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Dr Yong Zhao

Dr Yong Zhao

Lecturer (DECRA Fellow)

School of Engineering

Career Summary

Biography

Dr. Yong Zhao is a Lecturer in the School of Engineering at the University of Newcastle, Australia. His research focuses on the electrochemical conversion and capture of small inorganic molecules such as COâ‚‚, CO, Oâ‚‚, and Hâ‚‚, with particular emphasis on the design of energy-efficient catalysts, electrode interfaces, and integrated reaction systems. His work addresses key challenges in the sustainable production of fuels and chemicals using renewable electricity, water, and carbon-based feedstocks.

Dr. Zhao earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Wollongong in 2019 under the supervision of Prof. Gordon Wallace. From 2019 to 2022, he undertook postdoctoral research at the University of New South Wales, the University of Sydney, and the University of Toronto. Prior to his current role, he was a Research Scientist at the CSIRO Energy Centre, where he established the electrocatalysis laboratory and led multiple projects on integrated COâ‚‚ capture and electrochemical conversion.

He has authored over 65 peer-reviewed publications as first or corresponding author in high-impact journals including Nature Synthesis, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Energy & Environmental Science, Chemical Society Reviews, Advanced Energy Materials, and ACS Catalysis. Dr. Zhao is a recipient of the prestigious ARC DECRA Fellowship (2025) and was awarded the International Hydrogen Research Collaboration Fellowship (Round 3), which he respectfully declined due to strategic considerations. He currently serves on the Young Editorial Boards of Carbon Energy, Carbon Neutralization, Nano Research, ChemPhyMater and Journal of Electrochemistry.

Keywords

  • CO2 reduction
  • COFs
  • Electrocatalysis
  • Energy storage
  • Nanocrystals
  • Polymers

Languages

  • Mandarin (Mother)
  • English (Fluent)

Fields of Research

Code Description Percentage
400404 Electrochemical energy storage and conversion 40
401807 Nanomaterials 30
401605 Functional materials 30

Professional Experience

UON Appointment

Title Organisation / Department
Lecturer (DECRA Fellow) University of Newcastle
School of Engineering
Australia

Academic appointment

Dates Title Organisation / Department
13/8/2021Ìý-Ìý30/12/2022 Postdoctoral Fellow University of Toronto
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Canada
5/4/2021Ìý-Ìý26/7/2021 Postdoctoral Fellow University of Sydney
School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Australia
6/5/2019Ìý-Ìý1/3/2021 Postdoctoral Fellow University of New South Wales
School of Chemistry
Australia
19/2/2019Ìý-Ìý30/4/2019 Research Assistant University of Wollongong
Intelligent Polymer Research Institute
Australia

Professional appointment

Dates Title Organisation / Department
16/1/2023Ìý-Ìý27/6/2025 Research Scientist CSIRO - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Energy

Awards

Award

Year Award
2024 Metrohm-EDRACI Young Electrochemist Award (finalist)
Metrohm Australia & New Zealand

Member

Year Award
2024 Young Editorial Board of ChemPhyMater
KeAi Publishing
2024 Young Editorial Board of Carbon Energy
John Wiley and Sons
2024 Young Editorial Board of Carbon Neutralization
John Wiley and Sons
2023 Young Editorial Board of Nano Research
Tsinghua University Press

Teaching

Code Course Role Duration
CHEM3410 Energy and Materials – Electrocatalysis
College of Engineering, Science, & Environment (CESE), ÁñÁ«³ÉÈËappÏÂÔØ of Newcastle 		Guest Lecture 10/9/2024 - 11/9/2024
SQ015139EH Introduction to Electrocatalysis
Shandong University 		Summer School Lecturer 10/7/2023 - 14/7/2023

Publications

For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.

