Shenlong Zhao is a Research Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), and a recipient of the National High-Level Overseas Talent Program. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, in 2011, and his Ph.D. in Materials Physics and Chemistry from Harbin Institute of Technology in 2017. From 2017 to 2019, he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of New South Wales, Australia, under the supervision of Prof. Liming Dai. From 2019 to 2022, he carried out independent teaching and research at the University of Sydney, Australia. In December 2022, he joined NCNST as a group leader.

• Research and Publications
  Prof. Zhao’s group focuses on the microscale design and precise construction of organic/inorganic porous nanomaterials, as well as fundamental research and applied exploration in energy conversion and storage. To date, he has published over 120 papers in internationally renowned academic journals, with an H-index of 65 and over 20,000 citations, including more than 40 ESI Highly Cited Papers (top 1%). Among these, over 60 papers were published as a corresponding or first author in journals including Nat. Energy, Nat. Synth., Nat. Chem. Eng., Nat. Commun., Sci. Adv., J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Adv. Mater., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., Chem, Joule, and Matter. He has been recognized as a Clarivate Global Highly Cited Researcher from 2021 to 2025.
• Projects and Honors
  He has led or participated in multiple fundamental and frontier projects, including a national-level youth project, the General Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Key R&D Program of China (as sub-project leader), the Beijing Natural Science Foundation Interdisciplinary Key Project, and several industry-commissioned, application-oriented, forward-looking industry–university–research projects. His honors include the inaugural Advanced Materials Rising Star Award, the Science China Chemistry Rising Star Award, the Journal of Materials Chemistry A Rising Star Award, the inaugural Chem Catalysis Rising Star Award, the RSC Outstanding Researcher Award, and the 2025 Xiaomi Young Scholar.
• Academic Service
  He has been invited to serve as an Editorial Board Member and Executive Associate Editor of EcoEnergy, and as a Young Editorial Board Member for Chem, eScience, Science China Chemistry, Nano Research Energy, and Carbon Neutralization. He is also a member of the Hydrogen Energy Materials Testing Technology Committee of China Materials and Testing Standardization and Deputy Director of the National Engineering Research Center for Advanced Energy Storage Materials.

Research field:

(1) Water/seawater electrolysis for hydrogen and chlorine production

This direction focuses on the design and development of efficient and stable non-precious metal electrocatalysts, systematically investigating catalyst structural regulation, reaction mechanisms, and scale-up process optimization, aiming to promote low-carbon and low-cost development of green hydrogen production and the chlor-alkali industry.

(2) Electrocatalytic CO₂ conversion to high-value-added chemicals

This direction emphasizes the development of efficient and highly selective non-precious metal electrocatalysts, integrating catalyst structural design, reaction pathway regulation, and electrolyzer optimization to achieve efficient electrochemical conversion of CO₂ into high-value products such as formic acid, ethanol, and ethylene, thereby providing technical support for carbon reduction and green chemical synthesis.

(3) Development of novel energy devices and systems

Focusing on water/seawater electrolysis for hydrogen production, electrocatalytic CO₂ conversion, and fuel cells, this direction conducts research on the design of efficient non-precious metal electrocatalysts, catalyst layer structural regulation, membrane electrode assembly integration, and system optimization. By integrating material innovation, device construction, and engineering development, it aims to provide key technical support for efficient storage and conversion of renewable energy.

Selected Publications 

20. Y. Yang, Y. Yang, J. A. Yuwono, S. Cheong, X. Shi, T. Zhao, R. D. Tilley, N. M. Bedford,S. Zhao*. Nature Synthesis, 2026, 5, 907.

19. Y. Guo, L. Shi, X. Shi, T. Zhao, W. Tian, S. Zhang, D. Liu, Y. Li, F. Zhong, S. Zhao*. Nature Chemical Engineering, 2025, 2, 474.

18. Z. Zhou, Y. Su, H. Tan, Y. Wang, Q. Huang, H. Wang, J. Wang, M. Kubo, Z. Ni, Y. Kong, S. Zhao*. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2025, 147, 3994.

