Prof. Zhiyuan ZENG

Prof. Zhiyuan Zeng received his BSc, MPhil and PhD degrees all in Material Science & Engineering from Central South University, Zhejiang University and Nanyang Technological University in 2006, 2008 and 2013, respectively. He continued his postdoc training at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (2013-2017). Then he jumped into industry in Silicon Valley working for Applied Materials Inc. As Process Engineer/Senior Process Engineer (2017-2019). Prof. Zeng joined CityU-MSE in 2019. His research interest focuses on using In-situ/Ex-situ Multimodal Characterizations to solve fundamental and technologically-important problems, especially those related to environmental and energy applications. He has published 169 SCI papers (121 IF > 10) with total citation 25340 times and H-index 69 (google scholar), which include Nature Materials, Nature Reviews Chemistry, Nature Synthesis, Nature Protocols, Nature Water, Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, etc. He was awarded the 2023/2024 Young Collaborative Research Grant (Y-CRG, 4,832,040 HKD) by the University Grants Committee (UGC) of Hong Kong, and he was also awarded the IAAM Fellow by the International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM) in 2023. He has been listed as the Highly Cited Researcher (Top 1%, Clarivate Analytics) in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020 and 2018. He has also been listed as the World's Top 2% Scientists in Nanosci. & Nanotechnol. for single year in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020 (by Stanford University).

Honors/Awards

2024 RGC Young-Collaborative Research Grant (Y-CRG)
2024 Highly Cited Researcher, by Clarivate Analytics
2024 World's Top 2% Scientists in Nanosci. & Nanotechnol., by Stanford University
2023 Fellow, by the International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM)
2023 Highly Cited Researcher, by Clarivate Analytics
2023 World's Top 2% Scientists in Nanosci. & Nanotechnol., by Stanford University
2022 Highly Cited Researcher, by Clarivate Analytics
2022 World's Top 2% Scientists in Nanosci. & Nanotechnol., by Stanford University
2022 Rising Star Series, by Advanced Materials (IF: 32.09)
2022 Rising Star Series, by Small (IF: 15.15)
2021 Emerging Investigators for Chemical Communications (IF: 6.222)
2021 World's Top 2% Scientists in Nanosci. & Nanotechnol., by Stanford University
2020 Highly Cited Researcher, by Clarivate Analytics
2020 World's Top 2% Scientists in Nanosci. & Nanotechnol., by Stanford University
2020 Emerging Investigators for Journal of Materials Chemistry A (IF: 14.511)
2019 Early Career Scheme award by Research Grants Council of Hong Kong
2018 Highly Cited Researcher, by Clarivate Analytics
2018 Working Smarter in Analytical Techniques, by EAG Laboratories (Silicon Valley)
2014 Secretary, San Francisco Section of The Electrochemical Society, by ECS

