Jun Gu received his B.S. degree in chemistry from Peking University in 2011 and Ph.D. degree in inorganic chemistry also from Peking University in 2016. As guided by Prof. Yawen Zhang and Prof. Chunhua Yan, he did his Ph.D. research in the controlled synthesis and catalytic applications of rare-earth-based and noble metal-based nanomaterials. From November 2016 to February 2021, Jun worked as a postdoc researcher in Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland with Prof. Xile Hu. His postdoc research was focused on non-noble-metal catalyzed CO₂ electrochemical reduction. Jun joined the department of chemistry of SUSTech in March 2021, as a tenue-tracked Assistant Professor (PI). His works have been published on Science, J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. etc.

Jun’s research interests:

Achieving carbon neutralization before 2060 is the most important goal for the development of energy system in China. Nowadays, non-carbon-based power technologies, including solar power, wind power, hydropower and nuclear power, have been greatly developed, are booming. It is predictable that in a near future, the cost of electricity from these non-carbon-based energy source will be comparable, or even lower than that from combustion of fossil fuels. As the cost of electricity is low, electrolysis techniques, for the purposes of energy storage, CO₂ fixation and producing valuable chemicals, will become key steps to close the carbon cycle. Therefore, our research will be focused on developing new electrocatalytic reactions, new electrocatalysts, and new designs of electrolyzers.

The research topics include:

1. Structure-performance correlation of catalysts for CO₂electro-reduction;

2. Producing multi-carbon products from CO electro-reduction;

3. Electrocatalytic organic synthesis;

4. etc.

PUBLICATIONS：

1. Jun Gu, Chia-Shuo Hsu, Lichen Bai, Hao Ming Chen*, Xile Hu*. Atomically dispersed Fe³⁺sites catalyze efficient CO₂electroreduction to CO. Science 2019, 364, 1091.

2. Jun Gu, Florent Héroguel, Jeremy Luterbacher, Xile Hu*. Densely packed, ultra small SnO Nanoparticles for Enhanced Activity and Selectivity in Electrochemical CO₂Reduction. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.2018, 57, 2943.

3. Wei-Zhen Li#, Jin-Xun Liu#, Jun Gu#, Wu Zhou, Si-Yu Yao, Rui Si, Yu Guo, Hai-Yan Su, Chun-Hua Yan, Wei-Xue Li*, Ya-Wen Zhang*, Ding Ma*. Chemical Insights into the Design and Development of Face-Centered Cubic Ruthenium Catalysts for Fischer−Tropsch Synthesis. J. Am. Chem. Soc.2017, 139, 2267.

4. Jun Gu#, Ze-Qiong Zhao#, Yi Ding, Hong-Liang Chen, Ya-Wen Zhang*, Chun-Hua Yan*. Liquid-phase syntheses and material properties of two-dimensional nanocrystals of rare earth–selenium compound containing planar Se layers: RESe₂nanosheets and RE₄O₄Se₃nanoplates, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 8363.

5. Yi Ding#, Jun Gu#, Tao Zhang, An-Xiang Yin, Lu Yang, Ya-Wen Zhang*, Chun-Hua Yan*. Chemoaffinity-mediated synthesis of NaRES₂-based nanocrystals as versatile nano-building blocks and durable nano-pigments, J. Am. Chem. Soc.2012, 134, 3255.

6. Jun Gu,Ya-Wen Zhang*, Franklin (Feng) Tao*, Shape control of bimetallic nanocatalysts through well-designed colloidal chemistry approaches, Chem. Soc. Rev.2012, 41, 8050.