Research output per year
Research output per year
Personal profile
Author IDs
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3133-6503
Scopus Author ID: 56007892600
ResearcherID: J-6512-2018
Google Scholar Profile: GpKEA6wAAAAJ
Impact
Qualifications (Brief)
2015, PhD, Nanyang Technological University
2010, BS, Jilin University
Qualifications/Experiences
2024-Present, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong
2020-Present, Core Member, Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong
2019-2024, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong
2016-2019, Postdoc Fellow, Nanyang Technological University & Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
Biography
Prof. Zhanxi FAN received his B.S. degree (2010) in Chemistry from Jilin University (China). Then he completed his Ph.D. (2015) in Materials Chemistry from Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). Afterwards, he spent a few years as Project Officer/Research Fellow/Postdoc Fellow in Nanyang Technological University and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (USA). In November 2019, he joined City University of Hong Kong as an Assistant Professor, and was later promoted to Associate Professor (Tenured) in July 2024. His research interest lies in the fields of materials chemistry, nanoscience, catalysis, and energy conversion. Currently, he mainly focuses on the controlled synthesis of novel low-dimensional metal-based nanomaterials and their potential applications in catalysis, clean energy, environmental remediation, etc. Until 07-Sep-2026, he has published 157 SCI papers with a total citation of over 25000 and H-index of 75, including 83 corresponding/first-authored papers in Nature Water, Nature Rev. Chem., Nature Protoc., PNAS (3), Nature Commun. (5), Chem. Soc. Rev. (2), Acc. Chem. Res. (2), Adv. Mater. (12), Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. (6), J. Am. Chem. Soc. (5), CCS Chem. (2), Matter (2), Environ. Sci. Tech., etc. Besides, Prof. FAN serves as an Associate Editor for Carbon Energy (IF: 24.2) and Microstructures (IF: 9.0), and also as a reviewer for 60+ top-tier SCI journals, including PNAS, Nature Catal., Nature Energy, Nature Water, Nature Sustain., Nature Synth., Nature Commun., Science Adv., Chem. Rev., J. Am. Chem. Soc., Adv. Mater., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., and so on.
Prizes/Honours
2026, Collaborative Research Fund (YCRG; HKD 4,800,000), by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong
2025, Highly Cited Researcher (World wide), by Web of Science
2025, World's Top 2% Scientists, by Stanford University
2025, IAAM Fellow, by The International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM)
2024, World's Top 2% Scientists, by Stanford University
2023, Highly Cited Researcher (World wide), by Web of Science
2023, World's Top 2% Scientists, by Stanford University
2022, Highly Cited Researcher (World wide), by Web of Science
2022, World's Top 2% Scientists, by Stanford University
2022, Rising Star, by Advanced Materials
2022, Early Career Scheme Award, by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong
2022, Rising Star, by Small
2022, Excellent Member of Youth Editorial Board, by SmartMat
2021, Highly Cited Researcher (World wide), by Web of Science
2021, World's Top 2% Scientists, by Stanford University
2021, Vebleo Fellow, by Vebleo
2021, Emerging Investigator, by Journal of Materials Chemistry A
2020, World's Top 2% Scientists, by Stanford University
2020, Highly Cited Researcher (World wide), by Web of Science
2019, Highly Cited Researcher (World wide), by Web of Science
2018, Highly Cited Researcher (World wide), by Web of Science
2015, Young Scientist Award, by European Materials Research Society (E-MRS)
2016, MSE Doctorate Research Excellence Award, by NTU
2015, Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad, by CSC
2009, National Scholarship, by MOE
2008, National Scholarship, by MOE
2007, National Inspirational Scholarship, by Central Government
2008, Excellent Student of Jilin University, by JLU
2007 - 2009, Tsang Hin-Chi Scholarship, by Tsang Hin-Chi Education Foundation
Research Interests/Areas
- Materials chemistry
- Nanoscience
- Metal nanomaterials
- Crystal phase control
- Catalysis
- Energy conversion
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 2 Zero Hunger -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation -
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities -
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 14 Life Below Water -
SDG 15 Life on Land -
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
Fingerprint
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Collaborations from the last five years
Recent external collaboration based on locations. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
Research output
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Ambient Laser Writing of Strongly Coupled High-Entropy Alloy Nanohybrids for Peroxide Electrocatalysis and On-Chip Dual-Mode Sensing
Fan, L., Wang, C., Wang, J., Xin, Y., Wu, Y., Fan, Z., Yang, L.-M. & Zhang, Z., 13 Apr 2026, In: Advanced Functional Materials. 36, 30, 13 p., e28977.Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review
