Prof. Xu Zhao

Principal Investigator

Email: xuzhao@xjtu.edu.cn

Group website: https://www.xuzhaolab.com

Prof. Xu Zhao,

Room 508, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology,

Xi'an Jiaotong University,

No.28 Xianning West Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China, 710049.

Email: xuzhao@xjtu.edu.cn

For Graduate Students:

Zhao Lab has one Ph.D. opening per year and two M.S. openings per year. Perspective students are encouraged to contact Prof. Zhao via Email: xuzhao@xjtu.edu.cn

Zhao Lab has another 1~2 Ph.D. openings per year for international students outside China. International students are encouraged to apply the CSC program with the support from Prof. Xu Zhao. Before that, please send the curriculum vitae, research proposal and 2 professional references to Prof. Zhao via Email: xuzhao@xjtu.edu.cn

For Postdoc:

Zhao Lab has 2-3 openings for postdoctoral applications. Please send the curriculum vitae, 2-3 representative publications and 2-3 professional references to Prof. Zhao via Email: xuzhao@xjtu.edu.cn

Prof. Xu Zhao currently leads his research group as the Principal Investigator in School of Chemical Engineering and Technology at Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU). He has been selected to ‘Sanqin Youth Talents in Shaanxi Province’, ‘Qinchuangyuan High-level Innovative and Entrepreneurial Talents in Shaanxi Province’, ‘Youth Talents Support from Xi’an Association for Science and Technology’, and ‘Young Top-notch Talents in Xi’an Jiaotong University’. 

Prof. Xu Zhao received the Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) under the tutelage of Prof. Jie Zeng (2018). Then he worked with Prof. Long Luo as a postdoctoral fellow at Wayne State University from 2018 to 2019. Before joining Xi’an Jiaotong University in 2022, he worked as an associate professor in the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology from 2019 to 2022. Up to now, he has published 29 papers in prestigious journals, including Nat. Commun., J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem.(4), Energy Environ. Sci.(3), Appl. Catal. B: Environ.(2), etc., and 12 patents in the field of hydrogen-related electrocatalysis. He has been invited to give talks in 8 conferences, and serve as the Youth Editor to process energy/catalysis-relevant manuscripts for 3 journals, including The Innovation, Chinese Chemical Letters, and Journal of Energy Chemistry. 

The Hydrogen-Catalysis Lab led by Prof. Xu Zhao locates in the School of Chemical Engineering and Technology at Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU). Our research interests focus on the atomic-level design of metal-based nanocrystals and in-situ understanding of electrocatalytic mechanisms for hydrogen-related electrocatalysis, including AEM fuel cell catalysis and AEM water electrolysis.

For details, pls visit the group website: https://www.xuzhaolab.com

1. Nanotwinning of the nickel nitride nanosheets for robust hydrogen oxidation electrocatalysis. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2026, 65, e25035.

Xingyu Cui, Kunjie Wang, Yuanting Hung, Xiangyang Li*, Rushi Liu*, Jingxuan Zhao, Qing Wang, Xu Zhao*

2. Engineering Co-ion vacancy in dynamically reconstructed Co-based catalysts for practical anion-exchange membrane electrolysis. Nature Communications 2026, 17, 2858.

Jingxuan Zhao, Xinmei Li, Kunjie Wang, Yuanting Hung, Qing Wang, Xingyu Cui, Guanyin Gao, Xiangyang Li*, Rushi Liu*, Xu Zhao*

3. Localizing the long-range disorder of reconstructed cobalt oxyhydroxides for anion exchange membrane water electrolysis. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2025, 64, e202513592.

Jingxuan Zhao, Kunjie Wang, Xiangyang Li*, Xinmei Li, Xingyu Cui, Xu Zhao*

4. Atomic-level insight into engineering interfacial hydrogen microenvironments of metal-based catalysts for alkaline hydrogen electrocatalysis. Energy & Environmental Science 2025, 18, 5811.

Kunjie Wang, Xingyu Cui, Jingxuan Zhao, Qing Wang, Xu Zhao*

5. Controlling the valence-electron arrangement of nickel active centers for efficient hydrogen oxidation electrocatalysis. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2022, 61, e202206588.

Xu Zhao, Xiangyang Li, Lulu An, Lirong Zheng,* Jinlong Yang,* Deli Wang*

6. Nitrogen-inserted nickel nanosheets with controlled orbital hybridization and strain fields for boosted hydrogen oxidation in alkaline electrolytes. Energy & Environmental Science 2022, 15, 1234.

Xu Zhao, Xiangyang Li, Lulu An, Kevin Iputera, Jiang Zhu, Pengfei Gao, Ru-Shi Liu,* Zhenmeng Peng,* Jinlong Yang,* Deli Wang*

7. Atomic-level insight into reasonable design of metal-based catalysts for hydrogen oxidation in alkaline electrolytes. Energy & Environmental Science2021, 14, 2620.

Lulu An, Xu Zhao*, Tonghui Zhao, Deli Wang*

8. Engineering the electrical conductivity of lamellar silver-dopedcobalt(II) selenide nanobelts for enhanced oxygen evolution.Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2017, 56, 328.

Xu Zhao, Hantao Zhang, Yu Yan, Jinhua Cao, Xingqi Li, Shiming Zhou, Zhenmeng Peng,* Jie Zeng*

9. Octahedral Pd@Pt_1.8Ni core-shell nanocrystals with ultrathin PtNi alloy shells as active catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction. Journal of the American Chemical Society2015, 137, 2804.

Xu Zhao, Sheng Chen, Zhicheng Fang, Jia Ding, Wei Sang, Youcheng Wang, Jin Zhao, Zhenmeng Peng,* Jie Zeng*

10. Retaining the self-released chalcogenate at reconstructed cobalt sites by self-transformed carbonate regulation for boosted oxygen evolution.Journal of Energy Chemistry 2024, 97, 46.

Jingxuan Zhao, Zhe Xue, Qing Wang, Xiangyang Li,* Shoujie Liu, Xu Zhao*

For details, pls visit the group website: https://www.xuzhaolab.com