17. L. Shi, Y. Su, R. Cheng, Y. Li, T. Zhao, Y. Guo, J. Wang, D. Liu, S. Zhao*. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2026 , 65, e15456.

16. Z. Tong, S. Zhang, J. Ma, X. Shi, D. Shang, S. Zhang, B. Wu, J. Zhou, T. Yu, L. Shi, P. Yang, R. Xiong, S. Zhao*. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2026, e7848056.

15. S. Zhang, H. Yao*, L. Shi, X. Zhang, X. Bao, X. Shi, Y. Guo, T. Zhao, S. Zhou, K. Hui, X. Li, S. Zhao*. Nature Communications, 2026, Doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72462-0

14. J. Dong*, Y. Liu, J. Pei, H. Li, S. Ji, L. Shi, Y. Zhang, C. Li*, C. Tang, J. Liao, S. Xu, H. Zhang, Q. Li, S. Zhao*. Nature Communications, 2023, 14, 6849.

13. Y. Liu, C. Li, C. Tan, Z. Pei, T. Yang, S. Zhang, Q. Huang, Y. Wang, Z. Zhou, X. Liao, J. Dong, H. Tao*, W. Yan, H. Yin, Z. Liu, J. Huang*, S. Zhao*. Nature Communications, 2023, 14, 2475.

12. S. Zhang, C. Tan, R. Yan, X. Zou, F. Hu, Y. Mi*, C. Yan*, S. Zhao*. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2023, 62, e202302795.

11. Z. Pei*, H. Tan, J. Gu, L. Lu, X. Zeng, T. Zhang, C. Wang, L. Ding, P. J. Cullen, Z. Chen*, S. Zhao*. Nature Communications, 2023, 14, 818.

10. Z. Zhou, Y. Kong, H. Tan*, Q. Huang, C. Wang, Z. Pei, H. Wang, Y. Liu, Y. Wang, S. Li, X. Liao, W. Yan, S. Zhao*. Advanced Materials, 2022, 34, 2106541.

9. B. Zhang*, L. Cao, C. Tang, C. Tan, N. Cheng, W. Lai, Y. Wang, Z. Cheng, J. Dong, Y. Kong*, S. Dou, S. Zhao*. Advanced Materials, 2023, 35, 2206828.

8. M. Dan, X. Zhang, Y. Yang, J. Yang, F. Wu, S. Zhao*, Z-Q. Liu*. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2024, 121, e2318174121.

7. Z. Wu, X. Liu, H. Li, Z. Sun, M. Cao, Z. Li, C. Fang, J. Zhou, C. Cao, J. Dong*, S. Zhao*, Z. Chen*. Nature Communications, 2023, 14, 2574.

6. W. Han, J. Wei, K. Xiao, T. Ouyang, X. Peng, S. Zhao*, Z-Q. Liu*. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2022, 61, e202206050.

5. Z. Wang, J. Huang, L. Wang, Y. Liu, W. Liu, S. Zhao*, Z-Q. Liu*. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2021, 61, e202114696.

4. T. Zhao, L. Shi, G. Zhang, Y. Guo, Y. Li, J. Wang, S. Kong, Q. Zheng, Y. Yang, T. Tan, Q. Qiu, F. Zhong, J. Dong*, J. Guo*, S. Zhao*. Matter, 2025, 8, 102091.

3. H. Wang, T. Yang, J. Wang, Z. Zhou*, Z. Pei, S. Zhao*. Chem, 2023, 10, 48.

2. S. Zhao, Y. Wang, C. He, H. Yin, P. An, K. Zhao, X. Zhang, C. Gao, L. Zhang, J. Lv, J. Wang, J. Zhang, A. M. Khattak, N. A. Khan, Z. Wei, J. Zhang, S. Liu*, H. Zhao*, Z. Tang*, Nature Energy, 2016, 1, 16184.

1. S. Zhao, C. Tan, C. He, P. An, F. Xie, S. Jiang, Y. Zhu, K. Wu, B. Zhang, H. Li, J. Zhang, Y. Chen, S. Liu*, J. Dong*, Z. Tang*, Nature Energy, 2020, 5, 881.