5 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Atomic Coordination Engineering of MOF Nanostructures for CO2 Electroreduction to High-Value Multi-Carbon Products at Industrial-Level Current Density
Wang, J. (Co-first Author), Yan, N. (Co-first Author), Shan, L. (Co-first Author), Lyu, J. (Co-first Author), Wa, Q., Guo, L., Hao, F., Liu, F., Shao, M., Wang, Y., Wang, G., Meng, X., Wang, C., Ye, C., Lum, Y., Xi, S., Zhang, D., Guo, P. & Fan, Z., 10 Aug 2026, In: Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 65, 33, e2590405.Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review
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Boosting Seawater Desalination by Ampere-Level Nitrate Electroreduction On Defect-Rich Ultrathin RuCu Alloy Nanostructures
Wang, J., Guo, L., Wa, Q., Hao, F., Liu, F., Wang, C., Wang, Y., Shao, M., Guo, Y., Wang, G., Meng, X., Qian, F., Zhang, X., Ling, C., Chu, S. & Fan, Z., 27 May 2026, In: Advanced Materials. 38, 30, 13 p., e73146.Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review
Open AccessFile9 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)2 Downloads (CityUHK Scholars) -
Controlled Synthesis of Ultrathin 2H-Phase RhPd Alloy Nanostructures for High-Performance Lithium-Oxygen Batteries
Guo, L., Liu, F., Zhou, J., Wang, Y., Li, L., Hao, F., Meng, X., Wang, J., Xiong, Y., Wang, G., Wang, C., Shao, M., Zhang, S., Zhang, X., Ling, C. & Fan, Z., 2 Sept 2026, In: Nano Letters. 26, 34, p. 11459-11469 11 p.Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Downloads (CityUHK Scholars) -
Direct electrosynthesis of ammonia from nitrate reduction using atomically precise carbonyl-rich metal clusters in neutral media
Wang, M. (Co-first Author), Shen, T. (Co-first Author), Zhou, H. (Co-first Author), Yang, S., Hao, F., Wang, C., Kumar, M., Tie, Z., Chen, S., Fan, Z. & Jin, Z., Sept 2026, In: Chinese Journal of Catalysis. 88, p. 259-268Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review
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YCRG: Electrosynthesis of High-value Organonitrogen Compounds via C-N Coupling: From Catalyst Design to Cell Engineering
FAN, Z. (Principal Investigator / Project Coordinator), CHEN, Y. (Co-Principal Investigator), HUANG, B. (Co-Principal Investigator), SHAO, M. (Co-Principal Investigator) & TAN, X. (Co-Principal Investigator)
30/06/26 → …
Project: Research
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SZNSFC-GP-SRI: 铜基金属有机框架纳米材料的结构调控及其在电催化二氧化碳还原为多碳产物中的应用
FAN, Z. (Principal Investigator / Project Coordinator), WANG, M. (Co-Investigator), 王娟 (Co-Investigator) & 王云豪 (Co-Investigator)
21/10/25 → …
Project: Research
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ECS: Controlled Synthesis of Unconventional Phase Copper-based Janus Nanostructures for Tandem Electrocatalytic Carbon Dioxide Reduction
FAN, Z. (Principal Investigator / Project Coordinator)
1/01/23 → …
Project: Research
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SZNSFC-GP-SRI: 用于高效电催化二氧化碳还原为多碳产物的二维铜纳米片阵列自支撑电极的微观结构工程
FAN, Z. (Principal Investigator / Project Coordinator)
28/10/22 → …
Project: Research
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NSFC-GP-SRI: 分子表面修饰非常规相金属纳米材料及其电催化二氧化碳还原性能研究
FAN, Z. (Principal Investigator / Project Coordinator)
1/01/22 → …
Project: Research
Prizes
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Highly Cited Researcher in Cross-Field, 2025
FAN, Z. (Recipient), Nov 2025
Prize: RGC 64B - Prizes and awards
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Stanford's Top 2% most highly cited scientists 2025
FAN, Z. (Recipient), Sept 2025
Prize: RGC 64B - Prizes and awards
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Stanford's top 2% most highly cited scientists 2024
FAN, Z. (Recipient), Sept 2024
Prize: RGC 64B - Prizes and awards
-
Highly Cited Researcher in Cross-Field, 2023
FAN, Z. (Recipient), Nov 2023
Prize: RGC 64B - Prizes and awards
-
Stanford's top 2% most highly cited scientists 2023
FAN, Z. (Recipient), Oct 2023
Prize: RGC 64B - Prizes and awards
Press/Media
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CityU College of Science Scientists Ranked Top Cited Researchers
JEN, A., ZHANG, H., FAN, Z., TAN, C., YE, R., ZHU, Z., CHEN, B., HO, W. C. D., CHU, P. K. H. & REN, Y.
21/11/22
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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18 CHEM colleagues are recognised as Top 2% of the world’s most cited scholars by the Stanford-Elsevier indicators 2022
LEE, C. S., LEUNG, M. Y. K., ZHANG, H., JEN, A., CHI, Y., LEHN, J.-M., LO, K. W. K., LUO, J., FAN, Z., ZHU, Z., YE, R., TAN, C., MATSUDA, Y., CHEN, X., LAM, K. S. P., TAM, F. Y. N. & XU, Z.
26/10/22
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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CityU Scientists Ranked Top Cited Researchers
JEN, A., ZHANG, H., FAN, Z., CHEN, B., HO, W. C. D. & CHU, P. K. H.
17/11/21
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Highly Cited Researchers 2020
JEN, A., ZHANG, H., FAN, Z., CHEN, B., HO, W. C. D. & CHU, P. K. H.
25/11/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Faculty Members Listed as Highly Cited Researchers 2019
JEN, A., ZHANG, H., FAN, Z., HO, W. C. D. & CHU, P. K. H.
9/12/19
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media