Qingzhe Zhang is currently a full professor at School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University. He earned his PhD in materials science from INRS in 2020 under the supervision of Prof. Dongling Ma and Prof. Mohamed Chaker, who are both Tier 1 Canada Research Chairs. His research interest includes energy and environmental catalysis, treatment of emerging pollutants (such as PFAS),  and development of environmental nanomaterials. He holds the titles of Qilu Young Scholar, Overseas Excellent Youth of Shandong Province, Taishan Scholar Youth Expert, high-level talent in Shandong Province, Overseas Scientific and Technological Talent of Shandong Province, member of Expert Committee of China Energy Society and Chinese Society for Imaging Science and Technology. He was also selected for the Key Talent Project in Qingdao. He was awarded a 4-year pursuing PhD degree scholarship from the China Scholarship Council, CAGS-ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award (only 1 obtained in Engineering, Medical Sciences and Natural Sciences Category of Canada), the Doctoral Research Award from le Fonds de recherche du Québec-Nature et technologies (FRQNT), and FRQNT's Louis-Berlinguet New Research Star Award. He has authored more than 56 peer-reviewed papers with total citations of > 2270, which have been published in Advanced Functional Materials, ACS Catalysis, ACS Energy Letters, Nature Communications, Advanced Energy Materials, Chemistry of Materials, and Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, etc. He also published 1 book chapter and applied for 1 US and international patent.

Selected Publications

Total Publications: 56; Full list in Google Scholar; Total citations > 2270, H-index: 27; 

* Corresponding author; # Co-first author

1. X. Lu, Z. Chen, Z. Hu, F. Liu, Z. Zuo, Z. Gao, H. Zhang, Y. Zhu, R. Liu, Y. Yin, Y. Cai, D. Ma*, Q. Zhang*. Boosted Charge Transfer for Highly Efficient Photosynthesis of H₂O₂ over Z-Scheme I^-/K⁺ Co-Doped g-C₃N₄/Metal-Organic-Frameworks in Pure Water under Visible Light. Advanced Energy Materials, 2024, DOI: 10.1002/aenm.202401873. (IF: 24.4)

2. Q. Zhang, S. Huang, J. Deng, D. T. Gangadharan, Z. Xu, G. Giorgi, M. Palummo, M. Chaker, and D. Ma*. Ice-Assisted Synthesis of Black Phosphorus Nanosheets as a Metal-Free Photocatalyst: 2D/2D Heterostructure for Broadband H₂ Evolution. Advanced Functional Materials, 2019, 29, 1902486. (IF: 18.5; Nature-indexed journal)

3. Q. Zhang, J. Deng, Z. Xu*, M. Chaker, D. Ma*. High-efficiency Broadband C₃N₄ Photocatalysts: Synergistic Effects from Upconversion and Plasmons. ACS Catalysis, 2017, 7, 6225-6234. (IF: 13.7)

4. Q. Zhang, A. Mirzaei, Y. Wang, G. Song, C. Wang, L. V. Besteiro, A. O. Govorov, M. Chaker, D. Ma. Extracting Hot Holes from Plasmonic Semiconductors for Photocatalysis. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2022, 317, 121792. (IF: 22.1)

5. Q. Zhang, F. Yang, S. Zhou, N. Bao*, Z. Xu*, M. Chaker, D. Ma*. Broadband Photocatalysts Enabled by 0D/2D Heterojunctions of Near-Infrared Quantum Dots/Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanosheets. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2020, 270, 118879. (IF: 22.1)

6.Y. Gao, J. Lin, Q. Zhang*, H. Yu, F. Ding, B. Xu, Y. Sun, Z. Xu*. Facile synthesis of heterostructured YVO₄/g-C₃N₄/Ag photocatalysts with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2018, 224, 586-593. (IF: 22.1)

7.  Q. Zhang, X. Jin, Z. Xu, J. Zhang, U. F. Rendón, L. Razzari, M. Chaker, D. Ma*. Plasmonic Au Loaded Hierarchical Hollow Porous TiO₂ Spheres: Synergistic Catalysts for Nitroaromatic Reduction. Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 2018, 9, 5317-5326. (IF: 4.8; Nature-indexed journal; Top 20 most read articles)

8. Y. Wang, Q. Zhang*, Y. Wang, L. V. Besteiro, Y. Liu, J. Z. Zhang, J. K. Cooper, J. Zhao, G. Chen*, M. Chaker, D. Ma*. Ultrastable plasmonic Cu-based core-shell nanoparticles. Chemistry of Materials, 2021, 33, 2, 695-705. (IF: 10.508; Front Cover)

