Professor Chuan Zhao is supercharging Australia’s green hydrogen capabilities with breakthrough water splitting electrode technology. 

After pioneering a 3D nickel-iron electrode – used to produce hydrogen from water – with exceptional durability and record-high efficiency, he oversaw its technical development through to commercialisation at a spin-out company. This 3D-electrodeⓇ technology is now industry standard and represents a significant leap forward for zero-carbon hydrogen in Australia. 

Professor Zhao’s electrochemistry innovations have also been applied in water-sensing technology for the petroleum industry, cochlear implants, and conversion of carbon dioxide into useful products.

He holds multiple leadership positions and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, and the Royal Society of New South Wales. 

Professor Chuan Zhao is a pioneer in developing low-cost catalyst materials for green hydrogen production who has brought about a paradigm shift in the hydrogen industry. Through spinout companies and a suite of his patented technologies, his electrochemistry research breakthroughs have been translated into sustainable materials to improve the efficiency of water electrolysers for hydrogen production. His worldwide patented 3D-electrode® technology is widely regarded as the benchmark by laboratories all over the world, and has been adopted broadly by the hydrogen industry for reducing the cost of green hydrogen production; significantly promoting Australia’s transition to a zero-carbon hydrogen economy.