Energy finalists | RCI Subject Awards 2026

Finalists, not winners. The ten finalists in each subject are the ten highest-ranked universities on the published subject index; each is represented by an academic and a project identified from the open scholarly record, with the paper cited so every claim can be checked. The exact positions publish with the full index on 15 September 2026 at 09:00 UK, when the awards become a headline strand of the global launch. Winners are decided by editorial review and announced on 15 September 2026. The Subject Awards are exclusive to partner universities.

The finalists

Ten universities. Ten projects. Ten academics.

Zonglong Zhu

🇭🇰 Chair Professor of Chemistry and Photovoltaic Technology, Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong · Co-author

Stabilized hole-selective layer for high-performance inverted p-i-n perovskite solar cells

Chair Professor of Chemistry at City University of Hong Kong, Zonglong Zhu develops perovskite photovoltaics. With partners at Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, his team stabilised the hole selective layer of inverted perovskite solar cells, delivering certified high efficiencies and markedly improved operational durability for next generation solar energy.

Science · 2023 · 861 citations

Xiao Zhang

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Polytechnic University · Co-author

Phase-dependent growth of Pt on MoS2 for highly efficient H2 evolution

How a catalyst grows on its supporting material can determine how well it performs. The study investigates the phase-dependent growth of platinum on molybdenum disulphide for highly efficient hydrogen evolution, connecting the structure of the underlying material to the electrochemical production of hydrogen.

Nature · 2023 · 460 citations · co-authors across 4 countries

Magda Titirici

🇬🇧 Professor of Sustainable Energy Materials (Chair), Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London · Co-author

Investigating the Superior Performance of Hard Carbon Anodes in Sodium-Ion Compared With Lithium- and Potassium-Ion Batteries

Professor of Sustainable Energy Materials at Imperial College London, Magda Titirici designs carbon materials for batteries beyond lithium. Her multi-institution investigation of hard carbon anodes compared sodium, lithium and potassium ion storage, explaining why sodium performs best and informing sustainable sodium-ion battery design for grid scale and low cost energy storage.

Advanced Materials · 2023 · 252 citations

Xiaoxu Zhao

🇸🇬 Nanyang Technological University · Corresponding author

Scalable two-step annealing method for preparing ultra-high-density single-atom catalyst libraries

Making catalyst materials one atom at a time is easier said than done at scale. The work presents a scalable two-step annealing method for preparing ultra-high-density single-atom catalyst libraries, addressing how these prized materials can be produced densely and across a whole family of catalysts rather than one at a time.

Nature Nanotechnology · 2021 · 682 citations · co-authors across 3 countries

Yi Shi

🇸🇬 National University of Singapore · Corresponding author

Electronic metal-support interaction modulates single-atom platinum catalysis for hydrogen evolution reaction

In catalysis, the support beneath a metal atom can matter as much as the atom itself. The study shows that fine control over the oxidation states of single-atom platinum catalysts, achieved through electronic metal-support interaction, significantly modulates their activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction in both acidic and alkaline conditions.

Nature Communications · 2021 · 868 citations · co-authors across 2 countries

Ximin Cui

🇨🇳 Shenzhen University · Lead author

Photothermal Nanomaterials: A Powerful Light-to-Heat Converter

Few conversions are as enduringly useful as turning light into heat. The work reviews the latest progress in photothermal nanomaterials, cataloguing metallic and semiconductor structures, carbon materials, organic polymers and two-dimensional materials, and explaining the underlying mechanisms that make them such powerful light-to-heat converters.

Chemical Reviews · 2023 · 1,847 citations · co-authors across 2 countries

Yusuke Yamauchi

🇦🇺 The University of Queensland · Corresponding author

Water Activation in Solar‐Powered Vapor Generation

Turning sunlight directly into steam could help address the global water shortage. Reviewing solar-powered vapour generation at the molecular level, the work summarises theoretical analyses of water evaporation and surveys the evaporator materials and water activation strategies proposed to stimulate rapid steam production beyond the theoretical thermal limit.

Advanced Materials · 2023 · 303 citations · co-authors across 3 countries

Junwang Tang

🇬🇧 University College London · Corresponding author

Efficient Hole Trapping in Carbon Dot/Oxygen‐Modified Carbon Nitride Heterojunction Photocatalysts for Enhanced Methanol Production from CO2 under Neutral Conditions

Turning carbon dioxide into methanol using light and water is an appealing route to artificial photosynthesis, but rapid charge relaxation has held it back. By decorating a carbon nitride-like polymer with carbon dots to extract holes efficiently, the team achieved methanol production with 100 per cent selectivity and a quantum efficiency 300 per cent higher than a previously reported carbon nitride junction.

Angewandte Chemie International Edition · 2021 · 223 citations · co-authors across 3 countries

Qiangmin Yu

🇺🇸 University of California, Berkeley · Corresponding author

A corrosion-resistant RuMoNi catalyst for efficient and long-lasting seawater oxidation and anion exchange membrane electrolyzer

Making hydrogen directly from seawater is promising but chloride ions cause corrosion and side reactions that undermine electrocatalysts. The team's corrosion-resistant RuMoNi catalyst uses surface molybdate ions to repel chloride, running stably for over 3,000 hours at high current density and achieving 77.9 per cent energy conversion efficiency in a membrane electrolyser, with projected hydrogen costs below a 2026 technical target.

Nature Communications · 2023 · 509 citations · co-authors across 4 countries

Rose Amal

🇦🇺 Scientia Professor, School of Chemical Engineering; Co-Director, ARC Training Centre for the Global Hydrogen Economy, UNSW Sydney · Co-author

Tuning the Coordination Structure of CuNC Single Atom Catalysts for Simultaneous Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 and NO3 to Urea

Scientia Professor Rose Amal co-directs the ARC Training Centre for the Global Hydrogen Economy at UNSW. Her collaborative study with Monash University and other partners tuned the coordination structure of copper single atom catalysts to convert carbon dioxide and nitrate simultaneously into urea, advancing electrochemical routes to sustainable fuels and fertilisers.

Advanced Energy Materials · 2022 · 367 citations

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The Subject Awards are open to partner universities.

Partners verify their data, feature their academics, and are eligible for the Subject Awards. Finalists are identified from open data; winners are decided by our editorial team and announced on 15 September 2026.

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