Curriculum Vitae
Research Interests
Pollutant degradation; Electrochemical sensors; Electrocatalysis; Photocatalysis; Energy storage materials.
Education & Work Experience
Postdoctoral Researcher, November 2023 – Present
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, USA
Advisor: Prof. Qingguo Huang
Ph.D. in Optical Engineering, August 2019 – July 2023
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Project R&D Engineer, October 2017 – August 2019
Shenzhen BAK Power Battery Co., Ltd., China
M.S. in Applied Chemistry, September 2014 – July 2017
Tianjin University, China
B.S. in Applied Chemistry, September 2009 – July 2013
Wuhan University of Technology, China
Research Projects
Degradation and Detection of PFAS via Electrochemical Methods (Nov 2023 – Present)
- Investigated electrochemical reduction of PFAS, focusing on cathode-material modification to enhance degradation performance and enable in-situ treatment applications.
- Studied MOF–PFAS interactions for PFAS removal and sensing applications, and developed machine-learning-assisted approaches to distinguish different PFAS species based on electrochemical signals.
- Contributed to the preparation of SERDP and EPA project proposals and technical reports.
- Presented research findings at two SERDP poster sessions and one ACS oral presentation.
- Filed three patent applications related to PFAS treatment and sensing technologies.
Transition-Metal Compounds for Electrochemical Performance and Photocatalysis (Aug 2019 – Nov 2023)
- Investigated the composition and structure of transition-metal compounds.
- Explored their applications in supercapacitors and ultraviolet photodetectors.
Technical Report Contributions
- Electrochemical Oxidation of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Concentrated Wastewater Resulting from Separation and Concentration Technologies (SERDP)
- Improved Methods to Manage PFASs for Small Water and Wastewater Treatment (EPA)
Patents
- Qingguo Huang, Xi Zhu. Methods and systems for electrochemical reduction of perfluoroalkyl compounds. (Patent pending, 2025)
- Qingguo Huang, Xi Zhu. Use of carbon-based materials for the removal of perfluoroalkyl compounds from aqueous compositions. (Patent pending, 2025)
- Qingguo Huang, Yiping Zhao, Xi Zhu, Jiaheng Cui. Ultrasensitive detection and differentiation of multiple per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances using metal-organic framework nanowire network and machine learning-enhanced voltammetry. (Patent pending, 2026)
Selected Publications
A complete list of publications is available on the Publications page and on my Google Scholar profile.
Conference Presentations
See the Presentations page for a full list.
Skills
- Materials synthesis: hydrothermal, solvothermal, electrodeposition, CVD
- Electrochemistry: CV, EIS, LSV, GCD, electrochemical degradation and sensing
- Characterization: XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, Raman, UV-Vis
- Battery & supercapacitor device assembly and testing
- Machine learning for electrochemical data analysis
- Scientific writing, proposal preparation, and patent drafting
Contact
- Email: Xi.Zhu1@uga.edu
- Phone: (+1) 470-881-9351
- Location: Griffin, Georgia, USA