, Chan Y, Wang J, Chen GZ, Koh KS, Shi Y, Yan YY, Ren Y*, He J*, Liu F*,
RSC Adv., 10 (2020) 9210-9225 https://doi.org/10.1039/C9RA10899H

24.     (Free Access) An overview of molten salt electrolysis for production of silicon based energy materials and an overview of the relevant research in 2019,
Jiang TT, Chen GZ*,
Sci. Technol. Rev., 38(1) (2020) 115-123. http://www.kjdb.org/EN/abstract/abstract15615.shtml

25.     (Open Access) Effects of pore widening versus oxygenation on capacitance of activated carbon in aqueous sodium sulfate electrolyte,
Zhang LX, Chi YQ, Sun XL, Gu HZ, Zhang HJ, Li Z, Chen Y*, Chen GZ,
J. Electrochem. Soc., 167 (2020) 040524. https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ab75c8

26.     (Free Access) New precursors derived activated carbon and graphene for aqueous supercapacitors with unequal electrode capacitances,
Chen Y*, Chen GZ*,
Acta Phys-Chim. Sin., 36 (2) (2020) 1904025 (19 pages)
http://www.whxb.pku.edu.cn/CN/10.3866/PKU.WHXB201904025

27.     Silicon prepared by electro-reduction in molten salts as new energy materials,
Jiang TT*, Xu XY, Chen GZ*,
J. Energy Chem., 47 (2020) 46-61.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jechem.2019.11.005

28.     (Invited book chapter, peer reviewed) Chapter 11 - Invention and Fundamentals of the FFC Cambridge Process,
Chen GZ, Fray DJ,
in Extractive Metallurgy of Titanium – Conventional and recent advances in extraction and production of titanium metal,
eds. Fang ZZ, Froes HS, Zhang Y, Elsevier (2020) 227-286. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-817200-1.00011-9

 

2019 (selected)

29.     High density electrochemical energy storage via regenerative fuels,
Xia L, Chen GZ*,
Chin. J. Catal. 40 (2019) S111-S119.  http://www.cjcatal.org/CN/Y2019/V40/Is1/111

30.     Mechano-Fenton-Piranha oxidation of carbon nanotubes for energy application,
Wei CH, Akinwolemiwa B, Wang QF, Guan L, Xia L, Hu, D, Tang BC, Yu LP*, Chen GZ*,
Adv. Sust. Sys., (2019) 1900065  (7 pages)   https://doi.org/10.1002/adsu.201900065

31.     Highly-dispersed nickel nanoparticles decorated titanium dioxide nanotube array for enhanced solar light absorption,
Chen J, Zhou YK*, Li RZ, Wang X, Chen GZ*,
App. Surf. Sci., 464 (2019) 716-724.    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.09.091

 

2018 (selected)

32.     Optimal utilisation of combined double layer and Nernstian charging of activated carbon 1 electrodes in aqueous halide supercapattery through capacitance unequalisation,
Akinwolemiwa B, Wei CH, Yang QH, Yu LP, Xia L, Hu D, Peng C*, Chen GZ*
J. Electrochem. Soc., 165 (2018) A4067-A4076.   https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0031902jes

33.     A rechargeable high-temperature molten salt iron-oxygen battery,
Peng C*, Guan CZ, Lin J, Zhang SY, Bao HL, Wang Y, Xiao GO, Chen GZ*, Wang JQ*,
ChemSusChem, 11(11) (2018) 1880-1886.  https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201800237

 

2017 (selected)

34.     (Open Access) Faradaic processes beyond Nernst’s law: Density functional theory assisted modelling of partial electron delocalisation and pseudocapacitance in graphene oxides,
Li JF, O’Shea, Hou XH, Chen GZ*,
Chem. Commun., 53 (2017) 10414–10417.  https://doi.org/10.1039/c7cc04344a

35.     (Open Access) Supercapacitor and supercapattery as emerging electrochemical energy stores,
Chen GZ
Int. Mater. Rev., 62 (2017) 173–202.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09506608.2016.1240914

 

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Selected papers in conference proceedings presented by GZC
(if you would like a copy of the following papers for academic use, please send an email to me.)

