The Council of the Society was delighted to learn that Fellow, Professor Chuan Zhao FRSN, of the UNSW Sydney School of Chemistry, has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Royal Australian Chemical Institute H. G. Smith Memorial Award, which recognises a member of the RACI who has “contributed most to the development of some branch of chemical science” judged by research and publications during the past ten years. 

Professor Zhao has made groundbreaking contributions to clean energy technologies and electrocatalysis. His achievements include: developing world-leading precious metal-free catalysts for water splitting and CO2 reduction; pioneering single-atom catalysts for enhanced electrocatalysis; creating cutting-edge in situ–operando electrochemical characterisation tools; and advancing the understanding of fuel cell and water electrolyser degradation.  

Prof Zhao’s work has not only pushed the boundaries of fundamental electrochemical science but also led to significant industrial applications. His innovations have resulted in 15 patent families, with 10 commercialised, spawning two Australian spin-off companies. 

Professor Zhao writes: “My initial interest in the field started from a ‘failed’ experiment when I was a postdoc in Monash, where I found water can be relatively easily oxidised in ionic liquids. It underpinned the seed idea of my first ARC grant. From there I entered the fascinating world of energy research and built a world-class research group from scratch. Also, a fan of history, I learned energy and water are the two most critical elements to human civilisation. Water splitting involves these two basic elements and is a perfect research topic for me.”

To read more, please see the article at https://raci.org.au/events-and-awards/awards/national-awards/research-innovation/hg-smith-memorial-award.