- 3035 North Engineering Research Center
- Phone (205) 348-4281
Dr. Zhongyang Wang
Assistant Professor
Contact
- 3035 North Engineering Research Center
- phone (205) 348-4281
Research Areas
Education
- B.S., Polymer Science and Engineering, Yantai University, 2012
- M. Eng., Chemical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, 2014
- Ph.D., Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, 2019
Polymer electrolytes are at the heart of many electrochemical systems such as fuel cells, electrolyzers, and batteries. In addition, they are the key components for sustainable technologies such as electrodialysis for seawater desalination and the chloralkali process. One of the main drivers that will advance the commercialization of these sustainable processes is the development of mechanical robust, highly ion conductive, ion selective, and chemically resistive polymer electrolytes.
The Wang group aims to empower high-performance electrochemical systems and sustainable technologies by solving fundamental problems at the interface of polymer science and electrochemical engineering. The group focuses on three distinct areas: (1) understanding ion/electron transport in nanostructured block copolymers and liquid crystals, (2) developing efficient pH-gradient-enabled microscale bipolar interfaces for water and CO2 electrolysis, and (3) engineering sub-2 nm structured liquid crystals for efficient water treatment and energy storage.
A more detailed description can be found in the group website: zhongyangwang.com
Affiliated Areas
Chemical and Biological Engineering, Polymers and Soft Materials Research Center
Selected Publications
- Z. Wang*, C. Wang*, Y. Sun*, K. Wang, J. Strzalka, S. N. Patel, P. F. Nealey, C. K. Ober, F. A. Escobedo, Ion Transport in 2D Nanostructured π-Conjugated Thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-Based Liquid Crystal, ACS Nano, 2022, 16, 12, 20714-20729 (*equal contribution)
- Z. Wang*, S. Sankarasubramanian*, V. Ramani, Reactant-Transport Engineering Approach to High-Power Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells, Cell Reports Physical Science, 2020, 1, 100084 (*equal contribution)
- Z. Wang, J. Parrondo, C. He, S. Sankarasubramanian, V. Ramani, Efficient PH-Gradient-Enabled Microscale Bipolar Interfaces in Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells, Nature Energy, 2019, 4 (4), 281-289.
Awards and Honors
- IGNIITE (Inspiring Generations of New Innovators to Impact Technologies in Energy) award winner, U.S. Dept. of Energy, June 2024
- 01/2024, Hewson Engineering Faculty Fellow
- 07/2024, ARPA-E IGNIITE Early Career Innovator Award
- 12/2022 2022 Maria Lastra Excellence in Mentoring Award for Postdoctoral Researchers, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago. (1 out of 100 each year)
- 05/2020 Industrial Electrochemistry and Electrochemical Engineering (IEEE) Division H.H. Dow Memorial Student Achievement Award, The Electrochemical Society
- 04/2020 Annual Research Impact Award, Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis