Overview
Background
Dr. Yunqing Kang is a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) Fellow in the Yamauchi Research Group at the AIBN. His research focuses on the design and synthesis of advanced nanostructured metallic materials to address critical challenges in energy conversion and environmental sustainability. By pioneering bottom-up self-assembly strategies, Dr. Kang precisely engineers the atomic-scale disorder in porous metals, enabling the creation of high-performance catalysts essential for the global energy transition.
Dr Kang's core expertise encompasses mesoporous metals, amorphous and high-entropy alloys, and disordered metallic architectures, with specific applications in electrocatalysis for water splitting and plastic upcycling. With over 50 publications in prestigious journals including Nature, Science Advances, and Angewandte Chemie, Dr. Kang is dedicated to advancing the fundamental understanding of material science to facilitate industrial innovation.
Availability
- Dr Yunqing Kang is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Research interests
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Mesoporous Metallic Materials
I specialize in the bottom-up self-assembly of advanced nanostructured metals with precisely controlled pore architectures. My work focuses on creating single atom alloy, amorphous alloy and high-entropy alloy systems that offer enhanced surface areas and structural stability for industrial applications. By engineering these disordered metallic frameworks, I aim to push the boundaries of material design for sustainable development and catalytic performance.
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Engineering Hybrid Functional Materials
I design complex hybrid materials by integrating porous metallic structures with diverse functional components including oxides, MOFs, silica, carbon, and polymers. By systematically tailoring the interfaces and architectural synergy between these components, I develop robust composite systems with enhanced activity and durability. This work provides a versatile material platform for addressing complex challenges in electrochemical energy storage and conversion.
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Electrocatalytic Energy and Environmental Applications
I apply advanced material systems to address global energy and sustainability challenges, with a primary focus on high-efficiency water splitting. My work explores the coupling of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with the anodic oxidation reaction (AOR) for upcycling of plastics to produce high-value chemicals. This research delivers sustainable and scalable pathways for clean hydrogen production and the transformation of waste into value-added products within a circular economy.
Research impacts
Dr. Kang’s research translates complex material science into tangible solutions for sustainable energy and environmental protection by improving the efficiency and durability of catalysts that serve as the engines of the clean energy economy. His development of highly active mesoporous metal catalysts significantly lowers the energy barriers for water electrolysis, rendering green hydrogen production more viable and cost-effective.
Furthermore, his work on catalytic architectures supports the conversion of waste plastics and environmental pollutants into high-value chemical products, directly promoting a circular economy. The impact of his research is evidenced by a high international standing, with outputs consistently ranked in the top 1%–10% of global citations and a Field-Weighted Citation Impact of 5.62. Beyond his laboratory contributions, Dr. Kang actively shapes the scientific community as a young editorial board member, ensuring the dissemination of cutting-edge findings that drive industrial progress and global sustainability goals.
Works
Search Professor Yunqing Kang’s works on UQ eSpace
2023
Journal Article
Spontaneous generation of singlet oxygen on microemulsion-derived manganese oxides with rich oxygen vacancies for efficient aerobic oxidation