9. J. Deng #, Q. Zhang #, X. Lv, D. Zhang, H. Xu*, D. Ma*, J. Zhong*. Understanding Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting with X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy. ACS Energy Letters, 2020, 5, 975-993. (IF: 19.3)

10. T. Yu, W. He, Q. Zhang*, D. Ma*. Advanced Nanomaterials and Characterization Techniques for Photovoltaic and Photocatalysis Applications. Accounts of Materials Research, 2023, 4, 507-521 (IF: 14.0)

11. Q. Zhang, X. Liu, M. Chaker, D. Ma*. Advancing Graphitic Carbon Nitride-Based Photocatalysts towards Broadband Solar Energy Harvesting. ACS Materials Letters, 2021, 3, 663-697. (IF: 9.6; Top 20 most read articles)

12. Q. Zhang, Z. Zuo, D. Ma. Plasmonic nanomaterials for solar-driven photocatalysis. Chemical Communications, 2023, 59, 7704-7716. (IF: 4.3; Nature-indexed journal; Chemical Communications HOT Articles 2023)

13. C. Wang, A. Mirzaei, Y. Wang, M. Chaker, Q. Zhang*, D. Ma. Construction of Ultrathin BiVO₄‐Au‐Cu₂O Nanosheets with Multiple Charge Transfer Paths for Effective Visible‐Light‐Driven Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline. Small Methods, 2024, 2301804. （IF: 12.4）

14. Y. Chen, Q. Zhang*, L. Zhang, X. Liu, Y. Li, Y. Wang, Y. Song, Y. Li, Y. Yin, Y. Cai. Light-induced degradation of dimethylmercury in different natural waters. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2024, 470, 134113. (IF: 13.6) 

15. Q. Zhang, F. Yang, Z. Xu, M. Chaker, D. Ma*. Most Recent Development and Application of Upconversion Materials in Photocatalytic Reactions. Nanoscale Horizons, 2019, 4, 579-591. (IF: 8)

16. B. Han#, X. Shan#, H. Xue, F. Liu, X. Song, J. Kong, Q. Lei, Y. Wang*, D. Ma*, Q. Zhang*. Synergistic Hydrogen Production and Organic Pollutant Removal via Dual-Functional Photocatalytic Systems. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 2025, accepted. (IF: 5.9)

17. F. Liu #, H. Xue #, T. Kang # , Q. Lei, J. Chen, Z. Zuo, B. Han, X. Lu, X. Yang, X. Shan, X. Song, Q. Zhang*, Y. Yin, Y. Cai. Efficient photodegradation of perfluoroalkyl substances under visible light by hexagonal ZnIn₂S₄ nanosheets. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 2025, 148, 116-125. (IF: 5.9)

18. G. Wang #, Q. Zhang #, Q. Chen, X. Ma, Y. Xin*, X. Zhu, M. Dong, C. Cui, J. Zhang, Z. Xiao. Photocatalytic degradation performance and mechanism of dibutyl phthalate by graphene/TiO₂ nanotube array photoelectrodes. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2018, 358, 1083-1090. (IF: 13.3)

19. X. Song, X. Shan, H. Xue, X. Li, R. Liu, J. Kong, Z. Zuo, X. Su, Q. Zhang*, Y. Yin, Y. Cai. Advances in Photothermal Catalysis: Mechanisms, Materials and Environmental Applications. ACS Applied Nano Materials, 2024, accepted. (IF: 5.3)

20. C. Wang, A. Mirzaei, Y. Wang, M. Chaker, Q. Zhang*, D. Ma*. BiVO₄ Microspheres Coated with Nanometer-Thick Porous TiO₂ Shells for Photocatalytic Water Treatment under Visible-Light Irradiation. ACS Applied Nano Materials, 2023, 6, 5545–5556. (IF: 5.3)

21. G. Song, Q. Zhang*, F. Liu, C. Wang, R. Yang, Z. Chen, D. Ma*. Mixed-Phase ZnIn₂S₄ Nanosheets Grown on TiO₂ Nanotrees for the Visible-Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes. ACS Applied Nano Materials, 2022, 5, 380-390. (IF: 5.3)

22. Q. Zhang, Y. Liu, Z. Xu, Y. Zhao, M. Chaker, D. Ma*. Optimized Design and Mechanistic Understanding of Plasmon and Upconversion Enhanced Broadband Photocatalysts. Catalysis Today, 2020, 350, 25-32. (IF: 5.2)

23. Q. Zhang, D. T. Gangadharan, Y. Liu, Z. Xu, M. Chaker, D. Ma*. Recent advancements in plasmon-enhanced visible light-driven water splitting. Journal of Materiomics, 2017, 3, 33-50. (IF: 8.4; Top 25 most read paper for 2017; Top 25 most cited paper since 2012; Front cover)

