Longsheng Zhang is an associate professor in the School of Chemical and Material Engineering at Jiangnan University, China. He received his Ph.D. in material science from Fudan University, China. His research focuses on the rational design and precise synthesis of conjugated coordination polymers for applications in renewable energy conversion including water electrolysis and electrochemical nitrogen fixation.
Longsheng also recently joined EES Catalysis as an Early Career Board.
Read Longsheng’s Emerging Investigators article “A conjugated coordination polymer enables efficient proton supply on the platinum surface for alkaline hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis”
The paper shows that Pt nanoparticles supported on conjugated coordination polymers with abundant single-atom metals sites enable efficient proton supply for enhanced alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction.
Find out more about Longsheng in the following interview:
How has your research evolved from your first article to this most recent one?
My early research mainly focused on developing advanced methods for the preparation of electrocatalysts. Over time, my research has expanded to integrating in-situ characterization with theoretical simulations to investigate the dynamic behaviors of electrocatalysts under actual working conditions.
What aspect of your work excites you most right now?
What excites me the most is combining the theoretical and experimental verification in model systems to unravel the electrocatalytic mechanisms, which may provide helpful guidelines for designing high-performance electrocatalysts.
Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?
I have indeed sometimes reflected on this question. If I were not a scientist, I would have found my way into the classroom as a teacher, introducing chemistry to the young.
What one piece of career advice would you share with other early career scientists?
As an early career scientist myself, I often remind myself that this path is rarely a solo journey. One piece of career advice I would share is: give and receive support when needed to make this journey more resilient and rewarding.
How do you feel about EES Catalysis as a place to publish research on this topic?
We are truly honored to publish our work in EES Catalysis, a high-quality journal renowned for its emphasis on catalysis and energy. The rigorous yet efficient review process and the professional editorial team significantly enhance the scientific impact of published work.