 

1.       (Keynote) An overview of the REFINE project - The sustainable reduction of spent fuel vital in a closed loop nuclear energy cycle,
Hu D, Stevenson A, Chen GZ*,
The 2014 ECS and SMEQ (Sociedad Mexicana de Electroquímica) Joint International Meeting, Molten Salts and Ionic Liquids 19, Cancun, Mexico, 5-10 October 2014. (ECS Transactions, 64 (4) (2014) 585-592.) doi: 10.1149/06404.0585ecst

2.       (Invited Lecture) The FFC Cambridge Process for metal production: Principle, practice and prospect,
Chen GZ, Proc. 3^rd Int. Slag Valorisation Symp., Leuven, Belgium, 19-20 Mar 2013.
http://slag-valorisation-symposium.eu/images/papers/s3_3_Chen.pdf

3.       (Plenary) Fast electro-reduction of TiO₂ precursors with bimodal porosity in molten CaCl₂,
Li W, Chen HL, Huang FL, Jin XB, Xiao FM, Chen GZ*,
The 3rd Asian Conference on Molten Salts and Ionic Liquids, 06-09 Jan. 2011, Harbin, China.

4.       (Talk) Microstructures of electro-carburised mild steels,
Siambun NJ, Hu D, Chen GZ*,  at 218th ECS Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, 10 - 15 Oct, 2010.
Accepted by.ECS Transactions - Las Vegas, NV" Vol. 33, "Molten Salts and Ionic Liquids 17".

5.       (Symposium Plenary) Solid state electro-reduction in liquid salts
Chen GZ*, PRiME 2008, (214th ECS Annual Meeting), Honolulu, Hawaii, Oct. 12-17, 2008.
Published in ECS Transactions, 16(49) (2009) 205-210.

6.       Electro-deoxidation of solid chromium oxide in molten chloride salts
Gordo E, Chen GZ* and Fray  DJ,
EDP Congress 2005, Ed.  M. E. Schlesinger, TMS, (2005) 641-646.
(This paper is the first to propose a preferential growth mechanism for the formation of different particle morphologies, e.g. cube for Cr and nodules for Ti.)
Presented at TMS 2005, San Francisco, 12-18 Feb. 2005.

7.       (Light Metals Reactive Metals Technology Award) Understanding the electro-reduction of metal oxides in molten salts
Chen GZ* and Fray DJ,
Light Metals 2004, (2004) 881-886.
Presented at the Symposium of Recent Advances in Non-Ferrous Metals Processing, 133rd TMS Annual Meeting, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, March, 2004, and was recognised by the TMS Light Metal Division as the "most notable Reactive Metals Technology research paper published in Light Metals 2004".

8.       Tailoring the electrochemical properties of carbon nanotube-polypyrrole composite films for electrochemical capacitor applications
Hughes M, Chen GZ*, Shaffer MSP, Fray DJ, and Windle AH
Proceedings of the 202nd Meeting of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 25, 2002, 68 - 77, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, October 2002.

9.       (Keynote) Novel cathodic processes in molten salts
Chen GZ* and Fray DJ
MS6, Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Molten Salt Chemistry and Technology, eds. Chen Nianyi, Qiao Zhiyu, Shanghai University Press, Shanghai, China, Oct. 2001, (2001) 79-85. ISNB 7-81058-391-3.
(This paper is the first public report on the three-phase interline model for electrolysis on solid insulator oxides.)

10.   (First Poster Prize) Electrochemical investigation of the formation of carbon nanotubes in molten salts
Chen GZ*, Kinloch I, Shaffer MSP, Fray DJ and Windle AH
Advances in Molten Salts----From Structural Aspects to Waste Processing, ed. M. Gaune-Escard, Begell House, Inc., Porquerolles Island, France (1999) 97-107 (The paper was presented as a poster and won the First Prize for Posters at the European Research Conference on Molton Salts, JUN 27-JUL 03, 1998, re-published in High Temp. Mater. Processes)

 

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Selected granted patents

 