Journal article (67 outputs)

Year Citation Altmetrics Link
2025 Yang W, Zhao Y, Chen Y, Ren H, Sun J, Shi Z, Jin X, Zhang Z, Wang X, 'Constraining CO2 Coverage on Copper Promotes CO2 Electroreduction to Multi-carbon Products in Strong Acid', Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 64 (2025)
DOI
2025 Qi M, Zachman MJ, Li Y, Zeng Y, Hwang S, Liang J, Lyons M, Zhao Q, Mao Y, Shao Y, Feng Z, Wang Z, Zhao Y, Wu G, 'Highly dense atomic Fe-Ni dual metal sites for efficient CO2 to CO electrolyzers at industrial current densities', Energy and Environmental Science, 18, 5643-5656 (2025)
DOI
2025 Zhang C, Chen C, Mao J, Wang D, Luan P, Song Q, Xie Y, Wang Y, Zhao Y, Zhang Y, Zhu Y, 'Boosting syngas production in photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction through organic molecule interaction with copper photoanodes', Nano Research, 18 (2025) [C1]
DOI
2025 Wang C, Jiang K, Yu H, Li S, Zhao Y, Zheng Z, Liu H, Xia X, Zhao P, Li Y, Liu H, Yang S, Yang Y, Zhang W, Zheng H, Li F, Li K, 'Review of electrochemical carbon dioxide capture towards practical application', Next Materials, 8 (2025)
DOI
2025 Shayesteh Zeraati A, Li F, Alkayyali T, Dorakhan R, Shirzadi E, Arabyarmohammadi F, O’Brien CP, Gabardo CM, Kong J, Ozden A, Zargartalebi M, Zhao Y, Fan L, Papangelakis P, Kim D, Park S, Miao RK, Edwards JP, Young D, Ip AH, Sargent EH, Sinton D, 'Carbon- and energy-efficient ethanol electrosynthesis via interfacial cation enrichment', Nature Synthesis, 4, 75-83 (2025)
DOI
2025 Sun Q, Jia C, Lu H, Yang M, Liu R, Villamanca DM, Zhao Y, Zhao C, 'Ampere-level electroreduction of CO2 and CO', Chemical Society Reviews (2025) [C1]
DOI
2025 Sun J, Yang W, Yu B, Liu Y, Zhao Y, Cheng G, Zhang Z, 'Mechanistic understanding of the antimony-bismuth alloy promoted electrocatalytic CO2 reduction to formate', Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 13, 5661-5669 (2025)
DOI
2024 Xu Y, Zhao Y, Kochubei A, Lee CY, Wagner P, Chen Z, Jiang Y, Yan W, Wallace GG, Wang C, 'Copper/Polyaniline Interfaces Confined CO2 Electroreduction for Selective Hydrocarbon Production', Chemsuschem, 17 (2024)
DOI
2024 Zhao Y, Shi Z, Li F, Jia C, Sun Q, Su Z, Zhao C, 'Deciphering Mesopore-Augmented CO2 Electroreduction over Atomically Dispersed Fe-N-doped Carbon Catalysts', ACS Catalysis, 14, 3926-3932 (2024)
DOI
2024 Liu S, Zhang J, Li F, Edwards JP, Xiao YC, Kim D, Papangelakis P, Kim J, Elder D, De Luna P, Fan M, Lee G, Miao RK, Ghosh T, Yan Y, Chen Y, Zhao Y, Guo Z, Tian C, Li P, Xu Y, Sargent EH, Sinton D, 'Direct air capture of CO2via cyclic viologen electrocatalysis', Energy and Environmental Science, 17, 1266-1278 (2024)
DOI
2024 Xiao YC, Sun SS, Zhao Y, Miao RK, Fan M, Lee G, Chen Y, Gabardo CM, Yu Y, Qiu C, Guo Z, Wang X, Papangelakis P, Huang JE, Li F, O’Brien CP, Kim J, Han K, Corbett PJ, Howe JY, Sargent EH, Sinton D, 'Reactive capture of CO2 via amino acid', Nature Communications, 15 (2024)