Tang, Jun, Chen, Junbao, Zhang, Zhanyu, Ma, Qincheng, Hu, Xiaolong, Li, Peng, Liu, Zhiqiang, Cui, Peixin, Wan, Chao, Ke, Qingping, Fu, Lei, Kim, Jeonghun, Hamada, Takashi, Kang, Yunqing and Yamauchi, Yusuke (2023). Spontaneous generation of singlet oxygen on microemulsion-derived manganese oxides with rich oxygen vacancies for efficient aerobic oxidation. Chemical Science, 14 (46), 13402-13409. doi: 10.1039/d3sc04418a
2022
Journal Article
Tailored MXene nanoarchitectonics: MXene with mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon confined ultrafine molybdenum carbide nanodots for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution
Tang, Yi, Yang, Chenhui, Xie, Yangyang, Kang, Yunqing, Que, Wenxiu, Henzie, Joel and Yamauchi, Yusuke (2022). Tailored MXene nanoarchitectonics: MXene with mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon confined ultrafine molybdenum carbide nanodots for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution. ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, 11 (1), 168-176. doi: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c05106
2022
Journal Article
Porous nanoarchitectures of nonprecious metal borides: from controlled synthesis to heterogeneous catalyst applications
Kang, Yunqing, Tang, Yi, Zhu, Liyang, Jiang, Bo, Xu, Xingtao, Guselnikova, Olga, Li, Hexing, Asahi, Toru and Yamauchi, Yusuke (2022). Porous nanoarchitectures of nonprecious metal borides: from controlled synthesis to heterogeneous catalyst applications. ACS Catalysis, 12 (23), 14773-14793. doi: 10.1021/acscatal.2c03480
2022
Journal Article
Soft template‐based synthesis of mesoporous phosphorus‐ and boron‐codoped nife‐based alloys for efficient oxygen evolution reaction
Kang, Yunqing, Guo, Yanna, Zhao, Jingjing, Jiang, Bo, Guo, Jingru, Tang, Yi, Li, Hexing, Malgras, Victor, Amin, Mohammed A., Nara, Hiroki, Sugahara, Yoshiyuki, Yamauchi, Yusuke and Asahi, Toru (2022). Soft template‐based synthesis of mesoporous phosphorus‐ and boron‐codoped nife‐based alloys for efficient oxygen evolution reaction. Small, 18 (33) 2203411, 1-10. doi: 10.1002/smll.202203411
2022
Journal Article
MXene nanoarchitectonics: defect‐engineered 2D MXenes towards enhanced electrochemical water splitting
Tang, Yi, Yang, Chenhui, Xu, Xingtao, Kang, Yunqing, Henzie, Joel, Que, Wenxiu and Yamauchi, Yusuke (2022). MXene nanoarchitectonics: defect‐engineered 2D MXenes towards enhanced electrochemical water splitting. Advanced Energy Materials, 12 (12) 2103867, 2103867. doi: 10.1002/aenm.202103867
2022
Journal Article
Microwave one-pot synthesis of CNT-supported amorphous Ni-P alloy nanoparticles with enhanced hydrogenation performance
Kang, Yunqing, Du, Haoran, Jiang, Bo, Li, Hui, Guo, Yanna, Amin, Mohammed A., Sugahara, Yoshiyuki, Asahi, Toru, Li, Hexing and Yamauchi, Yusuke (2022). Microwave one-pot synthesis of CNT-supported amorphous Ni-P alloy nanoparticles with enhanced hydrogenation performance. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 10 (12), 6560-6568. doi: 10.1039/d1ta10742a
2021
Journal Article
Heterostructuring mesoporous 2D iridium nanosheets with amorphous nickel boron oxide layers to improve electrolytic water splitting
Kang, Yunqing, Jiang, Bo, Malgras, Victor, Guo, Yanna, Cretu, Ovidiu, Kimoto, Koji, Ashok, Aditya, Wan, Zhe, Li, Hexing, Sugahara, Yoshiyuki, Yamauchi, Yusuke and Asahi, Toru (2021). Heterostructuring mesoporous 2D iridium nanosheets with amorphous nickel boron oxide layers to improve electrolytic water splitting. Small Methods, 5 (10) 2100679, 1-10. doi: 10.1002/smtd.202100679
2021
Journal Article
Direct Z-scheme CuInS2/Bi2MoO6 heterostructure for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline under visible light
Guo, Jingru, Wang, Liping, Wei, Xiao, Alothman, Zeid A., Albaqami, Munirah D., Malgras, Victor, Yamauchi, Yusuke, Kang, Yunqing, Wang, Meiqi, Guan, Weisheng and Xu, Xingtao (2021). Direct Z-scheme CuInS2/Bi2MoO6 heterostructure for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline under visible light. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 415 125591, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125591