1.         Sensors for neutral molecules
Beer PD, Shade M, Chen Z
(UK filing in Oct 1994, Int. Pub. No. WO9511449 )

2.         Removal of oxygen from metal oxides and solid solutions by electrolysis in a fused salt
Fray DJ, Farthing TW, Chen Z
(UK filing in June 1998, Int. Pub. No. WO9964638)

3.         Metal and alloy powders
Chen GZ, Fray DJ
(UK filing in Nov. 2000, Int. Pub. No. WO0240725 )

4.         Intermetallic Compounds
Fray DJ, Copcutt R, Chen GZ
(UK filing in Nov. 2000, Inter. Pub. No. WO200240748)

5.         Superconductor materials fabrication method using electrolytic reduction and infiltration
Chen GZ, Fray DJ, Yan XY, Glowacki B
(UK filing in Oct. 2001, Int. Pub. No.WO03031665)

6.         Synthesis of Metal Sulfides,
Jin XB, Cheng SM, Chen Z, Hu XH, Wang DH,
(China filing in Sept. 2004, Pub. No. CN1613750 )

7.         Electrochemical synthesis of composites
Chen GZ (UK filing in Sep 2006, Int. Pub. No. WO2008032071)

8.         A method for preparation of metals from complex compounds
Chen Z, Wang DH, Hu XH, Jiang K, Jin XB,
(China filing in Sept. 2005, Pub. No.  CN1940143)

9.         Charge storage device and method of manufacturing it
Peng C, Chen GZ
(UK filing in Aug 2010, Int. Pub. No. WO2012020393)

10.     A combined method for environment-caring and high yield modification of carbon nanotubes,
Chen GZ, Wei CH, Yu LP, Akinwolemiwa B, Xia L, Hu D,
(China Patent Filing Date in Dec. 2018, Pub No. CN109607514A)

 

Selected invited presentations

Conferences / Meetings / Workshops

 

1.            (Keynote) Faradaic charge storage and supercapattery explained,
Session A03: Fast Energy Storage Processes and Devices - Capacitors, Supercapacitors, and Fast-Charging Batteries, PRiME 2020, on-demand digital platform, 4 - 9 Oct 2020.
https://ecs.confex.com/ecs/prime2020/meetingapp.cgi/Session/20854

2.            (Keynote) A study of charge storage in polyaniline by electrochemical means and in situ electron spin resonance spectroscopy,
Symposium 7: Electrochemical capacitors: beyond double-layer storage, The 71st Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry---“Electrochemistry towards Excellence”---Belgrade Online, Zoom, 31 Aug - 04 Sept 2020.
https://annual71.ise-online.org/index.php

3.            (Invited) Molten salts enabled electrochemical approach to regenerative fuels for energy storage,
2020 Cambridge International Young Scientists Forum, Zoom, 21 June 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAAYM8TXkMc

4.            (Keynote) Surface confined and diffusion controlled capacitive charge storage,
10th Asian Conference on Electrochemical Power Sources (ACEPS10-2019), Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 24-27 November 2019.
https://aceps10.org/index.php?inter=speakers&spid=8

5.            (Keynote) Making rear earth alloys by the FFC Cambridge Process,
11th International Symposium on Molten Salts Chemistry and Technology (MS11), Orleans, France, 19-23 May 2019
https://ms11.sciencesconf.org/

6.            (Plenary) Prospects of electrolytic conversion of carbon dioxide in molten salts,
27th Conference on Molten Salts and Ionic Liquids (EuCheMSIL 2018), 7-12 October 2018, Lisbon, Portugal.
http://www.euchemsil2018.org/plenary-lectures/

7.            (Plenary) Development of titanium production in molten salts via electroreduction
6^th International Round Table on Titanium Production in Molten Salts (Ti-RT2018), Reykjavik University, Iceland, 10-13 June 2018.
https://en.ru.is/tirt2018 

8.            Liquid salts for CO₂ capture and electro-conversion
Royal Australian Chemical Institute National Centenary Conference 2017, Melbourne, Australia, 23–28 July 2017.
http://racicongress.com/electrochemistry-speakers.php

