Dr Mengnan Wang - University of Exeter

The challenge

Chemical manufacturing still relies heavily on fossil carbon and is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable electricity can convert captured CO₂ into valuable products such as ethylene, but current electrolysers are not yet efficient, stable or scalable enough for industry. Conventional alkaline systems waste much of the CO₂ through carbonate formation, while acidic systems avoid this loss but struggle with competing hydrogen production, salt build-up and reduced selectivity at high conversion. The opportunity is to redesign catalysts, electrodes and their local reaction environment together, using sustainable and scalable materials to create durable systems that use more CO₂, consume less energy and support resilient, low-carbon chemical manufacturing. 

The research

Dr Mengnan Wang’s research investigates how catalysts, electrodes and reactor design can be engineered together to make acidic CO₂ electrolysers efficient, selective, durable and scalable. Dr Wang will control the local reaction environment around copper catalysts, develop tandem electrodes that convert CO₂ through carbon monoxide intermediates, and create sustainable gas-diffusion electrodes from biomass-derived carbons. Real-time characterisation and computer modelling will reveal how catalyst structure, water, ions and gas transport govern performance. These insights will guide scale-up from laboratory cells to larger devices, supported by economic and environmental assessment. The aim is to establish practical design rules and a credible route towards low-carbon production of ethylene and other valuable chemicals. 

The researcher

Dr Wang is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Engineering at the University of Exeter, specialising in electrochemical materials and systems for sustainable chemical manufacturing and energy storage. Her interdisciplinary background spans chemistry, materials science and chemical engineering, including a PhD from Imperial College London and earlier experience in technology transfer between academia and industry. She has developed expertise in catalyst and electrode design, batteries, advanced characterisation and the scale-up of electrochemical devices. Her motivation comes from seeing promising laboratory discoveries struggle to progress towards practical use. She aims to bridge this gap by developing technologies that combine scientific innovation with sustainability, manufacturability and clear routes towards industrial application.