DOI
2024 Chen Y, Li XY, Chen Z, Ozden A, Huang JE, Ou P, Dong J, Zhang J, Tian C, Lee BH, Wang X, Liu S, Qu Q, Wang S, Xu Y, Miao RK, Zhao Y, Liu Y, Qiu C, Abed J, Liu H, Shin H, Wang D, Li Y, Sinton D, Sargent EH, 'Efficient multicarbon formation in acidic CO2 reduction via tandem electrocatalysis', Nature Nanotechnology, 19, 311-318 (2024)
DOI
2024 Pan W, Yuan J, Wang P, Wang J, Zhao Y, Wang G, Yu H, Wen Z, 'Efficient ultra-low voltage electrolysis of CO2 coupling with hydrazine oxidation degradation', Applied Catalysis B Environmental, 351 (2024)
DOI
2023 Sun Q, Zhao Y, Tan X, Jia C, Su Z, Meyer Q, Ahmed MI, Zhao C, 'Atomically Dispersed Cu-Au Alloy for Efficient Electrocatalytic Reduction of Carbon Monoxide to Acetate', ACS CATALYSIS, 13, 5689-5696 (2023) [C1]
DOI
Citations Scopus - 3Web of Science - 19
Co-authors Muhammadibrar Ahmed
2023 Vijayakumar A, Zhao Y, Wang K, Chao Y, Chen H, Wang C, Wallace GG, 'A Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbon Supported Copper Catalyst from a Scalable One-Step Method for Efficient Carbon Dioxide Electroreduction', Chemelectrochem, 10 (2023)
DOI
2023 Zhao Y, Hao L, Ozden A, Liu S, Miao RK, Ou P, Alkayyali T, Zhang S, Ning J, Liang Y, Xu Y, Fan M, Chen Y, Huang JE, Xie K, Zhang J, O’Brien CP, Li F, Sargent EH, Sinton D, 'Conversion of CO2 to multicarbon products in strong acid by controlling the catalyst microenvironment', Nature Synthesis, 2, 403-412 (2023)
DOI
2023 Xu Y, Liu S, Edwards JP, Xiao YC, Zhao Y, Miao RK, Fan M, Chen Y, Huang JE, Sargent EH, Sinton D, 'Regeneration of direct air CO2 capture liquid via alternating electrocatalysis', Joule, 7, 2107-2117 (2023)
DOI
2023 Xiao YC, Gabardo CM, Liu S, Lee G, Zhao Y, O’Brien CP, Miao RK, Xu Y, Edwards JP, Fan M, Huang JE, Li J, Papangelakis P, Alkayyali T, Rasouli AS, Zhang J, Sargent EH, Sinton D, 'Direct carbonate electrolysis into pure syngas', Ees Catalysis, 1, 54-61 (2023)
DOI
2023 Fan M, Miao RK, Ou P, Xu Y, Lin ZY, Lee TJ, Hung SF, Xie K, Huang JE, Ni W, Li J, Zhao Y, Ozden A, O’Brien CP, Chen Y, Xiao YC, Liu S, Wicks J, Wang X, Abed J, Shirzadi E, Sargent EH, Sinton D, 'Single-site decorated copper enables energy- and carbon-efficient CO2 methanation in acidic conditions', Nature Communications, 14 (2023)
DOI
2023 Miao RK, Wang N, Hung SF, Huang WY, Zhang J, Zhao Y, Ou P, Wang S, Edwards JP, Tian C, Han J, Xu Y, Fan M, Huang JE, Xiao YC, Ip AH, Liang H, Sargent EH, Sinton D, 'Electrified Cement Production via Anion-Mediated Electrochemical Calcium Extraction', ACS Energy Letters, 8, 4694-4701 (2023)
DOI
2023 Gui J, Li L, Yu B, Wang D, Yang B, Gu Q, Zhao Y, Zhu Y, Zhang Y, 'Modulation of the Coordination Environment of Copper for Stable CO2 Electroreduction with Tunable Selectivity', ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 15, 25516-25523 (2023)
DOI
