Lee Group · NTU, Singapore
Nanocatalysis for sustainable
energy and the environment.
We concentrate energy, manipulate chemical microenvironments and develop multifunctional catalytic interfaces to advance sustainable energy and environmental technologies.
Energy concentration
Chemical microenvironments
Catalytic interfaces
The science
Our research brings together three complementary controls: how energy reaches a catalytic site, how its chemical surroundings shape reactivity, and how interfaces couple different functions. Together, they guide new approaches to sustainable chemical transformations and environmental technologies.
Focusing light and electric fields at catalytic sites to control charge generation and energy conversion.
02Organizing water, directing molecular transport and tuning local surface chemistry to influence reactivity and selectivity.
03Coupling light harvesting, charge transfer, molecular transport and catalytic functions through purposeful interface design.
Selected contributions
Explore selected contributions to chemical understanding, cleaner energy, air and water. Each highlight links directly to its publication.
We chemically validate how slow photons enhance photoreactivity in photonic crystals, connecting the way light is managed to what a reaction actually does.
Toward better use of light in chemical transformations
Ordered nanoparticle superlattices amplify local electric fields. Combined with Pt–Ag electronic hybridization, they improve charge transfer and hydrogen-evolution catalysis.
Advancing electrocatalytic green hydrogen production
Kosmotropic chemistry squeezes water’s molecular network to expel nitrogen toward the catalytic interface, offering a molecular route to improve nitrogen-to-ammonia electrofixation.
Designing the reaction environment for ammonia synthesis
Reticular chemistry activates nanoscale surfaces for reactive hydrogen sulfide capture under ambient conditions, linking surface design with environmental protection.
Capturing harmful gases through materials chemistry
We combine photothermal and plasmonic effects at liquid–liquid interfaces to enhance and steer reactions between immiscible phases.
Controlling chemical reactivity at functional interfaces
Magnetically driven hydrogel microbots generate local flows that draw pollutants in for capture. Self-catalyzed regeneration supports repeated use in continuous-flow treatment.
Developing reusable materials for water decontamination
Congratulations to Veronica for successfully defending her thesis and being awarded the WiEST Development Grant!
Warm welcome to Jiacheng as our new Ph.D candidate.
Congratulations to Li Shiuan and Veronica for winning Poster Awards Honorable Mentions at the Singapore Scientific Conference 2025, in the energy and environment categories, respectively!
Congratulations to Li Shiuan and Jinn-Kye on successfully defending their thesis!
From the group
. Janus-Structured Carbon-Based Water-Evaporation-Induced Generator for Efficient Blue Energy Harvesting and Marine Cathodic Protection. ACS Applied Energy Materials, 2026. Published online 13 October 2026.
Read paper. Dynamic Actuatable Hydrogels for Integrated Environmental Sensing and Remediation Applications. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2026, 18(36), 48616–48643.
Read paper. Tailoring Water-Shielding Electric Double Layer and Hydrophobic Solid Electrolyte Interphase for Parasitic Reaction-Free Zinc Metal Anode. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2026, 18(32), 43940–43952.
Read paper