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Chemical Engineering Assistant

Location:
Charlottesville, VA
Posted:
April 18, 2020

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Resume:

ZHIYONG ZHANG

**** ***** ***** **, ***************, VA 22901 434-***-**** adcu6v@r.postjobfree.com Professional Goals

To expand professional expertise and apply my skill and knowledge in fields of chemistry, materials, energy, or catalysis.

Professional Summary:

Talented Researcher with extensive research experience in fields of nanomaterials design and characterization, colloidal synthesis, electrochemistry, fuel cell, electrolyzer, supercapacitor, chemical identification and quantification. Strong organizational and communication skills. Excellent scientific and technical writing skills. Quick learner and effective team leader.

Skills:

· Advanced material design and synthesis

· Wet chemistry

· Electrochemistry and electrocatalysis

· PEM and AEM fuel cell

· Supercapacitor

· Glovebox

· Schlenk line technique

· Transmission electron microscope

· Scanning electron microscope

· X-ray diffraction

· Inductively coupled plasma

· Gas chromatography

· High-performance liquid chromatography

· Nuclear magnetic resonance

· Thermo-gravimetric analysis

· Differential scanning calorimetry

· Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy

· Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy

Work History and research background:

Postdoctoral research associate Department of Chemistry University of Virginia 2016 – present Project: well-defined nanocrystal catalysts for energy conversion. o Largely enhanced the electrocatalytic alcohol oxidation activity by tuning the interfacial structure of Co2P/Pd/Au core/shell nanorods, which demonstrates with, thus far, the highest ethanol oxidation activity of 10.2 A/mgPrecious metals.

o Established a generalized synthetic strategy for well-defined brookite-phase TiO2 nanorods with tunable transition metal dopants and doping ratio.

o Clearly elucidated the phase evolution from PbS to Pb using in situ synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction, which recorded a close to 100% Faradaic efficiency for CO2 to formate conversion and high mass activity of 74.9 mA/mgPb.

o Significantly enhanced the oxygen reduction activity and lowered the material cost of Pt-based electrocatalysts with the rationally designed Co2P/Pt core/shell nanorods, with the mass activity doubling the DOE targets. o Identified the role of solution pH and the active H species during the electrochemical water decontaminations, guiding the future catalyst design for electrochemical water treatment. o Responsible for the lab set-up and new students training; lead five graduate and six undergraduate students

(totally) in exploring room temperature water splitting, low-temperature methane oxidation, N2 and CO2 reduction.

o Successfully helped the lab to win four awarded grants from federal and state government funding agencies. o Guest lecturer at University of Virginia in courses: Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications; Chemistry for Energy Future; Applied Physics-Energy. Postdoctoral research associate Chemical Sciences Division Oak Ridge National Laboratory 2012 – 2016 Project: fundamental understandings of the role of fluid-solid interfaces in energy storage and energy conversion process.

o Clarified the mechanism of oxygen reduction reaction on carbon-based materials and clearly differentiated the roles of carbon functionality and nitrogen functionality on carbon-based catalysts; for the first time, identified the role of pore texture of carbon-based catalysts in electrochemistry, guiding the future carbon-based catalyst design and fabrication.

o Achieved over 90% CO2 to CO electrochemical reduction with the rationally design Bi nanocrystal electrocatalysts. o Designed more efficient and environmental-benign approaches to make ultrahigh surface area carbons from carbonated beverages and biomass compounds.

Graduate research assistant Department of Chemical Engineering Michigan Technological University 2010 – 2012

Project: mono- or bi-metallic catalysts for energy conversion and storage, and biomass refinery. o Well-trained in the fabrication and operation of proton-exchange membrane and anion-exchange membrane fuel cells.

o Demonstrated anion-exchange membrane fuel cell with low cost biorenewable alcohol fuels; significantly boost up its energy performance with well-defined Pt-, Pd-, Au- based mono- and bi-metallic nanocrystal anode catalysts. o Realized the cogeneration of both electricity and valuable chemicals from biomass-derived polyols in the anion- exchange membrane fuel cells.

o Established the potential controlled electrochemical conversion of biomass-derived polyols into value-added chemicals.

Graduate teaching assistant Department of Chemical Engineering Michigan Technological University 2008 – 2010

Teaching assistant for courses:

o Fuel Cells and Alternative Fuels Enterprise Projects o Polymer Rheology

o Unit Operation Lab

o Chemical Process Safety/Environment

Graduate research assistant College of Materials Science and Engineering Beijing University of Chemical Technology 2005 – 2008

Project: Advanced carbon materials as catalyst supports and fuel cell gas diffusion layers. o Largely improved the properties of carbon supports via the morphology-controlled synthesis of polymer precursor.

o Optimized the performance of gas diffusion layer by modifying carbon fiber papers with carbon nanotube, short cut fibers, graphite particles, and mesophase pitch. Professional Services:

· Journal reviewer for 16 high-profile scientific journals, including Energy & Environmental Science; Journal of Materials Chemistry A; RSC Advances; Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics; Chemical Communications; Advances in Colloid and Interface Science; Applied Catalysis A; Applied Catalysis B; Applied Surface Science; Catalysis Communications; Eletrochimica Acta; International Journal of Hydrogen Energy; Journal of Alloys and Compounds; Journal of Molecular Catalysis A; Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids; Solid State Ionics; Surface Science. Honors and Awards

· Gary & Judy Anderson Scholarship (United States) 2012

· Michigan Tech Alumni Association Tradition of Giving Fellowship (United States) 2011 Education

· Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering Michigan Technological University Houghton MI 2012

· M.S. in Polymer Physics and Chemistry Beijing University of Chemical Technology Beijing China 2008

· B.S. in Polymer Materials and Engineering Beijing University of Chemical Technology Beijing China 2004 Page 2



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