Speaker: XIA Qing
2026 Schmidt Science Fellow
Supervisor: Prof. ZHANG Xiao
Qing Xia is a PhD candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His research focuses on electrocatalysis, catalyst engineering, and electrochemical system design for sustainable waste carbon conversion. During his PhD, he has worked on the upgrading of waste carbon feedstocks, including carbon dioxide, biomass-derived alcohols, and plastic-derived molecules, into value-added chemicals, with particular interest in selective electrosynthesis, reaction pathway regulation, operando mechanistic analysis, and reactor development.
His work integrates catalyst design with system-level considerations, including interfacial reaction environments, mass transport, and practical electrochemical device operation. Through these studies, he has developed a strong interest in how fundamental molecular activation can be translated into scalable and sustainable chemical manufacturing strategies. His recent research has further expanded toward radical-mediated conversion chemistry and nitrogen-related reactions.
Qing has been selected for the 2026 Schmidt Science Fellows program, through which he will pivot toward radical-driven nitrogen fixation using interdisciplinary approaches that combine chemistry, materials science, and physical energy inputs. His long-term research goal is to develop new strategies for activating abundant but inert molecules and to enable more decentralized and sustainable pathways for chemical production.
Abstract
This seminar will present my PhD research on electrocatalytic waste carbon conversion and the scientific questions that have shaped my next research direction. During my PhD at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, I focused on catalyst engineering, mechanistic understanding, and electrochemical system design for the upgrading of waste carbon feedstocks, including carbon dioxide, biomass-derived alcohols, and plastic-derived molecules, into value-added chemicals. My work has aimed to address key challenges in sustainable electrosynthesis, including the efficient activation of stable molecules, improving efficiency, product yield, and waste carbon utilization, suppressing competing side reactions, and translating fundamental catalytic insights into practical electrochemical systems.
In this seminar, I will share representative studies from my PhD, with an emphasis on how catalyst structure, reactive intermediates, and local reaction environments together determine activity, selectivity, and scalability. I will also discuss how these experiences led me to a broader scientific interest in molecular activation, particularly for nitrogen conversion. Building on my background in electrochemistry and radical-mediated reaction pathways, I will introduce my planned research pivot under the Schmidt Science Fellows program toward radical-driven nitrogen fixation. This new direction aims to explore whether physical energy inputs, such as light, vibration, or acoustic energy, can provide alternative activation pathways for chemically inert molecules under mild conditions.
