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Staff Profiles

Chuan Zhao

 

Chuan Zhao

Ph.D. (Northwest), 2002, CChem, MRACI
Senior Lecturer and Australian Research Fellow
E-mail: chuan.zhao@unsw.edu.au

Research group website: http://www.chem.unsw.edu.au/research/groups/zhao/.

BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS

Graduate of Northwest University (Ph.D., 2002), Postdoctoral Fellow, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg (2002-2006), Research Fellow, Monash University (2006-2010), Professor, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, One Hundred Talents Program (2010), Australian Research Fellow, Australian Research Council (2010), Appointed Lecturer at UNSW (2010), Senior Lecturer (2011).

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research interest focuses on developing nanoelectrochemistry technologies, and discovering novel nanomaterials, and their implications for electrochemical energy conversion and storage, biosensors and biomedicine. We are particularly interested in ionic liquid electrochemistry and its applications for clean energy. Ionic liquids (or organic salts which are liquid at room temperature) are "green" (environmentally friendly) and tuneable electrolytes for electrochemical devices and nanosynthesis. We are exploring this class of novel electrolyte materials for photoelectrochemical water splitting for generation of hydrogen fuel, smart electrocrystallization and photocrystallization (high efficiency, high quality, low pollution) of nanostructured metals and semiconductors.

Fundamental to these research programs is the investigation of kinetics of electron transfer processes occurring at microscopic electrolyte/material interfaces. Our approaches involve a number of electrochemical, microscopic and spectroscopic methods. We specialise in scanning micro- and nano-probe electrochemistry techniques such as scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) and AFM which provide the basis for such local characterisation. The scope of our research includes imaging activity of biomolecuels coupled to artificial systems, evolution of photoelectrons at illuminated semiconductor/electrolyte interfaces, micro- and nano-fabrication at surfaces, cell adhesion, and cellular analysis.

PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS

  • Member of Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI)
  • Member of International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE)
  • Member of American Chemical Society
  • President of UNSW Chemical Society (UNSWCS)
  • Treasurer of Electrochemistry Division Royal Australian Chemical Institute (EDRACI)

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  1. Chuan Zhao, Alan M. Bond, Xunyu Lu, Determination of water in room temperature ionic liquids by cathodic stripping voltammetry at a gold electrode, Anal. Chem. 2012, 84 (6), 2784-2791
  2. Gianluca Bernardini, Anthony G. Wedd, Chuan Zhao and Alan M.Bond. Photochemical oxidation of water and reduction of polyoxometalate anions at interfaces of water with ionic liquids or diethylether, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., 2012, 109(29), 11552-11557
  3. X. Qu, J. Lu, C. Zhao, J. F. Boas, B. Moubaraki, K. S. Murray, A. Siriwardana, A. M. Bond and L. L. Martin, (Pro2H+)2(TCNQ.–)2·TCNQ: an amino acid derived semiconductor. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, 1589-1592
  4. C. Zhao, D. R. MacFarlane and A. M. Bond, Modified thermodynamics in ionic liquids for controlled electrocrystallization of nanocubes, nanowires and crystalline thin films of silver-tetracyanoquinodimethane. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 16195-16205.
  5. C. Zhao and A. M. Bond, Photoinduced oxidation of water to oxygen in ionic liquids BMIMBF4 as a counter reaction for fabrication of exceptionally long semiconducting polymeric AgTCNQ nanowires. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 4279-4287.
  6. M. Shiddiky, A. Torriero, C. Zhao, I. Bugar, G. Kennedy and A. M. Bond. Non-Additivity of Faradic current and modification of capacitive currents in the voltammetry of mixtures of ferrocene and cobaltocenium cations. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 7976-7989.
  7. G. Wittstock, M. Burchardt, S. E. Pust, Y. Shen and C. Zhao, Scanning electrochemical microscopy for direct imaging of reaction rates. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2007, 46, 1-35.
  8. C. Zhao, I. Witte and G. Wittstock, Switching on cell adhesion with microelectrodes. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2006, 45, 5469-5471.
  9. C. Zhao and G. Wittstock, An SECM detection scheme with improved sensitivity and lateral resolution: detection of galactosidase activity with signal amplification by glucose dehydrogenase. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2004, 43, 4170-4172.
  10. C. Zhao and G. Wittstock, Scanning electrochemical microscopy of quinoprotein glucose dehydrogenase, Anal. Chem., 2004, 76, 3145-3154.