9.            Fundamental consideration for electrochemical engineering of supercapattery
Energy, Water and Environmental Sciences Symposium, 46th IUPAC World Chemistry Congress, São Paulo, Brazil, 09-14 July 2017.
http://www.iupac2017.org/

10.        An “Lithium/Ionic Liquid/carbon” Supercapattery
The 57th Battery Symposium in Japan, Makuhari Messe, Chiba, Japan, 29 Nov – 01 Dec 2016
http://bsj57.jp/en/

11.        Understanding of electro-reduction of CO₂ in molten salts
26^th EUCHEM Conference on Molten Salts and Ionic Liquids (EUCHEM2016), Vienna, Austria, 03-08 July 2016.
http://www.euchem2016.org/programme/confirmed-speaker/

12.        On combined capacitive and Nernstian mechanisms for improved electrochemical energy storage,
Symposium 5: Novel Insights to Electrochemical Capacitors, 66th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry, Taipei, Taiwan, 4-9 Oct 2015.
http://annual66.ise-online.org/

13.        Capacitive and non-capacitive Faradaic charge storage,
4^th International Symposium on Enhanced Electrochemical Capacitors (ISEE15Cap), Montpellier, France, 8-12 June 2015. 
http://www.iseecap2015.org/programme.html

14.        Electrochemical capture and utilisation of carbon dioxide,
CCS Utilization Meeting for All Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group, The Houses of Parliament, London, 19 Nov. 2014.

15.        Interfacial conjugation in hybrids of nano-carbon and pseudo-capacitive materials,
Symp. 4a: Novel Materials and Devices for Energy Storage and Conversion: Electrochemical Capacitors, 64th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry, Santiago de Querétaro, México, 8-13 Sept. 2013.
http://annual64.ise-online.org/general/symposia.php#s4a

16.        On the correlation of electrochemical features with capacitance analysis,
2013 International Conference on Advanced Capacitors (ICAC2013), Osaka, Japan, 27-30 May 2013.
http://www.icac2013.org/ 

17.        Zero-cost engineering towards higher energy capacity in supercapacitors,
Invited lecture. Workshop on Advanced Supercapacitors, Alicante, Spain, 05-06 Sept. 2012
http://web.ua.es/es/spain-japan-workshop/invited-speakers.html

18.        Perception of supercapacitor and supercapattery,
Invited lecture. 220th ECS Meeting, Boston, 09-14 October 2011.

19.        Electrochemical capacitance of conducting polymers: From fundamentals to a 20V prototype supercapattery,
Keynote. 2nd International Symposium on Enhanced Electrochemical Capacitors, Poznan University of Technology, Poland 12-16 Jun 2011.

20.        Electro-reduction of solid TiO₂ in molten CaCl₂: Barriers and feasible solutions for the new making of titanium,
Keynote. Second International Round Table on Titanium Production in Molten Salts, MS Nordkapp from Tromsø to Trondheim, Norway.19-22 Sept. 2010.

21.        Liquid salts assisted electro-reduction of metal compound precursors to metal nanoparticulates,
Invited Lecture. Symposium 6: Electrodeposition for Nanoelectronic Applications; 60th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry, Beijing, (Aug. 2009).

22.        Innovation in Molten Salt Electrochemistry for Sustainable Metal Production
Plenary. The 27th Annual Conference on Science and Technology, Northwest Institute for Nonferrous Metals Research (NIN), Xi'an (Feb. 2008). 

23.        Intramolecular Communications through Electrostatic Pathways  
Invited Lecture. 4th International Society of Electrochemistry Spring Meeting, Singapore (Apr. 2006).

24.        May the FFC Cambridge Process Bring About Cheaper Titanium Powder?
Invited Lecture. PM Titanium Seminar, EURO PM2005, Prague (Oct. 2005)

25.        Combining Carbon Nanotubes and Conducting Polymers:  An Approach towards Advanced Electrochemical Capacitors
Invited Lecture. 2003 International Conference on Advanced Capacitors, Kyoto, (May 2003)

26.        Electrolysis of Solid Titanium Dioxide in Molten Salts
Invited Lecture. TiO₂ 2001, Montreal, Canada (May 2001).

