FMED Team

We are an interdisciplinary team, with backgrounds in Materials Science, Engineering, Physics and Chemistry.

Principal Investigator: Dr Mojtaba Abdi-Jalebi

Office: Room 113, Roberts Engineering Building, Institute for Materials Discovery, Malet Place, London, WC1E 7JE, UK.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/M_AbdiJalebi
UCL webpage: https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/75498
Email: m.jalebi@ucl.ac.uk

Dr Mojtaba Abdi-Jalebi is an Associate Professor in Energy Materials in the Institute for Materials Discovery, the faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the University College London (UCL). He graduated from Sharif University of Technology in 2012 with a BSc (Materials Science and Engineering) and he received his MSc in Materials Science and Engineering in 2014 from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. He completed his PhD in Physics at Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, receiving the 2018 Semiconductor Physics Thesis Prize from Institute of Physics. From 2018-2020, he was a Junior Research Fellow at Cambridge University and Wolfson College, Cambridge, where he set up a spin-out company to develop energy harvesting devices based on emerging semiconductors. Mojtaba established his research group in UCL in November 2019, with a focus on material and electronic properties of emerging functional materials such as semiconductors including halide perovskites, small molecules and organic semiconductors for optoelectronic and electrochemical devices for low-cost electronics applications (e.g., solar-photovoltaics, lighting) and energy systems enabling carbon capture and production of green fuels. His research aims to develop and incorporate new inexpensive materials in energy devices to alter the energy landscape by reducing the cost of energy production, consumption, and storage.

Mojtaba’s full publications list is available on Google Scholar here.

Postdocs / Research Fellows:

Dr Nusrat Rashid

Email: nusrat.rashid@ucl.ac.uk

Research interests: My research focuses on the development of industrially viable electrochemical systems for direct CO2 conversion to methanol. Currently, I am formulating earth-abundant n-type semiconductors as prospectus anode cores for sustainable, direct and cost-effective PV-EC CO2 electrolysers for net negative GHG emissions in accordance with the circular carbon economy. I am also involved in the life cycle assessment of the prototype development and devising an appraisal method for identifying environmental, social and economic effects of such system on real-world technology translation.

Background: During my PhD, I fabricated different copper-based electrocatalysts to convert CO2 into fuels and factory chemicals. My research involved studies to detail the catalyst structure-activity relationship and structuring electrode/electrolyte interface to selectively favour C2 products over C1 products at low overpotentials and with high CO2 conversion efficiencies.

Previous experience:
• PhD in Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India
• M.Sc in Chemistry, University of Kashmir Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir

Dr preetam Kumar Sharma

Email: preetam.sharma@ucl.ac.uk

Research interests: Dr Preetam Sharma is a research fellow on solar-driven electrochemical system for sustainable direct CO2 reduction. Specifically, he is developing electrocatalysts for the direct conversion of CO2 to methanol. The investigation of the electrocatalysts by advanced techniques including in-situ techniques is also of particular focus for him. He is also interested in developing electrochemical reactors and systems which can be operable at high current and high selectivity at industrially relevant operational lifetime. He a member of UKRI Interdisciplinary Centre for Circular Chemical Economy (www.circular-chemical.org).

Background: Before joining UCL, Preetam Sharma worked as a Research Associate at Loughborough University. In the project, he developed catalysts and reactors for selective conversion of CO2 to CO and multicarbons. He also improved the stability of gas diffusion electrodes and investigated materials by in-situ techniques. He received his PhD in photoelectrochemical water splitting and CO2 reduction from the School of Engineering, Ulster University, UK in 2017. Since completing his PhD, he has been working on a variety of academic and industrial projects focusing on advanced materials for energy, environment and health.

Previous experience:

AFHEA, Ulster University, UK
PhD in Solar fuels, Ulster University, UK
M.Tech. in Nanotechnology, University of Rajasthan, India

PhD students:

Quanyao Lin

Email: quanyao.lin.19@ucl.ac.uk

Research interests: My research focuses on novel approaches for efficient, cost-effective, and environmental-friendly photovoltaic devices. I am currently working on combining plasmonic nanoparticles with thin film photovoltaic technologies (perovskite, organic solar cells, etc) as a light management strategy.