2021
Journal Article
Auto-programmed synthesis of metallic aerogels: Core-shell Cu@Fe@Ni aerogels for efficient oxygen evolution reaction
Jiang, Bo, Wan, Zhe, Kang, Yunqing, Guo, Yanna, Henzie, Joel, Na, Jongbeom, Li, Hexing, Wang, Shengyao, Bando, Yoshio, Sakka, Yoshio and Yamauchi, Yusuke (2021). Auto-programmed synthesis of metallic aerogels: Core-shell Cu@Fe@Ni aerogels for efficient oxygen evolution reaction. Nano Energy, 81 105644, 1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2020.105644
2021
Journal Article
Graphene–carbon 2D heterostructures with hierarchically-porous P,N-doped layered architecture for capacitive deionization
Guo, Jingru, Xu, Xingtao, Hill, Jonathan P., Wang, Liping, Dang, Jingjing, Kang, Yunqing, Li, Yuliang, Guan, Weisheng and Yamauchi, Yusuke (2021). Graphene–carbon 2D heterostructures with hierarchically-porous P,N-doped layered architecture for capacitive deionization. Chemical Science, 12 (30), 10334-10340. doi: 10.1039/d1sc00915j
2020
Journal Article
Amorphous alloy architectures in pore walls: mesoporous amorphous NiCoB alloy spheres with controlled compositions via a chemical reduction
Kang, Yunqing, Jiang, Bo, Yang, Juanjuan, Wan, Zhe, Na, Jongbeom, Li, Qian, Li, Hexing, Henzie, Joel, Sakka, Yoshio, Yamauchi, Yusuke and Asahi, Toru (2020). Amorphous alloy architectures in pore walls: mesoporous amorphous NiCoB alloy spheres with controlled compositions via a chemical reduction. ACS Nano, 14 (12), 17224-17232. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.0c07178
2020
Journal Article
Magnetically induced synthesis of mesoporous amorphous CoB nanochains for efficient selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde to cinnamyl alcohol
Zhao, Jingjing, Malgras, Victor, Na, Jongbeom, Liang, Rui, Cai, Yong, Kang, Yunqing, Alshehri, Abdulmohsen Ali, Alzahrani, Khalid Ahmed, Alghamdi, Yousef Gamaan, Asahi, Toru, Zhang, Dieqing, Jiang, Bo, Li, Hexing and Yamauchi, Yusuke (2020). Magnetically induced synthesis of mesoporous amorphous CoB nanochains for efficient selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde to cinnamyl alcohol. Chemical Engineering Journal, 398 125564, 125564. doi: 10.1016/j.cej.2020.125564
2020
Journal Article
Mesoporous metal-metalloid amorphous alloys: the first synthesis of open 3D mesoporous Ni-B amorphous alloy spheres via a dual chemical reduction method
Kang, Yunqing, Henzie, Joel, Gu, Huajun, Na, Jongbeom, Fatehmulla, Amanullah, Shamsan, Belqes Saeed A., Aldhafiri, Abdullah M., Farooq, W. Aslam, Bando, Yoshio, Asahi, Toru, Jiang, Bo, Li, Hexing and Yamauchi, Yusuke (2020). Mesoporous metal-metalloid amorphous alloys: the first synthesis of open 3D mesoporous Ni-B amorphous alloy spheres via a dual chemical reduction method. Small, 16 (10) 1906707, 1-7. doi: 10.1002/smll.201906707
2020
Journal Article
A mesoporous non-precious metal boride system: synthesis of mesoporous cobalt boride by strictly controlled chemical reduction
Jiang, Bo, Song, Hui, Kang, Yunqing, Wang, Shengyao, Wang, Qi, Zhou, Xin, Kani, Kenya, Guo, Yanna, Ye, Jinhua, Li, Hexing, Sakka, Yoshio, Henzie, Joel and Yusuke, Yamauchi (2020). A mesoporous non-precious metal boride system: synthesis of mesoporous cobalt boride by strictly controlled chemical reduction. Chemical Science, 11 (3), 791-796. doi: 10.1039/c9sc04498a
2019
Journal Article
Mesoporous PtCu alloy nanoparticles with tunable compositions and particles sizes using diblock copolymer micelle templates
Kang, Yunqing, Jiang, Bo, Alothman, Zeid A., Badjah, Ahmad Yacine, Naushad, Mu, Habila, Mohamed, Wabaidur, Saikh, Henzie, Joel, Li, Hexing and Yamauchi, Yusuke (2019). Mesoporous PtCu alloy nanoparticles with tunable compositions and particles sizes using diblock copolymer micelle templates. Chemistry: A European Journal, 25 (1), 343-348. doi: 10.1002/chem.201804305
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Yunqing Kang is:
- Available for supervision
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