FU Xianbiao

Dr. Xianbiao Fu received his B.S. degree from Central South University (2016) and his Ph.D. from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (2021). During his Ph.D. studies, he spent 2 years as a visiting graduate student at Northwestern University and 1 year at Johns Hopkins University. From 2021 to 2024, he conducted postdoctoral research Surface Physics & Catalysis (SurfCat) Center within the Department of Physics at the Technical University of Denmark. In 2022, he was awarded the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship by the European Union. In 2025, he joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the National University of Singapore as an Assistant Professor. His research focuses on electrocatalysis, electrochemical engineering, and electrosynthesis, specifically concentrating on electrochemical ammonia synthesis, nitrogen activation, and ammonia energy. He has published more than 40 peer-reviewed papers in esteemed international journals, with over 20 as the first or co-first author and corresponding author. He is the first or co-first author of publications in Science (2), Nature Materials, Nature Energy, Nature Catalysis, and Nature Communications. His research has been reported by well-known media such as MIT Technology Review and EurekAlert!. He has 6 patent applications (4 granted). He is a Young Editorial Board Member of the Nano Letters, Journal of Energy Chemistry, Materials Horizons, eScience, Nano Research, and other leading journals. He is a member of the Chinese Chemical Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry (invited). He won the MIT TR35 Innovator Award in 2023, the Carbon Future Young Investigator Award, and the Best Editor Award in 2023 of Nano Research. He is the winner of the 1^st Rising Stars in Materials Today Catalysis in 2024.

Research Interests

Fu research group focuses on three main areas: (1) Energy Storage and Conversion (Power-to-Chemicals) and Chemical Conversion (Chemicals-to-Power), including decentralized or electrochemical ammonia synthesis (e.g., Li-mediated NRR and Ca-mediated NRR), understanding catalysis mechanism, exploring novel methods for nitrogen activation, electrosynthesis of fuels (e.g., methane electro-oxidation and C-N coupling), and electrocatalysis (e.g., ammonia electro-oxidation and decomposition). (2) Electrochemical Organic Synthesis, including artificial synthesis of amino acids, electrosynthesis of high-value fine chemicals, and electrocatalysis in organic systems, such as electrochemical hydrogenation and hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR). (3) Catalyst and Reactor Design, covering precision synthesis of model (single crystal) catalysts, exploration of synthesis mechanisms, the design of novel electrochemical reactors (e.g., continuous-flow cell and solid-electrolyte cell), and the development of solid-state electrolytes (e.g., lithium-ion and proton conductors).

Selected Publications:

1. Fu, X.^#; Pedersen, J. B.^#; Zhou, Y.^#; Saccoccio, M.; Li, S.; Sažinas, R.; Li, K.; Andersen, S. Z.; Xu, A.; Deissler, N. H.; Mygind, J. B.; Wei, C.; Kibsgaard, J.; Vesborg, P. C.; Nørskov, J. K.*; Chorkendorff, I.* Continuous-flow electrosynthesis of ammonia by nitrogen reduction and hydrogen oxidation. Science, 2023, 374 (6633), 707-712.
2. Zhang, J.^#; Fu, X.^#; Kwon, S.^#; Chen, K.; Liu, X.; Yang, J.; Sun, H.; Wang, Y.; Uchiyama, T.; Uchimoto, Y.; Li, S.; Li, Y.; Fan, X.; Chen, G.; Xia, F.; Wu, J.; Li, Y.; Yue, Q.; Qiao, L.; Su, D.; Zhou, H.; Goddard, W. A., III*; Kang, Y.* Tantalum Stabilized Ruthenium Oxide Electrocatalysts for Industrial Water Electrolysis, Science, 2025, 387(6729), 48-55.
3. Fu, X.^#; Niemann, V. A.^#; Zhou, Y.^#; Li, S.; Pedersen, J. B.; Saccoccio, M.; Andersen, S. Z.; Enemark-Rasmussen, K.; Benedek, P.; Xu, A.; Deissler, N. H.; Mygind, J. B.; Nielander, A. C.; Kibsgaard, J.; Vesborg, P. C.; Nørskov, J. K.*; Jaramillo, T. F.*; Chorkendorff, I.* Calcium-Mediated Nitrogen Reduction for Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis, Nature Materials, 2024, 23(1), 101-107.
4. Luc, W.^#; Fu, X.^#; Shi, J.; Lv, J.; Jouny, M.; Ko, B.; Xu, Y.; Tu, Q.; Hu, X.; Wu, J.; Yue, Q.; Liu, Y.; Jiao, F.*; Kang, Y.* Two-dimensional copper nanosheets for electrochemical reduction of carbon monoxide to acetate. Nature Catalysis. 2019, 2 (5), 423-430.
5. Fu, X.^#; Xu, A.^#; Pedersen, J. B.; Li, S.; Sažinas, R.; Andersen, S. Z.; Saccoccio, M.; Zhou, Y.; Deissler, N. H.; Mygind, J. B.; Nielander, A. C.; Kibsgaard, J.; Vesborg, P. C.; Nørskov, J. K.*; Chorkendorff, I.* Phenol as Proton Shuttle and Buffer for Lithium-mediated Ammonia Electrosynthesis, Nature Communications, 2024, 15, 2417.
6. Li, S.^#; Fu, X.^#; Nørskov, J. K.*; Chorkendorff, I.* Towards Sustainable Ammonia Electrosynthesis, Nature Energy, 2024, 9, 1344-1349.
7. Fu, X.*; Li, S.; Nielander, A. C.; Mygind, J. B.; Kibsgaard, J.; Chorkendorff, I.* Effect of Lithium Salts on Lithium-mediated Ammonia Synthesis, ACS Energy Letters, 2024, 9, 3790-3795.
8. Fu, X.^#; Zhang, J.^#; Zhan, S.; Xia, F.; Wang, C.; Ma, D.; Yue, Q.; Wu, J.; Kang, Y.* High-entropy alloy nanosheets for fine-tuning hydrogen evolution. ACS Catalysis. 2022, 12 (19): 11955-11959.
9. Fu, X.^#; Liu, J.^#; Kanchanakungwankul, S.; Hu, X.; Yue, Q.; Truhlar, D. G.; Hupp, J. T*.; Kang, Y.* Two-dimensional Pd rafts confined in copper nanosheets for selective semihydrogenation of acetylene. Nano Letters, 2021, 21 (13), 5620-5626.
10. Li, S.^#; Zhou, Y.^#; Fu, X.; Pedersen, J. B.; Saccoccio, M.; Andersen, S. Z.; Enemark-Rasmussen, K.; Kempen, P.J.; Damsgaard, C.D.; Xu, A.; Sažinas, R.; Mygind, J. B.; Deissler, N. H.; Kibsgaard, J.; Vesborg, P. C.; Nørskov, J. K.*; Chorkendorff, I.* Long-term continuous ammonia electrosynthesis, Nature, 2024, 629, 92-97.
    (^# contributed equally, * corresponding author)