Background: During my previous degrees, I have worked on various projects related to nanomaterials, such as quantum dot luminescent spectral converters for solar cells, graphene/silicon Schottky solar cells, and X-ray nanoscintillators for cancer treatment.

Previous experience:
• MPhil Micro- and Nanotechnology and Enterprise, University of Cambridge
• BEng Materials Science and Engineering, Imperial College London

Ying Lu

Email: ying.lu.20@ucl.ac.uk

Research interests: My research focuses on the development of stable perovskites nanocrystals light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with additive engineering. I am currently working on synthesizing consistent NCs, high-quality thin films with various additives and highly efficient and stable perovskite LED devices.

Background: During my MSc degree, I focused on the synthesis and additive doping of CsPbBr3 nanocrystals to achieve higher performances. In this project, CsPbBr3 NCs were synthesized and achieved green light-emission by the method of “thermal-reaction-redispersion”. During my B.Eng. degree, I have worked on two projects related to photocatalysis, which is “Unravelling the C–C coupling in CO2 photocatalytic reduction with H2O on Au/TiO2-x: Combination of plasmonic excitation and oxygen vacancy”.

Previous experience:

M.Sc. Advanced Material Science, University College London, UK.
B.Eng. Chemical Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, UK
B.Eng. Chemical Engineering and Technology, Liaoning ShiHua University, China.

Huiming Luo

Email: huiming.luo.22@ucl.ac.uk

Research interests: I mainly focus on the eco-friendly fabrication of perovskite solar cell including the tin-based perovskites and double perovskites. I will develop several passivation methods enabling green and non-toxic processes for solar cell fabrication.

Background: During my BSc research project, I studied smart hydrogels, like temperature-sensitive and pH-sensitive hydrogels. For my master’s degree, I designed and synthesized perovskite with multiple components, and passivated the functional layer with a range of small molecules for the typical n-i-p structure.

Previous experience:

M.Sc. Environmental engineering, South China University of Technology, China.
B.Sc. Environmental engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, China.

Galyam Sanfo

Email: galyam.sanfo.20@ucl.ac.uk

Research interests: My research focuses on the development of stable, scalable, and eco-friendly semiconductors for enhanced optoelectronic and electrochemical applications. I will be working on the development of lead-free halide perovskite composites and co-catalysts to improve photocatalytic efficiency and stability. Furthermore, I will be designing suitable perovskite composites for enhanced optoelectronic resilience, as prospective candidates for next-generation X-ray scintillators.

Background: My MSc research focused on mixed halide perovskites engineering and tuning for indoors photovoltaic IoT applications. I focused on poly- halogenic substitutions derived from MAPbI3 to modulate the material’s bandgap and improve structural and optoelectronic properties. Through this, the edge absorption profile was tuned to efficiently accommodate for indoor light illumination.

Previous experience:

M.Sc. Advanced Material Science, University College London, UK.
B. Sc. Biochemistry, Queen Mary University of London, UK.

Shurui Yang

Email: Shurui.yang.22@ucl.ac.uk

Research interests (current project): My research focuses on highly efficient and sustainable CO2 capture, utilization and storage as solar fuel (methanol). I am currently working on optimizing and maximizing the performance of the electrochemistry (EC) devices as well as the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) modelling of EC systems.

Background (previous research projects/expertise): During my MSc degree, I conducted a study on dimensionality reduction methods to simplify the CALPHAD database. In this project, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Auto-Encoder had been introduced to calculate the large-scale parametric phase diagram subsystems. During my B.Eng. degree, I have focused primarily on photocatalytic H2 evolution and have synthesised a series of photocatalysts formed as heterojunctions or introduced surface defects based on g-C3N4 such as g-C3N4/CdS and g-C3N4/RGO/TiO2 composites.

Previous experience:

M.Sc. Advanced Engineering Material, The University of Manchester, UK
B.Eng. New Energy Materials and Devices, Nanjing Tech University, China

S

iming Huang

Email: siming.huang.22@ucl.ac.uk

Research interests: My project aims to design suitable perovskite compositions for indoor PV application and perform a systematic study on their optoelectronic properties, such as the influence of changing temperature, to reveal the origin of performance losses and instability in perovskite thin films and indoor solar cells.