 

Seminars

1.         Electrochemically regenerative fuels,
College of Mechatronics, Beijing Institute of Technology, 08 July 2019.

2.         Electrolytic production of carbon in molten salts
Invited Seminar, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 14 May 2018

3.         CO₂ capture and electrolysis in molten salts
Invited Seminar, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 02 March 2016.

4.         An electrochemical approach towards utilisation of carbon dioxide,
Irregular Chemistry Colloquia, Department of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, 14 April 2014.
http://talks.st-andrews.ac.uk/talk/index/216

5.         Supercapattery and its implication for energy storage
Invited Evening Lecture, Institute of Physics - Manchester and District Branch, 27 Feb. 2013.

6.         Electrochemical capacitance: Understanding and utilisation
Invited Lecture Tour, Department of Chemical Engineering, (1) National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, (2) National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, 05-06 June 2012.

7.         Metallic nanoparticulates of electronic significance from electrolysis in liquid salts
Invited Seminar, Nokia research Centre, Cambridge, 25 Nov. 2011.

8.         Chloride ion enhanced CO₂ absorption in hydroxylated ionic liquids with MEA
Invited Seminar, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, 18 Aug. 2011.

9.         Electrochemistry of the Si/SiO₂ couple in molten CaCl₂ and the environmental implication,
CEST Seminar “Topics in applied electrochemistry”, Wiener Neustadt, Austria, 11 Nov. 2010.

10.     Supercapacitors for large scale energy storage,
Invited seminar, Dept. of Chem., Tsinghua University, Beijing, 29 Dec 2009.

11.     Building superpower from carbon nanotubes,
49th Lecture, Forum of Institute for Advanced Study, Nanchang University, 24 Dec 2009.

12.     More affordable functional metals and alloys from the FFC Cambridge Process
Invited Lecture, Forum with Visiting Research Expertise, Centre of Materials and Minerals, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia (March 2009).

13.     Molten Salts Assisted Electrochemical Innovations for Functional Materials
Invited Seminar, School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (March 2009).

14.     Renewable Energy Era: Opportunities and Challenges for Electrochemical Science and Technologies
Guest Professorship Seminar, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiujiang University (Feb 2008).

15.     Electricity and Carbon Nanotubes
Invited Professorship Seminar, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille (Jun. 2007)

16.     Preparation of Carbon Nanotubes from Molten Salt
Invited Seminar in Advanced Topics, Mater. Sci. & Eng., Inst. for Mater. Res., University of Leeds (Jan 2006).

17.     Titanium--The Metal of the 21st Century
Invited Seminar, Scientific Society, Eton College (Oct. 2003).

18.     A Molten Salt Route for the Production of Carbon Nanotubes
Invited Seminar, The 555th Foreigner Talk, The Foundation for the Promotion of Industrial Science, Tokyo University (May 2003).

19.     FFC Cambridge Process for Titanium
Invited Seminar, Panzhihua Iron & Steel Group Co., Panzhihua, China (June 2002).

20.     Nanotube-Polymer Composites and Supercapacitors
Invited Seminar, Bayer, Leverkusen, Germany (April 2002).

21.     A Novel Electrolytic Process for Titanium Production and its Application in Medical Materials
Invited Lecture, Annual Meeting, Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge (Dec. 1999).

 

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Personal

My name, birthplace and hometown in Chinese

 

   (Chen2 Zheng4)

 

   (Jiang1 Xi1)

 

   (Nan2 Chang1)

 

Career development: Education

1978-1981, Teaching Diploma in Chemistry,
Jiujiang Teacher Training College (now Jiujiang University)

1982-1985, MSc and Graduation Certificate in Physical Chemistry,
Fujian Teachers University (now Fujian Normal University)
(Preparation of novel fibrous electrolytic MnO₂ and its application in primary batteries)

1988-1992, PhD and DIC in Physical Chemistry, (DIC: Diploma of Imperial College)
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London (now Imperial College London)
(Investigation of polymer modified electrodes by electrochemical in situ ESR and impedance spectroscopy)

Click here for more details

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My family

Happy George, George Junior and George’s Family! (Click any of the small photos below to see a larger version.)

Jiang He

 

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