2023 Liang Y, Zhao J, Yang Y, Hung SF, Li J, Zhang S, Zhao Y, Zhang A, Wang C, Appadoo D, Zhang L, Geng Z, Li F, Zeng J, 'Stabilizing copper sites in coordination polymers toward efficient electrochemical C-C coupling', Nature Communications, 14 (2023)
DOI
2023 Jia C, Zhao Y, Song S, Sun Q, Meyer Q, Liu S, Shen Y, Zhao C, 'Highly Ordered Hierarchical Porous Single-Atom Fe Catalyst with Promoted Mass Transfer for Efficient Electroreduction of CO2', Advanced Energy Materials, 13 (2023)
DOI
2023 Lee G, Rasouli AS, Lee BH, Zhang J, Won DH, Xiao YC, Edwards JP, Lee MG, Jung ED, Arabyarmohammadi F, Liu H, Grigioni I, Abed J, Alkayyali T, Liu S, Xie K, Miao RK, Park S, Dorakhan R, Zhao Y, O'Brien CP, Chen Z, Sinton D, Sargent E, 'CO2 electroreduction to multicarbon products from carbonate capture liquid', Joule, 7, 1277-1288 (2023)
DOI
2023 Fan M, Huang JE, Miao RK, Mao Y, Ou P, Li F, Li XY, Cao Y, Zhang Z, Zhang J, Yan Y, Ozden A, Ni W, Wang Y, Zhao Y, Chen Z, Khatir B, O’Brien CP, Xu Y, Xiao YC, Waterhouse GIN, Golovin K, Wang Z, Sargent EH, Sinton D, 'Cationic-group-functionalized electrocatalysts enable stable acidic CO2 electrolysis', Nature Catalysis, 6, 763-772 (2023)
DOI
2023 Tian C, Li XY, Nelson VE, Ou P, Zhou D, Chen Y, Zhang J, Huang JE, Wang N, Yu J, Liu H, Liu C, Yang Y, Peng T, Zhao Y, Lee BH, Wang S, Shirzadi E, Chen Z, Miao RK, Sinton D, Sargent EH, 'Paired Electrosynthesis of H2 and Acetic Acid at A/cm2 Current Densities', ACS Energy Letters, 8, 4096-4103 (2023)
DOI
2022 Sun Q, Jia C, Zhao Y, Zhao C, 'Single atom-based catalysts for electrochemical CO2 reduction', Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 43, 1547-1597 (2022)
DOI
2022 Wei Q, Qin J, Jia G, Zhao Y, Guo Z, Cheng G, Ma W, Yang W, Zhang Z, 'Dealloying-Derived Nanoporous Bismuth for Selective CO2Electroreduction to Formate', Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 13, 9058-9065 (2022)
DOI
2022 Yang W, Si C, Zhao Y, Wei Q, Jia G, Cheng G, Qin J, Zhang Z, 'Activating inert antimony for selective CO2 electroreduction to formate via bimetallic interactions', Applied Catalysis B Environmental, 316 (2022)
DOI
2022 Xia T, Yang Y, Song Q, Luo M, Xue M, Ostrikov K, Zhao Y, Li F, 'In situ characterisation for nanoscale structure-performance studies in electrocatalysis', Nanoscale Horizons, 8, 146-157 (2022)
DOI
2022 Sun Q, Zhao Y, Ren W, Zhao C, 'Electroreduction of low concentration CO2 at atomically dispersed Ni-N-C catalysts with nanoconfined ionic liquids', Applied Catalysis B Environmental, 304 (2022)
DOI
2021 Jia C, Li S, Zhao Y, Hocking RK, Ren W, Chen X, Su Z, Yang W, Wang Y, Zheng S, Pan F, Zhao C, 'Nitrogen Vacancy Induced Coordinative Reconstruction of Single-Atom Ni Catalyst for Efficient Electrochemical CO2 Reduction', ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, 31 (2021) [C1]
DOI
Citations Scopus - 1Web of Science - 136
Co-authors Sam Chen