Background: During my undergraduate and master’s degrees, I mainly engaged in the research related to 2D materials, such as providing a convenient and efficient way to obtain high dielectric material in atomic scale thickness with controlling the numbers, exploring the exciton dynamics and properties of different materials on variable temperature PL spectroscopy from 4K to 300K, etc.

Previous experience:

M.Sc. Optics and Photonics, Imperial College London, UK.
B.Sc. Optoelectronic Information Science and Engineering, HIT, China.

Zahra Ibrahim M Albu

Email: zahra.albu.22@ucl.ac.uk

Research interests: My research aims to create 3D nanostructured electrocatalyst for overall water splitting using graphene and layered hydroxide combined with a theoretical understanding of active sites and reaction mechanism.

Background: My first master’s thesis focus was synthesizing silicon nanoparticles using ball milling and modeling for the potential use of solar cells via Material Studio. While in the second degree, my research focused on a new concept of corrosion detection using iron nanowires and a magnetic sensor. I also have exposed to other research topics through a laboratory course on solid-state physics that focuses on the fabrication process of transistors and the characterization of such devices. My most recent research at KACST focused on finding highly efficient electrocatalysis for water splitting, where the research bound experimental data with theoretical calculation using Density functional theory.

Previous experience:

Research Associate - King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia.
M.Sc. Electrical engineering- Electrophysics- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
M.A.Sc. Electrical engineering- University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
B.Sc. Physics, Imam Abdulraham bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Zhenyu Zhang

Email: zhenyu.z.24@ucl.ac.uk

Research interests: Zhenyu Zhang is a first-year PhD student in the FMED group, focusing on Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells. His research specifically involves the development of novel self-assembled monolayers to improve device performance. Additionally, he is keen on enhancing the long-term stability of both perovskite solar cells and perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells. He is passionate about advancing solar technology towards more efficient and durable solutions.

Background: During my undergraduate study, I participated in research projects on polyaniline electromagnetic composites. Furthermore, during my graduate studies, my research focus mainly revolved around the processing of organic solar cells (OSCs). My research project during this period was titled “Modification of Interface Materials for Organic Solar Cells “. During this time, I conducted doping and modification of commonly used PEDOT:PSS hole transport layers and ZnO electron transport layers, aiming to enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE) and device stability of OSCs..

Previous experience:

M.Sc. Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, China.
B.Eng. Polymer Materials & Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, China.

MSc students:

Elise Ren

Email: zccaren@ucl.ac.uk

Research project: Modelling and Life Cycle Assessment of Renewable Energy Devices for Sustainable Green Fuel Production

Background: Elise received her Bachelor of Science degree from University College London, UK, in June 2024. Her undergraduate projects focused on energy storage systems, including the fabrication of LiFePO4 electrodes and improving the performance of iron redox flow cell cathodes.

Previous experience:

BSc Chemistry, University College London, UK.

Sama Al Moslim

Email: ucaqalm@ucl.ac.uk

Research project:  Modelling and Life Cycle Assessment of Renewable Energy Devices for Sustainable Green Fuel Production.

Background:   Sama Al Moslim received her Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Manchester, United Kingdom, in July 2024. Her undergraduate thesis, entitled ‘Multifunctional Epoxy Nanocomposites as Aircraft Components’, focused on assessing the potential of fabricating graphene and carbon nanotube reinforced Epoxy nanocomposites to be used as aircraft components, and to determine the loading of GNPs or CNTs required to achieve optimal electrical and mechanical properties without compromising the processing and thermal stability of the material. 

Previous experience:

BSc (Hons) Materials Science and Engineering with an Integrated Foundation Year, The University of Manchester.

Chengjiahui Shi

Email: chengjiahui.shi.24@ucl.ac.uk

Research project: Modelling and Life Cycle Assessment of Renewable Energy Devices for Sustainable Green Fuel Production

Background: Chengjiahui Shi received her Bachelor of Engineering degree in Material Science and Engineering from China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China, in June 2020. Her undergraduate thesis, entitled “Optimizing the Photocatalytic Activity of Cr-doped SrTiO₃ Nanotubes to Decompose Methylene Blue,” focused on the doping of SrTiO₃ nanotubes and the optimization of their visible-light photocatalytic performance. This work primarily combined electrospinning and one-step heat treatment techniques and investigated the catalytic activity of Cr-doped SrTiO₃ nanotubes.

