Ming ZHAO

Dr. Ming Zhao received his Bachelor and Master degrees in Materials Science and Engineering in 2012 and 2015, respectively, both from Nanjing University. In 2019, he obtained his Ph.D. degree in Chemistry under the supervision of Prof. Younan Xia at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His Ph.D. research was mainly focused on the phase engineering of nanomaterials for heterogeneous catalysis. Since 2019, Dr. Zhao became a Postdoctoral Associate in Prof. Peng Chen’s group at Cornell University. His postdoc work centered on the development of novel operando imaging techniques and their implementation in investigating catalysis and energy-related applications. As the first or co-first author, Dr. Zhao has published a number of original research papers in top journals such as Nature Reviews Materials, Chemical Reviews, Nature Communications, JACS, Advanced Materials, ACS Nano, Nano Letters, etc. His other collaborative efforts resulted in multiple publications and patents, including Advanced Materials, Energy & Environmental Science, ACS Nano, Nano Letters, etc. Dr. Zhao has won some awards in recognition of his research, including Sigma Xi Best Doctoral Dissertation, Cherry Emerson Fellowship, NRE Young Star Researcher Gold Award. He was also selected as a full member of the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society. In March 2023, Dr. Zhao joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at NUS as an assistant professor.

Research Interests

The major research focus of the Zhao Group is on bridging the knowledge and technical gaps in making new catalysts toward sustainability. Particularly, the interdisciplinary research area covers: i) fabricating novel nanocatalysts via phase engineering for heterogenous catalysis, ii) utilizing single-molecule fluorescence imaging to rationalize and improve the functionality of nanomaterials in catalysis and energy, and iii) advancing operando imaging techniques for the real-time study of sustainability-related reactions.

Selected Publications:

1. M. Zhao, ^# Z. Chen, ^# Y. Shi, Z. D. Hood, Z. Lyu, M. Xie, M. Chi, Y. Xia, Kinetically‒Controlled Synthesis of Rhodium Nanocrystals with Different Shapes and a Comparison Study of Their Thermal and Catalytic Properties. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2021, 143, 6293‒6302.
2. R. Ye, ^# M. Zhao,^# X. Mao, Z. Wang, D. A. Garzón, H. Pu, Z. Zhao, P. Chen, Nanoscale Cooperative Adsorption for Material Design. Nature Communications 2021, 12, 4287.
3. M. Zhao, Y. Xia, Crystal-Phase and Surface-Structure Engineering of Ruthenium Nanocrystals. Nature Reviews Materials 2020, 5, 440‒459.
4. M. Zhao, Z. Chen, Z. Lyu, Z. D. Hood, M. Xie, M. Vara, M. Chi, Y. Xia, Ru Octahedral Nanocrystals with a Face-Centered Cubic Structure, {111} Facets, Thermal Stability up to 400 °C and Enhanced Catalytic Activity. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2019, 141, 7028‒7036.
5. M. Zhao,^# X. Wang,^# X. Yang,^# K. D. Gilroy, D. Qin, Y. Xia, Hollow Metal Nanocrystals with Ultrathin, Porous Walls and Well-Controlled Surface Structures. Advanced Materials 2018, 30, 1801956.
6. M. Zhao, P. Chen, Exploring Plasmonic Photocatalysis via Single-Molecule Reaction Imaging. Nano Letters 2020, 20, 2939‒2940.
7. M. Zhao, L. Figueroa-Cosme, A. O. Elnabawy, M. Vara, X. Yang, L. T. Roling, M. Chi, M. Mavrikakis, Y. Xia, Synthesis and Characterization of Ru Cubic Nanocages with a Face-Centered Cubic Structure by Templating with Pd Nanocubes. Nano Letters 2016, 16, 5310–5317.
8. M. Zhao, Z. D. Hood, M. Vara, K. D. Gilroy, M. Chi, Y. Xia, Ruthenium Nanoframes in the Face-Centered Cubic Phase: Facile Synthesis and Their Enhanced Catalytic Performance. ACS Nano 2019, 13, 7241‒7251.
9. Y. Shi,^# Z. Lyu,^# M. Zhao,^# R. Chen,^# Q. N. Nguyen, Y. Xia, Noble‒Metal Nanocrystals with Controlled Shapes for Catalytic and Electrocatalytic Applications. Chemical Reviews 2021, 121, 649–735.
10. M. Zhao, L. Xu, M. Vara, A. O. Elnabawy, K. D. Gilroy, Z. D. Hood, S. Zhou, L. Figueroa-Cosme, M. Chi, M. Mavrikakis, Y. Xia, Synthesis of Ru Icosahedral Nanocages with a Face-Centered-Cubic Structure and Evaluation of Their Catalytic Properties. ACS Catalysis 2018, 8, 6948–6960.
11. M. Zhao, A. O. Elnabawy, M. Vara, L. Xu, Z. D. Hood, X. Yang, K. D. Gilroy, L. Figuroa-Cosme, M. Chi, M. Mavrikakis, Y. Xia, Facile Synthesis of Ru-Based Octahedral Nanocages with Ultrathin Walls in a Face-Centered Cubic Structure. Chemistry of Materials 2017, 29, 9227–9237.
12. M. Zhao, Z. Lyu, M. Xie, Z. D. Hood, Z. Cao, M. Chi, Y. Xia, Pd‒Ru Alloy Nanocages with a Face-Centered Cubic Structure and Their Enhanced Activity toward the Oxidation of Ethylene Glycol and Glycerol. Small Methods 2020, 1900843.