2021 Jia C, Tan X, Zhao Y, Ren W, Li Y, Su Z, Smith SC, Zhao C, 'Sulfur-Dopant-Promoted Electroreduction of CO2 over Coordinatively Unsaturated Ni-N2 Moieties', Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 60, 23342-23348 (2021)
DOI
2021 Vijayakumar A, Zhao Y, Wang K, Chao Y, Chen Z, Wang C, Wallace GG, 'The length dependent selectivity on aligned Cu nanowires for C1 products from CO2 Electroreduction', Electrochimica Acta, 394 (2021)
DOI
2021 Sun Q, Ren W, Zhao Y, Zhao C, 'Gram-scale synthesis of single-atom metal-N-CNT catalysts for highly efficient CO2electroreduction', Chemical Communications, 57, 1514-1517 (2021)
DOI
2021 Zhang X, Liu C, Zhao Y, Li L, Chen Y, Raziq F, Qiao L, Guo SX, Wang C, Wallace GG, Bond AM, Zhang J, 'Atomic nickel cluster decorated defect-rich copper for enhanced C2 product selectivity in electrocatalytic CO2 reduction', Applied Catalysis B Environmental, 291 (2021)
DOI
2021 Zhao Y, Hao L, Ning J, Zhu H, Vijayakumar A, Wang C, Wallace GG, 'A versatile transition metal ion-binding motif derived from covalent organic framework for efficient CO2 electroreduction', Applied Catalysis B Environmental, 291 (2021)
DOI
2021 Liu Y, Zhao Y, Zhao Y, Jiang P, 'Cu Decorated Rh/TiO2 Catalyst for Selective Hydrogenation of Phenylacetylene to Styrene', Chemnanomat, 7, 1213-1220 (2021)
DOI
2021 Song K, Liu J, Dai H, Zhao Y, Sun S, Zhang J, Qin C, Yan P, Guo F, Wang C, Cao Y, Li S, Chen W, 'Atomically dispersed Ni induced by ultrahigh N-doped carbon enables stable sodium storage', Chem, 7, 2684-2694 (2021)
DOI
2020 Yang W, Zhao Y, Chen S, Ren W, Chen X, Jia C, Su Z, Wang Y, Zhao C, 'Defective Indium/Indium Oxide Heterostructures for Highly Selective Carbon Dioxide Electrocatalysis', INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, 59, 12437-12444 (2020) [C1]
DOI
Citations Scopus - 5Web of Science - 48
Co-authors Sam Chen
2020 Ahmed MI, Liu C, Zhao Y, Ren W, Chen X, Chen S, Zhao C, 'Metal-Sulfur Linkages Achieved by Organic Tethering of Ruthenium Nanocrystals for Enhanced Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction', ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION, 59, 21465-21469 (2020) [C1]
DOI
Citations Scopus - 6Web of Science - 61
Co-authors Sam Chen, Muhammadibrar Ahmed
2020 Zhao Y, Tan X, Yang W, Jia C, Chen X, Ren W, Smith SC, Zhao C, 'Surface Reconstruction of Ultrathin Palladium Nanosheets during Electrocatalytic CO2Reduction', ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION, 59, 21493-21498 (2020) [C1]
DOI
Citations Scopus - 1Web of Science - 123
Co-authors Sam Chen
2020 Ren W, Tan X, Chen X, Zhang G, Zhao K, Yang W, Jia C, Zhao Y, Smith SC, Zhao C, 'Confinement of Ionic Liquids at Single-Ni-Sites Boost Electroreduction of CO2 in Aqueous Electrolytes', ACS CATALYSIS, 10, 13171-13178 (2020) [C1]
DOI
Citations Scopus - 7Web of Science - 63
Co-authors Sam Chen