Previous experience:

BEng Material Science and Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China.

Jianqi Bao

Email: ucaqjba@ucl.ac.uk

Research project: Study of optoelectronic and structural properties of perovskite semiconductors for energy applications.

Background: Jianqi Bao received his Bachelor of Engineering degree from Shandong University of Science and Technology, China, in June 2024. His undergraduate thesis, entitled ” Study on the Phase Composition and Corrosion Resistance of Gas Nitriding”, focused on investigating the corrosion resistance of pure iron, 40Cr, and 42CrMo after nitriding treatments at different temperatures. By observing the microstructure of metal elements and the phase composition of nitride layers, as well as evaluating the corrosion resistance of the metals after different nitriding treatments, the differences in corrosion resistance among various nitride phases are analyzed.

Previous experience:

B.Eng. Metallic Materials Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology (SDUST).

Mutita Khamkaew

Email: ucaqkha@ucl.ac.uk

Research project: Study of optoelectronic and structural properties of perovskite semiconductors for energy applications

Background: Mutita Khamkaew received her Bachelor of Science degree from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, in May 2023. My undergraduate project, entitled ‘Raman spectroscopy and dielectric properties of La-doped SrTiO3 thin films’, focused on analyzing crystal structure from characteristic vibrational modes and dielectric constant of different La concentrations at room temperature. I also had the experience of working on computer simulation to study electronic structure at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

Previous experience:

BSc(Hons) in Physics, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.

Ruth Jeremie

Email: ucaqrln@ucl.ac.uk

Research project: Study of optoelectronic and structural properties of perovskite semiconductors for energy applications.

Background: Ruth Jeremie received a BSc (Hons) degree in Geosciences from The University of Edinburgh in June 2024. Her undergraduate dissertation, entitled ‘Analyzing Preservation Changes of Carbonate Structures in the Northwestern Indian Ocean Over the Last 30Kya(BP)’ focused on a stable isotope and weighted analysis of G.ruber and G.sacculifer foraminifera to reconstruct past changes in seawater chemistry. Additional undergraduate literature studies included gauging the feasibility of ethylene-vinyl acetate, (alongside other photovoltaic cell coating admixtures) to facilitate maximum light transmission while protecting cells from environmental factors. 

Previous experience:

BSc (Hons) Geosciences, The University of Edinburgh.

Aljawharah Algethami

Email: ucaqafa@ucl.ac.uk

Research project: Study of Nanostructured Catalysts Towards Sustainable Zero-Carbon Solar Driven Green Fuels Production.

Background: Aljawharah received her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia, in June 2022. She further pursued a Postgraduate Diploma in Physical Science and Engineering at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology), in August 2024, where she gained training in materials science and engineering. Her research at KAUST focused on the synthesis and catalytic applications of atomically precise nanoclusters stabilized by hydrophobic ligands for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction. This work involved synthesizing and characterizing nanoclusters and investigating their catalytic performance in electrochemical reactions.

Previous experience:

BSc in Chemistry King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia.
Postgraduate Diploma in Physical Science and Engineering King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia.

Yudong Wu

Email: ucaqwuz@ucl.ac.uk

Research Project:  Study of Nanostructured Catalysts Towards Sustainable Zero-Carbon Solar-Driven Green Fuels Production

Background:   Yudong Wu received his Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, in August 2024. His undergraduate thesis, titled “Photocatalytic Materials for Hydrogen Generation,” focuses on optimizing the design and efficiency of microfluidic synthesis platforms to prepare non-precious metal-based photocatalysts. His work emphasizes improving hydrogen generation by increasing droplet-specific surface areas using advanced wet-chemical synthesis and computational modeling techniques.

Previous experience:

Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China.

Xiyuan Feng

Email: zccaxfe@ucl.ac.uk

Research project: Study of nanostructured catalysts towards sustainable zero-carbon solar driven green fuels production

Background: Xiyuan Feng received his Bachelor of Chemistry degree from University College London in July 2024. During his undergraduate, he has conducted a literature review of electrochemical CO2 reduction, focusing on the surface modification of electrode materials. Besides, he has experience in electrochemical experiments from his final year project which he detects the nitrite in aqueous media and investigates the effect of applying a cobalt phthalocyanine catalyst on the electrode.

Previous experience: