Research summary
Yi Xie's publications develop ultrathin two-dimensional inorganic nanosheets and defect-engineered nanostructures as platforms for electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and bioimaging. A 2013 Advanced Materials paper reports gram-scale synthesis of defect-rich MoS2 ultrathin nanosheets whose additional exposed edge sites lower the onset overpotential and Tafel slope for the hydrogen evolution reaction while maintaining high cathodic current density and durability [1]. The same year, a Journal of the American Chemical Society article applies controllable disorder engineering with simultaneous oxygen incorporation to MoS2, demonstrating that coupling structural disorder and electronic modulation produces a synergistic enhancement in HER activity beyond either modification alone [2]. A 2014 Angewandte Chemie International Edition review summarizes the rational design, synthesis, and energy applications of mixed transition-metal oxides of the form Ax B3-x O4 in spinel and related stoichiometries, tracing shape, size, composition, and micro- and nanostructure control to performance in lithium storage and electrocatalysis [3]. A 2015 Angewandte Chemie article translates this oxide chemistry to ultrathin spinel nanosheets enriched in oxygen vacancies, where density-functional calculations indicate that confined vacancies lower the H2O adsorption energy, and NiCo2O4 ultrathin nanosheets accordingly deliver large oxygen evolution reaction currents [5]. A 2012 Journal of the American Chemical Society paper introduces a green liquid-exfoliation route to ultrathin graphitic-phase C3N4 nanosheets in water, producing dispersions that remain stable across acidic and alkaline pH and exhibit pH-dependent photoluminescence suitable for bioimaging [4]. A 2016 Advanced Materials contribution embeds isolated single-atom platinum within the sub-nanoporosity of 2D g-C3N4, with the atomically dispersed co-catalyst raising photocatalytic H2 evolution to 8.6 times the rate of Pt nanoparticles and up to 50 times that of bare g-C3N4 [6]. Two further Journal of the American Chemical Society papers analyze oxygen-vacancy effects in atomically thin oxides and oxyhalides: five-atom-thick In2O3 porous sheets gain a donor level and visible-light response from confined O vacancies [7], while ultrathin BiOCl nanosheets with exposed {001} facets exhibit thickness-dependent transitions from isolated bismuth vacancies to triple-vacancy associates that govern solar photocatalytic activity [8]. The program connects atomic-scale defect control to measurable gains in clean-energy catalysis.
Recent publications
- Defect鈥怰ich MoS2 Ultrathin Nanosheets with Additional Active Edge Sites for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Hydrogen EvolutionDOI
- Controllable Disorder Engineering in Oxygen-Incorporated MoS2 Ultrathin Nanosheets for Efficient Hydrogen EvolutionDOI
- Mixed Transition鈥怣etal Oxides: Design, Synthesis, and Energy鈥怰elated ApplicationsDOI
- Enhanced Photoresponsive Ultrathin Graphitic-Phase C3N4Nanosheets for BioimagingDOI
- Partially oxidized atomic cobalt layers for carbon dioxide electroreduction to liquid fuelDOI
- Selective visible-light-driven photocatalytic CO2 reduction to CH4 mediated by atomically thin CuIn5S8 layersDOI
- Ultrathin Spinel鈥怱tructured Nanosheets Rich in Oxygen Deficiencies for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Water OxidationDOI
- Single鈥怉tom Pt as Co鈥怌atalyst for Enhanced Photocatalytic H2 EvolutionDOI
- Oxygen Vacancies Confined in Ultrathin Indium Oxide Porous Sheets for Promoted Visible-Light Water SplittingDOI
- Vacancy Associates Promoting Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Activity of Ultrathin Bismuth Oxychloride NanosheetsDOI
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How to apply
Email Yi Xie 6-12 months before your application deadline. Read several recent papers and reference specific work in your message. Use our how to email a Japanese professor guide for the proven email structure.
For applications via MEXT scholarship: see our MEXT 2027 complete guide and university-specific University Recommendation track.
External profiles
- ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1416-5557
- OpenAlex: openalex.org
Profile compiled from public sources (Researchmap, OpenAlex, Kumamoto University faculty directory). Last refreshed 2026-05. Report incorrect information.