Educations and Work Experiences：

PhD., Emory University (USA), (2003.08-2008.05)

Postdoc, Emory University (USA), (2008.06-2009.06)

Dreyfus Postdoc, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA), (2009.06-2011.06)

Prof. Renmin University of China (2011.07-2013.12)

Prof. Shaanxi Normal University (From 2014 to now)

Research interests:

Molecule electro-catalysis

Energy-related small molecule activation

Awards and Honors:

First Prize of Shaanxi Provincial Science and Technology Award, 2025

First Prize of Shaanxi Higher Education Institutions Science and Technology Award, 2022

Young Investigator Award from the Society of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines (SPP), 2020

“Most Beautiful Party Member of the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party in the New Era” of Shaanxi Province, 2019

“Outstanding Young Party Member of the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party in the New Era” of Shaanxi Province, 2019

Fok Ying‑Tong Education Foundation Young Teacher Fund (Ministry of Education), 2018

Outstanding Young Award of the Shaanxi Chemical Society, 2018

First Batch of the Young Thousand Talents Program of the Organization Shaanxi Provincial Leading Talent in Scientific and Technological Innovation for Middle‑aged and Young People, 2016

Shaanxi Provincial “Hundred Talents Program”, 2015

Department of the CPC Central Committee, 2011

Dreyfus Postdoctoral Award from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, USA, 2009

Osborne R. Quayle Award, Emory University, USA, 2006

May Fourth Youth Award of Peking University, 2002

Research Projects as Principal Investigator:

1. National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Distinguished Young Scholar Fund, Grant No. 22325202, Molecular Electrocatalysis, January 2024 – December 2028, RMB 4,000,000.

2. Key Special Project for "Intergovernmental International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation", Grant No. 2026YFE0104300, Study on Bifunctional Metal–Corrole‑Based Polymer Catalysts and Their Application in Zinc–Air Batteries, March 2026 – February 2028, RMB 2,000,000.

3. NSFC General Program, Grant No. 22171176, Mechanistic Study on the Influence of Non‑Redox‑Active Metal Ions on Oxygen Activation and Catalytic Reduction Reactions, January 2022 – December 2025, RMB 610,000.

4. NSFC General Program, Grant No. 21773146, Study on the Effect of Electronic Structure Regulation of Metal Ions on the Catalytic Proton Reduction to Hydrogen by Metal Porphyrin and Corrole Complexes, January 2018 – December 2021, RMB 610,000.

5. NSFC General Program, Grant No. 21573139, Mechanistic Study on Factors Affecting O–O Bond Formation in Catalytic Water Oxidation, January 2016 – December 2019, RMB 670,000.

Representative Publications:

(1) Thermodynamic vs Kinetic Control of the Oxygen Reduction Reaction with Iron and Cobalt Porphyrin Atropisomers.

Haonan Qin， Yabo Wang， Tao Liu， Yuhan Xu， Haitao Lei， Xialiang Li， Wei Zhang， Shunichi Fukuzumi*， Wonwoo Nam*， Rui Cao* Journal American Chemical Society. 2026, 148, 933-943.

(2) A Trade-Off Between Thermodynamics and Kinetics of O₂ Binding for Highly Active and Selective Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Haoyuan Lv, Jianqiang Feng, Haonan Qin, Jiwu Zhao, Qiqi Jing, Tao Liu, Yuhan Xu, Jinxiu Han, Wei Zhang, Ping Yang, Binju Wang*, Ulf-Peter Apfel, Rui Cao* Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2026, 65, e7201620.

(3) Promoted O₂ Activation at a Co^III Center for Significantly Improved Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Xialiang Li, Xiaotong Jin, Yuchen Cao, Jianqiu Zhu, Delong Duan, Qiancheng Luo, Bin Lv, Yuhan Xu, Yanzhen Zheng, Wei Zhang, Ran Long*, Linjuan Zhang*, Rongzhen Liao*, Rui Cao* Journal American Chemical Society. 2025, 147, 43199-43205.

(4) Mechanistic Studies of Catalytic O₂‑to‑H₂O₂ Conversion at a Single Cobalt Site.

Tao Liu, Jia Meng, Haonan Qin, Mengchun Zhang, Ning Sun, Benxing Mei, Huamin Li, Xue-Peng Zhang*, Jun Li*, Rui Cao* Journal American Chemical Society. 2025, 147, 22322-22328.

(5) Improving Electrocatalytic CO₂ Reduction over Iron Tetraphenylporphyrin with Triethanolamine as a CO₂ Shuttle.

Zhiyuan Yin, Mengchun Zhang, Yuchi Long, Haitao Lei, Xialiang Li, Xue-Peng Zhang*, Wei Zhang, Ulf-Peter Apfel, Rui Cao* Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2025, 64, e202500154.

(6) Improving Active Site Local Proton Transfer in Porous Organic Polymers for Boosted Oxygen Electrocatalysis.

Qian Zhao, Qingxin Zhang, Yuhan Xu, Anhao Han, Haowen He, Haoquan Zheng, Wei Zhang, Haitao Lei*, Ulf-Peter Apfel, Rui Cao* Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2024, 63, e202414104.

(7) The “Pull Effect” of a Hanging Zn^II on Improving the Four-Electron Oxygen Reduction Selectivity with Co Porphyrin.

Jinxiu Han, Huang Tan, Kai Guo, Haoyuan Lv, Xinyang Peng, Wei Zhang, Haiping Lin*, Ulf-Peter Apfel, Rui Cao* Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2024, 63, e202409793.

(8) Switching Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Pathways through Electronic Tuning of Copper Porphyrins.

Xinyang Peng, Mengchun Zhang, Haonan Qin, Jinxiu Han, Yuhan Xu, Wenzi Li, Xue-Peng Zhang*, Wei Zhang, Ulf-Peter Apfel, Rui Cao* Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2024, 63, e202401074.

(9) Adapting Synthetic Models of Heme/Cu Sites to Energy-Efficient Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Jia Meng, Haonan Qin, Haitao Lei, Xialiang Li, Juan Fan, Wei Zhang, Ulf-Peter Apfel, Rui Cao* Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2023, 62, e202312255.

(10) Coordination Tuning of Metal Porphyrins for Improved Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

Haoyuan Lv, Xue-Peng Zhang, Kai Guo, Jinxiu Han, Hongbo Guo, Haitao Lei, Xialiang Li, Wei Zhang, Ulf-Peter Apfel, Rui Cao* Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2023, 62, e202305938.