The Welch Foundation honors Rice’s Wang for pioneering contributions to sustainable energy solutions

(Press-News.org) The Welch Foundation, one of the nation’s leading private funders of basic chemistry research, has awarded the 2025 Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research to Haotian Wang, an associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University. Wang is recognized for his groundbreaking contributions to carbon dioxide electrochemistry, which pave the way for sustainable energy solutions.

Wang’s innovative research focuses on harnessing the catalyst-electrolyte interface to efficiently capture and convert carbon dioxide into high-value chemicals and fuels. His work has transformed the field of carbon dioxide electrolysis, offering practical, cost-effective pathways to combat climate change and support a low-carbon future.

“Receiving the 2025 Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research is an incredible honor,” said Wang. “This recognition underscores the importance of advancing carbon dioxide electrochemistry to address the pressing challenges of climate change. I am deeply grateful to The Welch Foundation for supporting fundamental research that drives sustainable energy solutions.”

“Professor Wang embodies the essence of innovation and excellence that we strive for at Rice,” said Luay Nakhleh, the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing. “His contributions to carbon dioxide electrochemistry not only advance the field of chemical engineering but also provide transformative solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges. We are immensely proud to have Professor Wang as a leading force in our community and look forward to the continued inspiration his work will bring to the world.”

As the principal investigator of the Wang Group — nicknamed the “CAT” Group in homage to his love of cats and catalysis — Wang has spearheaded studies on fundamental reactions to design advanced nanomaterials and electrolyzers. These innovations address critical challenges in energy storage, clean fuel generation, green chemical synthesis and water treatment.

Among its many achievements, the Wang Group was among the first to demonstrate how dispersed atoms of transition-metal catalysts achieve nearly 100% selectivity for carbon dioxide reduction. Unlike bulk or nanoscale catalysts, which often exhibit poor performance, these single-atom catalysts enable more efficient carbon dioxide conversion with lower energy requirements and costs.

Wang also revolutionized the field with his development of a porous solid-electrolyte reactor for a wide range of applications. This novel reactor enables continuous and direct carbon dioxide reduction into pure liquid fuels at industrially relevant rates, eliminating costly purification steps and potentially reducing production costs by up to 80%. The reactor’s versatility has also been applied to carbon capture and the production of other critical chemicals, such as hydrogen peroxide, using only air, electricity and water. These advances, published in leading journals such as Nature, have set new benchmarks in carbon dioxide electrolysis and sustainable synthesis.

“Dr. Wang’s use of electrochemistry to close the carbon cycle and develop renewable sources of industrial chemicals directly intersects with The Welch Foundation mission of advancing chemistry while improving life,” said Fred Brazelton, chair and director of The Welch Foundation, in a statement. “We are proud to recognize his creativity and productivity by selecting him as this year’s recipient of the Hackerman Award.”

Beyond his academic accomplishments, Wang is dedicated to translating his research into real-world applications. In 2023, he co-founded Solidec, Inc., a startup focused on scaling up his innovations in low-carbon fuels, carbon-negative hydrogen and carbon-neutral peroxide production. Solidec has already garnered significant support, including a place in the Chevron Technology Ventures Catalyst Program, a Rice One Small Step grant, a U.S. Department of Energy SBIR grant and selection for the inaugural cohort of the Activate Houston program.

Wang has received numerous accolades, including the 2024 inaugural AAASE Rising Star Award, 2023 AIChE 35 Under 35, 2022 Hershel M. Rich Invention Award, 2021 Sloan Fellow, 2020 Packard Fellow, 2019 CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar and 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30. He has filed over 10 patents, published in Nature, Science and several Nature-family journals and has been designated a Highly Cited Researcher every year since 2018.

“Dr. Wang has an exceptional ability to translate fundamental chemistry into marketable solutions and possible pathways to a product. Haotian is using the power of chemistry to prove carbon dioxide capture can work at scale,” said Ramamoorthy Ramesh, executive vice president for research at Rice. “We are proud to have him at Rice. He’s using chemical engineering to solve a big problem for humanity, everything that The Welch Foundation stands for.”

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