24. Q. Zhang, Y. Liu, Z. Xu, Y. Zhao, M. Chaker, D. Ma. Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalysis. Book “Nanomaterials for Energy Conversion and Storage”, Editors: Dunwei Wang, Guozhong Cao. Imperial College Press/World Scientific, 2017, 109-173. (Book Chapter；Best Electrochemistry Books of All Time Winner)

25. S. Huang, Q. Zhang, P. Li, F. Ren, A. Yurtsever, D. Ma. High-performance Suspended Particle Devices Based on Copper-Reduced Graphene Oxide Core-Shell Nanowire Electrodes. Advanced Energy Materials, 2018, 8, 1703658. (IF: 29.698)

26. S. Huang, Q. Zhang, F. Yang, D. Thrithamarassery, P. Li, F. Ren, B. Sun, D. Ma. A facile way for scalable fabrication of silver nanowire network electrodes for high-performance and foldable smart windows. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2020, 8, 8620-8628. (IF: 14.511)

27. Y. Wang, X. Liu, Q. Zhang, C. Wang, S. Huang, Y. Liu, T. Yu, R. Yang, G. Chen, M. Chaker, D. Ma. Stable, Cost-Effective TiN-Based Plasmonic Nanocomposites with over 99% Solar Steam Generation Efficiency. Advanced Functional Materials, 2023, 2212301. (Nature-indexed journal; IF: 19.924)

28. J. Deng, Q. Zhang, K. Feng, H. Lan, J. Zhong, M. Chaker, D. Ma. Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation on Hematite with Dual Cocatalysts of Fluorine-doped FeOOH and FeNiOOH. ChemSusChem, 2018, 11, 1-8. (IF: 9.140)

29. X. Liu, Q. Zhang, D. Ma. Advances in 2D/2D Z-Scheme Heterojunctions for Photocatalytic Applications. Solar RRL, 2020, 2000397. (IF: 9.173)

30. X. Liu, Q. Zhang, Y. Wang; C. Wang; G. Song. Construction of multi-interfacial charge transfer paths in the NiS/CdS@CuS composite for efficient and broadband visible light photocatalytic H₂ production. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2023, 48, 33077-33087 (IF: 7.2)

31. L. Tan, P. Li, Q. Zhang, R. Izquierdo, M. Chaker, D. Ma. Towards Enhancing Solar Cell Performance: An Effective and “Green” Additive. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2018, 10, 6498-6504. (IF: 10.383)

32. P. Li, Y. Zhang, T. Yu, Q. Zhang, J. Masse, Y. Yang, R. Izquierdo, B. Sun, D. Ma. Unveiling Photovoltaic Performance Enhancement Mechanism of Polymer Solar Cells via Synergistic Effect of Binary Solvent Additives. Solar RRL, 2020, 2000239. (IF: 9.173)

33. S. Zhao, M. Liu, Y. Zhang, Z. Zhao, Q. Zhang, Z. Mu, Y. Long, Y. Jiang, Y. Liu, J. Zhang, S. Li, X. Zhang, Z. Zhang. Harvesting mechanical energy for hydrogen generation by piezoelectric metal–organic frameworks. Materials Horizons, 2022, 9, 1978-1983. (IF: 15.717)

34. Y. Gao, B. Xu, M. Cherif, H. Yu, Q. Zhang, F. Vidal, X. Wang, F. Ding, Y. Sun, D. Ma, Y. Bi, Z. Xu. Atomic Insights for Ag Interstitial/Substitutional Doping into ZnIn₂S₄ Nanoplates and Intimate Coupling with Reduced Graphene Oxide for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production by Water Splitting. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2020, 279, 119403. (IF: 22.1)

35. Z. Xu, M. G. Kibria, B. Alotaibi, P. N. Duchesne, L. V. Besteiro, Y. Gao, Q. Zhang, Z. Mi, P. Zhang, A. O. Govorov, L. Mai, M. Chaker, D. Ma. Towards enhancing photocatalytic hydrogen generation: which is more important, alloy synergistic effect or plasmonic effect. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2018, 221, 77-85. (IF: 22.1)

36. Y. Liu, J. Valdez, C. Chen, C. Harnagea, Y. Wang, Q. Zhang, S. Huang, A. Yurtsever, M. Chaker, D. Ma. Phase-enabled metal-organic framework homojunction for highly selective CO₂ photoreduction. Nature Communications, 2021, 12, 1231. (IF: 16.8)

Patents

37. Q. Zhang, D. Ma, M. Chaker. Metal-Free Few-Layer Phosphorus Nanomaterial: Method for Its Preparation and Use Thereof. US17/045,570; CA3096131A; PCT/CA2019/050813.