Dr. Qi Lu is currently an associate professor of Chemical Engineering at Tsinghua University. Prior to joining Tsinghua, he worked as postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University and the University of Delaware where he received his Ph. D. degree. Dr. Qi Lu’s research is focused on renewable energy storage and conversion including carbon dioxide conversion, alkanes activation and electrolyzers. His research efforts have appeared in a number of high impact journals such as Nature Catalysis, Nature Communications, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Angewandte Chemie-International Edition, etc. and have been highlighted in several popular news outlets such as Science Daily and Chemistry Views. Dr. Qi Lu was selected by Thousand Youth Talent Plan in 2016 and was the winner of many academic award including Fondazione Oronzio and Niccolò De Nora Fellowship in Applied Electrochemistry in 2014 and Daicar-Bata Prizes for Best Research Paper, University of Delaware in 2011.

2019-03~present Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

2016-02~2019-03 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

2013-09~2016-01 Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University

2012-02~2013-09 Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware

2005-09~2012-02 Ph.D, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware

2000-09~2004-07 B.Eng, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University

Our research interest focuses on the investigation of (electro)chemical catalysis addressing global challenges in the areas of renewable energy storage and utilization. Our strategy is to use the interplay of first principles-based calculation and well-defined experimental modeling to search and investigate the optimal material interface for the reaction of interest, based on which high-performance applicable materials and reaction systems are designed, developed, and characterized. Combining our expertise in reactor design and reaction mechanism investigation, our group has established three unique research thrusts: (1) Mechanistic investigations of the (electro)catalytic reactions;­ (2) Development of novel reaction system; (3) Advancement of the reaction scheme for practical applications.

1. Sustainable Synthesis of Concentrated Formate via CO₂ Electrolysis Integrated with Cl₂ Formation. Xiong H., Wu D., Jiang R., Li H., Hu Q. , Lu X., Xu B.*, Lu Q.*, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, e202504782 (2025)

2. Urea Synthesis via Electrocatalytic Oxidative Coupling of CO with NH₃ on Pt. Xiong H., Yu P., Chen K., Lu S., Hu Q., Cheng T.*, Xu B.*, Lu Q.*, Nature Catalysis, 7, 785-795 (2024)

3. Influence of Electric Double Layer Rigidity on CO Adsorption and Electroreduction Rate. Hou J., Xu B.*, and Lu Q.*, Nature Communications, 15, 1926 (2024)

4. Efficient Conversion of Propane in a Microchannel Reactor at Ambient Conditions. Li C., Zhang H., Liu W., Sheng L., Cheng M. J., Xu B., Luo G*, and Lu Q.*, Nature Communications, 15, 884 (2024)

5. Activation of Light Alkanes at Room Temperature and Ambient Pressure. Zhang H., Li C., Liu W., Luo G., Goddard W. A., Cheng M. J., Xu B.*, and Lu Q.*, Nature Catalysis, 6, 666-675 (2023)

6. Weak CO Binding Sites Induced by Cu-Ag Interfaces Promote CO Electroreduction to Multi-carbon Liquid Products. Li J., Xiong H., Liu X., Wu D., Su D., Xu B., and Lu Q.*, Nature Communications, 14, 698 (2023)

7. Correlating CO Coverage and CO Electroreduction on Cu via High-Pressure in Situ Spectroscopic and Reactivity Investigations. Hou J., Chang X., Li J., Xu B.*, and Lu Q.*, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 144(48), 22202-22211 (2022)

8. Electrokinetic and In situ Spectroscopic Investigations of CO Electrochemical Reduction on Copper. Li J., Chang X., Zhang H., Malkani A. S., Cheng M., Xu, B.*, and Lu, Q.*, Nature Communications, 12, 3264 (2021)

9. Oxygen Induced Promotion of Electrochemical Reduction of CO₂ via Co-electrolysis. He M., Li C., Zhang H., Chang X., Chen J. G., Goddard W. A., Cheng M. J.*, Xu B.*, and Lu Q.*, Nature Communications, 11, 3844 (2020)

10. Hydroxide is Not a Promoter of C₂₊ Product Formation in Electrochemical Reduction of CO on Copper. Li J., Wu D., Malkani A. S., Chang X., Cheng M. J., Xu B.*, and Lu Q.*, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 59 (11), 4464-4469 (2020)