2020 Vijayakumar A, Zhao Y, Zou J, Wang K, Lee CY, MacFarlane DR, Wang C, Wallace GG, 'A Self-Assembled CO2 Reduction Electrocatalyst: Posy-Bouquet-Shaped Gold-Polyaniline Core-Shell Nanocomposite', Chemsuschem, 13, 5023-5030 (2020)
DOI
2020 Zhao Y, Tan X, Yang W, Jia C, Chen X, Ren W, Smith SC, Zhao C, 'Surface Reconstruction of Ultrathin Palladium Nanosheets during Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction', Angewandte Chemie, 132, 21677-21682 (2020)
DOI
Co-authors Sam Chen
2019 Yang W, Chen S, Ren W, Zhao Y, Chen X, Jia C, Liu J, Zhao C, 'Nanostructured amalgams with tuneable silver-mercury bonding sites for selective electroreduction of carbon dioxide into formate and carbon monoxide', JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A, 7, 15907-15912 (2019) [C1]
DOI
Citations Scopus - 4Web of Science - 40
Co-authors Sam Chen
2019 Vijayakumar A, Zhao Y, Wang C, Wallace G, 'A Gold-Polyaniline Nanocomposites Catalyst with a Posy Bouquet Structure for Efficient Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2.', ECS Meeting Abstracts, MA2019-01, 1579-1579 (2019)
DOI
2019 Zhang Y, Zhao Y, Wang C, Wei Z, Yang J, Ma J, 'Zn-Doped Cu(100) facet with efficient catalytic ability for the CO2 electroreduction to ethylene', Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 21, 21341-21348 (2019)
DOI
2018 Zhao Y, Wang C, Liu Y, MacFarlane DR, Wallace GG, 'Engineering Surface Amine Modifiers of Ultrasmall Gold Nanoparticles Supported on Reduced Graphene Oxide for Improved Electrochemical CO2 Reduction', Advanced Energy Materials, 8 (2018)
DOI
2018 Ge Y, Wang C, Zhao Y, Liu Y, Chao Y, Zheng T, Wallace GG, 'An Electrosynthesized 3D Porous Molybdenum Sulfide/Graphene Film with Enhanced Electrochemical Performance for Lithium Storage', Small, 14 (2018)
DOI
2018 Ge Y, Pozo-Gonzalo C, Zhao Y, Jia X, Kerr R, Wang C, Howlett PC, Wallace GG, 'Towards thermally stable high performance lithium-ion batteries: The combination of a phosphonium cation ionic liquid and a 3D porous molybdenum disulfide/graphene electrode', Chemical Communications, 54, 5338-5341 (2018)
DOI
2018 Zhao Y, Liang J, Ma J, Wang C, Wallace G, 'Tunable and Efficient Tin Modified Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanofibers for CO2 Electroreduction', ECS Meeting Abstracts, MA2018-01, 2235-2235 (2018)
DOI
2018 Zhao Y, Liang J, Wang C, Ma J, Wallace GG, 'Tunable and Efficient Tin Modified Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanofibers for Electrochemical Reduction of Aqueous Carbon Dioxide', Advanced Energy Materials, 8 (2018)
DOI
2018 Zhu Z, Yin H, He CT, Al-Mamun M, Liu P, Jiang L, Zhao Y, Wang Y, Yang HG, Tang Z, Wang D, Chen XM, Zhao H, 'Ultrathin Transition Metal Dichalcogenide/3d Metal Hydroxide Hybridized Nanosheets to Enhance Hydrogen Evolution Activity', Advanced Materials, 30 (2018)
DOI
2018 Chao Y, Ge Y, Zhao Y, Jiang J, Wang C, Qin C, Vijayakumar A, Yu C, Wallace GG, 'Tuning the structure of three dimensional nanostructured molybdenum disulfide/nitrogen-doped carbon composite for high lithium storage', Electrochimica Acta, 291, 197-205 (2018)
DOI
2017 Wang Y, Zhang X, Li X, Li X, Zhao Y, Wei H, Liu Y, Jiang P, Liang M, 'Highly dispersed ultrasmall Ni(OH)2 aggregated particles on a conductive support as a supercapacitor electrode with superior performance', Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 490, 252-258 (2017)
DOI
2017 Lu Z, Chao Y, Ge Y, Foroughi J, Zhao Y, Wang C, Long H, Wallace GG, 'High-performance hybrid carbon nanotube fibers for wearable energy storage', Nanoscale, 9, 5063-5071 (2017)
DOI
2017 Lee CY, Zhao Y, Wang C, Mitchell DRG, Wallace GG, 'Rapid formation of self-organised Ag nanosheets with high efficiency and selectivity in CO2 electroreduction to CO', Sustainable Energy and Fuels, 1, 1023-1027 (2017)
DOI
2016 Zhao Y, Wang C, Wallace GG, 'Tin nanoparticles decorated copper oxide nanowires for selective electrochemical reduction of aqueous CO2 to CO', Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 4, 10710-10718 (2016)
DOI
2016 Li XJ, Song ZW, Zhao Y, Wang Y, Zhao XC, Liang M, Chu WG, Jiang P, Liu Y, 'Vertically porous nickel thin film supported Mn3O4 for enhanced energy storage performance', Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 483, 17-25 (2016)
DOI
2015 Li XJ, Zhao Y, Chu WG, Wang Y, Li ZJ, Jiang P, Zhao XC, Liang M, Liu Y, 'Vertically aligned carbon nanotube@MnO2 nanosheet arrays grown on carbon cloth for high performance flexible electrodes of supercapacitors', Rsc Advances, 5, 77437-77442 (2015)
DOI
2015 Zhao Y, Meng Y, Wu H, Wang Y, Wei Z, Li X, Jiang P, 'In situ anchoring uniform MnO2 nanosheets on three-dimensional macroporous graphene thin-films for supercapacitor electrodes', Rsc Advances, 5, 90307-90312 (2015)
DOI
2014 Zhao Y, Jiang P, 'MnO2 nanosheets grown on the ZnO-nanorod-modified carbon fibers for supercapacitor electrode materials', Colloids and Surfaces A Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 444, 232-239 (2014)
DOI
2014 Zhao Y, Meng Y, Jiang P, 'Carbon@MnO2 core-shell nanospheres for flexible high-performance supercapacitor electrode materials', Journal of Power Sources, 259, 219-226 (2014)
DOI
2013 Zhao Y, Jiang P, Xie SS, 'Short communication ZnO-template-mediated synthesis of three-dimensional coral-like MnO2 nanostructure for supercapacitors', Journal of Power Sources, 239, 393-398 (2013)
DOI
2013 Yu A, Zhao Y, Jiang P, Wang ZL, 'A nanogenerator as a self-powered sensor for measuring the vibration spectrum of a drum membrane', Nanotechnology, 24 (2013)
DOI
2012 Wang S-P, Yu B, Cong H-L, Zhao Y, Wang W-W, 'Preparation of Narrowly Dispersed Nanospheres Based on Diazonium-Polystyrene and Their Stable Micropatterns', Integrated Ferroelectrics, 135, 103-109 (2012)
DOI
Show 64 more journal articles

Grants and Funding

Summary

Number of grants 4
Total funding $699,215

Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.

20252 grants / $527,731

Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)$487,731

Energy and carbon-efficient CO2 electrochemical reduction in strong acid

Funding body: ARC (Australian Research Council)

Funding body ARC (Australian Research Council)
Project Team

Yong Zhao
Scheme Discovery Early Career Research Award
Role Lead
Funding Start 2025
Funding Finish 2028
GNo
Type Of Funding C1200 - Aust Competitive - ARC
Category 1200
UON N

International Hydrogen Research Collaboration Fellowship$40,000

Electrochemical hydrogenation of captured CO2 into methanol using molecular catalyst

Funding body: CSIRO

Funding body CSIRO
Project Team

Yong Zhao
Scheme International Hydrogen Research Collaboration Program
Role Lead
Funding Start 2025
Funding Finish 2025
GNo
Type Of Funding C1500 - Aust Competitive - Commonwealth Other
Category 1500
UON N

20241 grants / $32,784

Australian Synchrotron X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy Beamtime$32,784

Deciphering the coordination structures of atomically dispersed Ni and Co with ultrahigh loading on carbon matrix for integrated CO2 capture and electrochemical conversion

Funding body: ANSTO

Funding body ANSTO
Project Team

Yong Zhao, Zhi Zheng, Cheng Wang, Bernt Johannessen
Scheme Australian Synchrotron Beamline Application
Role Lead
Funding Start 2024
Funding Finish 2024
GNo
Type Of Funding C1500 - Aust Competitive - Commonwealth Other
Category 1500
UON N

20231 grants / $138,700

CSIRO Energy Capital Bids$138,700

Multichannel electrochemical system and in situ IR spectroelectrochemistry system for integrated CO2 capture and electrolysis study

Funding body: CSIRO

Funding body CSIRO
Project Team

Yong Zhao
Scheme CSIRO Research Funds
Role Lead
Funding Start 2023
Funding Finish 2024
GNo
Type Of Funding C2120 - Aust Commonwealth - Other
Category 2120
UON N

Research Supervision

Number of supervisions

Completed5
Current0

Past Supervision

Year Level of ÁñÁ«³ÉÈËappÏÂÔØ Research Title Program Supervisor Type
2025 Masters CO2 electroreduction to multicarbon products in acidic media Chemical Sciences, Jiangnan University Co-Supervisor
2024 Honours Polymer-based additives improve CO2 conversion in an integrated system
Vacation student at the CSIRO Energy Centre		 Chemical Sciences, ÁñÁ«³ÉÈËappÏÂÔØ of Newcastle Co-Supervisor
2024 PhD Electrolyzer scaling up study for integrated CO2 capture and electrolysis
Visiting PhD student at CSIRO Energy Centre		 Mechanical Engineering, University of Toronto Co-Supervisor
2024 PhD Integrated CO2 capture and electrolysis for CO production
Visiting PhD student at the CSIRO Energy Centre		 Chemical Sciences, University of Science And Technology of China Co-Supervisor
2023 Masters Conversion of syngas from electrochemical CO2 reduction to fuels
Visting Master's student at the CSIRO Energy Centre		 Chemical Engineering, University of Groningen Co-Supervisor

Research Opportunities

PhD scholarships

We are seeking highly motivated PhD candidates to join our research group at the University of Newcastle, working on the development of advanced catalysts, electrodes, and electrochemical systems for the conversion and/or capture of small inorganic molecules such as CO₂, CO, O₂, and H₂. Successful candidates will be offered a fully funded scholarship covering tuition fees and a living allowance of approximately AUD $37,440 per year for 3.5 years, with additional support available for attending domestic and international conferences, overseas visits, and collaborative research activities. Applicants should hold an Honours (Class I or II) or Master’s degree in Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field, and meet the University’s English language requirements. Prior research experience in electrochemistry, ion/gas separation membranes, or related areas is highly desirable. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Dr. Yong Zhao with a CV detailing academic background, research experience, transcripts, English test scores, and publication record.

PHD

College of Engineering, Science and Environment

1/1/2026 - 30/6/2029

Contact

Doctor Yong Zhao
University of Newcastle
School of Engineering
yong.zhao@newcastle.edu.au

Dr Yong Zhao

Position

Lecturer (DECRA Fellow)
School of Engineering
College of Engineering, Science and Environment

Contact Details

Email yong.zhao@newcastle.edu.au
Mobile 0452180711

Office

Room ATC-279
Building Advanced Technology Centre
Location Global Innovative Centre for Advanced Nanomaterials

,