Dr. Kun Zhao, focuses on the topics of chemical looping conversion of carbon-containing fuels, including chemical looping methane reforming, chemical looping hydrogen production, oxidative coupling of methane, CO₂ conversion, and design of novel oxygen carriers.

She has presided over 10 projects including the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the sub-themes of National Key Research and Development Program, the Science and Technology Program of Guangdong Province, and the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou, etc. She was awarded the Guangdong Outstanding Youth Funding, the Outstanding Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences Youth Innovation Promotion Association, and the Pearl River Science and Technology Rising Star of Guangzhou.

As a key member, she has completed the 973 Program, the International Cooperation Projects of National Key Research and Development Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the International Cooperation Projects of Guangdong Science and Technology Program, etc.

She has published more than 100 SCI/EI papers (including 50 papers as first/corresponding author) in Nature Communications, Applied Catalysis B, Environmental, Applied Energy, Energy Conversion and Management, Fuel Processing Technology, Journal of Catalysis, etc, with more than 4000 citations in SCI, and has been selected as one of the top 2% scientists in the world (2020-2025).

Selected Publications

1. Kun Zhao, Yunfei Gao, Xijun Wang, et al. Lithium carbonate-promoted mixed rare earth oxides as a generalized strategy for oxidative coupling of methane with exceptional yields. Nat. Commun. 2023, 14, 7749. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43682-5.

2. Shengpeng Xia, Kun Zhao, Yunfei Gao, et al. Co-Feeding CO₂ for Methylfuran Aromatization over Bifunctional Zeolite-Supported ZnMoO₄. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, e202420779. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202420779

3. Chenkai Sun, Yuxuan Xu, Junming Liang, et al. Enhanced oxidative coupling of CH₄ to olefins via CO₂ assistance over alkali metal-supported perovskite. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2026, 14(6): 3036-3046. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.5c11616

4. Donghui Guan, Shengpeng Xia, Yunfei Gao, et al. CO₂‑Assisted oxygen exchange to enhance the chemical looping oxidation coupling of methane. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2025, 13, 7166-7178. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.5c01466

5. Kun Zhao, Rongjiang Zhang, Yunfei Gao. et al. High syngas selectivity and near pure hydrogen production in perovskite oxygen carriers for chemical looping steam methane reforming. Fuel Process. Technol., 2022, 236: 107398.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2022.107398

▪ Chemical looping conversion of low-carbon alkanes to olefins

▪ Methane chemical looping reforming

▪ Chemical looping hydrogen production

▪ CO₂ conversion

▪ Design and preparation of novel oxygen carriers

1. National Special Support Program for High-Level Talents: Outstanding Young Talents Project

2. Guangdong Provincial Outstanding Young Scientists Fund Project: Fundamental Research on the Coupled Production of Olefins via Biogas Oxidation Enhanced by Chemical Looping

3. Outstanding Member Talent Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Youth Innovation Promotion Association

4. National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) General Program: Fundamental Research on the Directed Production of Olefins via Sequential Activation of CO₂ and Methane via Chemical-Looping Oxidative Coupling

5. NSFC General Program: Fundamental Research on the Directed Production of Olefins via the Coupling of Plasma-Mediated Low-Temperature Activation with Chemical Looping Oxidation of Methane

6. NSFC Youth Fund: Oxygen Transport and B-B’ Synergy Mechanisms in Perovskite Oxides for the Chemical Looping Steam Reforming of Methane

7. Sub-project of the National Key Research and Development Program: Evaluation of the Long-Term Physicochemical Properties of Oxygen-Hosting Transition Metal Oxides

8. Sub-project of the National Key Research and Development Program: Key Technologies for the Full Utilization and Safe Disposal of Urban Food Waste

9. Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Program: Chemical looping directed gasification of agricultural and forestry waste using ferrate-CaO composite oxygen carriers to produce hydrogen-rich synthesis gas

10. Guangzhou Pearl River Science and Technology Rising Star: Fundamental Research on the Coupled Production of Olefins via Directed Oxidation of Municipal Landfill Gas Using a Chemical Looping Controlled Process