Abstract

Nanocatalysis provides a powerful platform for accelerating chemical reactions by exploiting the distinctive optical, electronic, and surface properties of nanoscale materials. Despite significant progress, many catalytic systems still struggle with inefficient energy conversion, limited activation of reactants, and weak catalyst-reactant interactions, especially under low reactant concentrations or mild operating conditions. In this seminar, I will present recent works from our group that tackle these limitations through the development of nanocatalytic tools designed to concentrate energy and actively control reactant behavior. Our approach integrates hierarchical nanoparticle architectures, multidimensional catalytic ensembles, and tailored surface chemistry to improve catalyst-solvent-reactant interactions at the point-of-catalysis. These platforms concentrate optical, electrical, and chemical energies at reactive sites to promote more efficient photocatalytic and electrocatalytic transformations under ideal ambient conditions. The resulting strategies create new opportunities for sustainable chemical reactions that include green hydrogen and ammonia production as well as pollutant remediation. By combining energy concentration with molecular control, our work offers insights for designing high-efficiency nanocatalysts that can be adapted to diverse energy and environmental challenges.

Biography

Hiang Kwee Lee is a Nanyang Assistant Professor at the School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University (NTU). His research program combines chemistry, nanotechnology, material sciences, and in operando spectroscopy to develop next-generation catalytic ensembles aimed at addressing global energy and environmental crises. Before joining NTU as a faculty member, Hiang Kwee worked as a post-doctoral scholar with Professor Yi Cui at Stanford University under the Singapore Teaching and Academic Research Talent (START) scheme. He earned his doctorate (advisor: Professor Xing Yi Ling) and bachelor degrees in chemistry from NTU in 2018 and 2013, respectively. He was the recipient of the College of Science Research Award (Young Investigator), Nanyang Education Award (School), Nanyang Assistant Professorship, College of Science International Postdoctoral Scholarship (NTU), Dr and Mrs Alex Tan Pang Kee gold medal, A*STAR graduate scholarship, and the Shell Eastern Petroleum Gold medal Cum Cash Award.