Selected Publications

[1] Phase-switchable preparation of solution-processable WS₂ mono- or bi-layers, L. Mei†, Z. Gao†, R. Yang†, Z. Zhang†, M. Sun, X. Liang, Y. Zhang, T. Ying, H. Hu, D. Li, Q. Zhang, M. D. Gu, L. Gu, J. Zhou, B. Huang, D. Voiry, X. C. Zeng, Y. Chai, J. Li*, X. Yu*, Z. Y. Zeng*, Nature Synthesis, 2025, 4, 303-313. (Cover) 
[2] Intercalation in 2D materials and in-situ studies, R. Yang†, L. Mei†, Z. Lin†, Y. Fan, J. Lim, J. Guo, Y. Liu, H. S. Shin, D. Voiry, Q. Lu*, J. Li*, Z. Y. Zeng*, Nature Reviews Chemistry, 2024, 8, 410-432. (Cover) (ESI Highly Cited Papers: 43)
[3] Metallic 1T/1T′ Phase TMD Nanosheets with Enhanced Chemisorption Sites for Ultrahigh-Efficiency Lead Removal, L. Mei†, M. Sun†, R. Yang†, Y. Zhang, Y. Zhang, Z. Zhang, L. Zheng, Y. Chen, Q. Zhang, J. Zhou, Y. Zhu, K. M.Y. Leung, W. Zhang, J. Fan, B. Huang*, X. C. Zeng, H. S. Shin, C. Y. Tang, L. Gu*, D. Voiry, Z. Y. Zeng*, Nature Communications, 2024, 15, 7770.
[4] Synthesis of atomically thin sheets by the intercalation-based exfoliation of layered materials, R. Yang, Y. Fan, L. Mei, H. S. Shin, D. Voiry, Q. Lu, J. Li*, Z. Y. Zeng*, Nature Synthesis, 2023, 2, 101-118.
[5] Fabrication of Liquid Cell for In-Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy of Electrochemical Processes, R. Yang, L. Mei, Y. Fan, Q. Zhang, H. G. Liao, J. Yang, J. Li*, Z. Y. Zeng*, Nature Protocols, 2023, 18, 555-578.
[6] High-yield production of mono- or few-layer transition metal dichalcogenides nanosheets by electrochemical lithium ion intercalation-based exfoliation method​, R. Yang†, L. Mei†, Q. Zhang†, Y. Fan, H. S. Shin*, D. Voiry*, Z.Y. Zeng*, Nature Protocols, 2022, 17, 358-377. (ESI Highly Cited Papers: 110)
[7] Photocatalysis with atomically thin sheets, R. Yang, Y. Fan, J. Hu, Z. Chen, H. S. Shin, D. Voiry, Q. Wang, Q. Lu*, J. C. Yu*, Z. Y. Zeng*, Chemical Society Reviews, 2023, 52, 7687 - 7706.
[8] Framework structure engineering of polymeric carbon nitrides and its recent applications, B. Tian, D. Ho*, J. Qin, J. Hu, Z. Chen, D. Voiry, Q. Wang*, Z. Y. Zeng*, Progress in Materials Science, 2023, 133, 101056. ​​
[9] Liquid-phase TEM study of electrochemical reactions at multiple interfaces, H. Hu, R. Yang, Z. Y. Zeng*, Matter, 2025, 8, 101939.
[10] Transition Metal Dichalcogenide-Based Functional Membrane: Synthesis, Modification and Water Purification Applications, H. Peng, R. Wang*, L. Mei, Q. Zhang, T. Ying, Z. Qian*, A. B. Farimani, D. Voiry*, Z. Y. Zeng*, Matter, 2023, 6, 59-96.
[11] In-Situ TEM Visualization of LiF Nanosheets Formation on the Cathode-Electrolyte Interphase (CEI) in Liquid-Electrolyte Lithium-Ion Batteries, Q. Zhang†, J. Ma†, L. Mei, J. Liu, Z. Li*, J. Li*, Z. Y. Zeng*, Matter, 2022, 5, 1235-1250. (ESI Highly Cited Papers: 63) 
​[12] Achieving Exceptional Volumetric Desalination Capacity Using Compact MoS2 Nanolaminates, T. Ying†, Y. Xiong†, H. Peng†, R. Yang, L. Mei, Z. Zhang, W. Zheng, R. Yan, Y. Zhang, H. Hu, C. Ma, Y. Chen, X. Xu, J. Yang, D. Voiry, C. Y. Tang, J. Fan, Z. Y. Zeng*, Advanced Materials, 2024, 36, 2403385.
[13] Simultaneous electrochemical exfoliation and covalent functionalization of MoS2 membrane for ion sieving, L. Mei, Z. Cao, T. Ying, R. Yang, H. Peng, G. Wang, L. Zheng, Y. Chen, C. Y. Tang, D. Voiry, H. Wang*, A. B. Farimani*, Z. Y. Zeng*, Advanced Materials, 2022, 34, 2201416. (Invited paper for "Rising Stars Series")
[14] MnO₂-based materials for environmental applications, R. Yang, Y. Fan, R. Ye, Y. Tang, X. Cao*, Z. Yin*, Z. Y. Zeng*, Advanced Materials, 2021, 33, 2004862. (ESI Highly Cited Papers: 362) (Hot Paper)  
[15] 2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenides for Photocatalysis, R. Yang, Y. Fan, Y. Zhang, L. Mei, R. Zhu,* J. Qin, J. Hu, Z. Chen, Y. H. Ng, D. Voiry, S. Li, Q. Lu, Q. Wang,* J. C. Yu,* Z. Y. Zeng*, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2023, 62, e202218016. (ESI Highly Cited Papers: 114