At the invitation of the School of Chemistry and Materials Science of Nanjing Normal University and the Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Novel Power Batteries, Professor Shangqian Zhu from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of Southeast University visited the university on May 18, 2026, for academic exchanges. He delivered an academic report titled “Mechanisms of Hydrogen Evolution and Oxidation Reactions from the Perspective of Surface-Enhanced Infrared Spectroscopy” in Conference Room 224, Huaxing Building. The session was chaired by Professor Hanjun Sun, and attended by faculty members and students from the school.
Professor Shangqian Zhu is a professor at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, and serves as the Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering. He is a recipient of the National Young Talent Program. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and Technology from Beijing University of Chemical Technology in 2013, and his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in 2016 and 2020, respectively. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at HKUST before joining Southeast University in 2023. He has published over 80 academic papers, with more than 9,600 citations on Google Scholar and an H-index of 42. As the first or corresponding author (including co-authorship), he has published over 30 papers in journals such as Nat. Catal., Joule, J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., and Adv. Mater.. He has received honors including the Hong Kong Research Grants Council Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme, the World’s Top 2% Scientists list, the Southeast University Youth May Fourth Medal, Outstanding Undergraduate Supervisor, and Xiaomi Young Scholar Award.
In this report, Professor Shangqian Zhu focused on the mechanisms of hydrogen evolution and oxidation reactions (HER/HOR) from the perspective of surface-enhanced infrared spectroscopy. In the first part, he discussed the existing mechanistic issues of HER/HOR under alkaline conditions and introduced key approaches to address them. In the second part, he introduced surface-enhanced infrared spectroscopy (SEIRAS) and highlighted its advantages when combined with electrochemistry, including high surface 1 sensitivity, low mass transfer resistance, and immunity to gas evolution interference. In the third part, Professor Zhu pointed out that the *H adsorption energy varies with pH changes; higher pH shifts lead to higher *H adsorption, and a higher *H coverage is observed (semi-quantitative). Finally, he provided a perspective on the research topic, suggesting that the combination of in situ characterization techniques with traditional analytical methods could facilitate the rational design of key materials for hydrogen energy.
Professor Shangqian Zhu’s report was rich in content and logically clear. His innovative design concepts broadened the audience’s perspectives, and he engaged in in depth discussions and exchanges on academic issues with faculty and students present. The report concluded with warm applause from all attendees.