The way climate change is heating up our planet, destroying natural ecosystems, and causing catastrophic natural disasters more frequently than ever before, one thing is clear: we have little choice but to cut greenhouse gas emissions drastically if we are to save our planet.

A crucial step in this direction is the development of green technologies that make large-scale renewable energy production viable and reduce our heavy dependence on fossil fuels, the main contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. This is precisely the research focus of Zheng Wentao, a second-year doctoral student at the School of Science's Center of Artificial Photosynthesis for Solar Fuels (CAP for Solar Fuels @Westlake).

Zheng is conducting his research with the team led by Chair Professor of Chemistry Licheng Sun, who also serves as the center’s director, exploring new ways to develop next-generation green technologies that make hydrogen fuel production possible in large volumes through artificial photosynthesis.

“Hydrogen holds a lot of promise as a substitute for fossil fuels, but the current technologies used for producing it are not as environmentally friendly as they could be, and it is produced on a relatively small scale, insufficient to meet the global demand. So, our team is working to innovate greener ways that could make the production of hydrogen fuel possible on a mass scale,” Zheng explains.

Although the world has witnessed some notable progress in renewable energy development in recent years, renewable sources currently constitute only about 29 percent of the global electricity supply as per the United Nations. This reality makes Zheng and his team's research all the more significant as their work has the potential to help replace fossil fuels and pave the way for achieving carbon neutrality in the near future.

Zheng says he was motivated to focus his research on artificial photosynthesis for hydrogen production with the hope of playing his part in helping tackle climate change.

“While pursuing my undergraduate studies, I realized that not many researchers were in my current field of research, despite its great significance for the future of our planet. And so, I decided to pursue this research direction,” he says. He joined Westlake University in 2021 after completing his undergraduate studies at Fudan University in Shanghai.

For Zheng, coming to Westlake has meant more than just pursuing his doctoral degree. He has found supportive friends among his lab mates and gained invaluable teaching experience through Westlake’s Teaching Assistant Program for doctoral students.

“At my lab, there is a strong bond among our team members. We are always exchanging ideas and sharing research papers with one another that could be useful for our research work, which I find very encouraging,” Zheng says.

(Zheng and his team members with Chair Professor of Chemistry Licheng Sun)

Beyond research, there is another interesting side to Zheng. He is a certified First-Aid trainer of the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC). Although his research work keeps him quite busy at his lab, he finds some time to hold first-aid training sessions for the Westlake Community now and then. 

So far, he has organized more than five sessions on campus, teaching students, faculty, and staff how to administer CPR, use an AED, and perform other first-aid practices.

 (A certified First-Aid trainer of the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC), Zheng demonstrating how to administer CPR during a recent training session)

“When I first arrived at Westlake University, I noticed AED cabinets installed throughout the buildings and I wondered if everyone knew how to use them in an emergency. And one day, a lab colleague invited me to train our team, and that's how it all started,” Zheng says of his training sessions.

Zheng hopes to hold more of these training sessions on campus in the future. “The more people who know about first-aid practices, the safer we all are,” he says. For now, he has been conducting these training sessions by himself, but he looks forward to having other students join him in the future.

“Through my research and my voluntary work, I hope I can make a difference and save lives.”