Yuzhen Ge
Current Organizations / Institutes
The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article
Previous Organizations / Institutes
The organizations / institutes from the scholar's other articles in the past ten years
Research Subjects
Yuzhen Ge has a total of 25 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:
- Antonio José Martín
Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
2 shared publications - Gonzalo Guillén-Gosálbez
ETH Zurich
2 shared publications - Javier Pérez-Ramírez
Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences Institute For Chemical and Bioengineering Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering ETH Zürich Zurich Switzerland
2 shared publications Aowen Li
School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
1 shared publication- Cecilia Salah
Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
1 shared publication Chengyu Li
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
1 shared publication
Latest Publications
- Open Access
- 22 May 2026
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature Communications
- Vol. 17 (1)
Interfacial W–O–Zr ensembles in tungstated zirconia catalysts enable efficient hydrogen-free recycling of polypropylene waste
Polyolefins are essential plastics to modern life yet create mounting sustainability challenges. Chemical recycling technologies are key but often require harsh conditions, costly hydrogen, noble metals, or complex catalysts with challenging design. We report hydrogen- and solvent-free depolymerization of polypropylene consumer goods at 240 °C, achieving >80% yield into gasoline hydrocarbons with stable performance. A library of tungstated zirconia catalysts synthesized by flame spray pyrolysis with controlled tungsten speciation enables correlating performance with the density of W–O–Zr ensembles prevalent in sub-nanoclusters, with W:Zr = 1:9 emerging as optimal. These acid sites formed during reaction mediate internal hydrogen transfer and selective backbone C–C scission, as deduced from operando spectroscopy. Life cycle and technoeconomic studies, benchmarked against hydrotreatment-based recycling in a harmonized framework, indicate competitive environmental and economic advantages. Together, this work establishes this route’s promise and underscores the value of precision catalyst synthesis in polyolefin valorization.
- 22 May 2026
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature Communications
- Vol. 17 (1)
Open AccessInterfacial W–O–Zr ensembles in tungstated zirconia catalysts enable efficient hydrogen-free recycling of polypropylene waste
Polyolefins are essential plastics to modern life yet create mounting sustainability challenges. Chemical recycling technologies are key but often require harsh conditions, costly hydrogen, noble metals, or complex catalysts with challenging design. We report hydrogen- and solvent-free depolymerization of polypropylene consumer goods at 240 °C, achieving >80% yield into gasoline hydrocarbons with stable performance. A library of tungstated zirconia catalysts synthesized by flame spray pyrolysis with controlled tungsten speciation enables correlating performance with the density of W–O–Zr ensembles prevalent in sub-nanoclusters, with W:Zr = 1:9 emerging as optimal. These acid sites formed during reaction mediate internal hydrogen transfer and selective backbone C–C scission, as deduced from operando spectroscopy. Life cycle and technoeconomic studies, benchmarked against hydrotreatment-based recycling in a harmonized framework, indicate competitive environmental and economic advantages. Together, this work establishes this route’s promise and underscores the value of precision catalyst synthesis in polyolefin valorization.
- Open Access
- 29 April 2026
- Published by Swiss Chemical Society in Chimia
- Vol. 80 (4) , 245-249
Bridging Catalyst Design and Process-Level Analysis for Sustainable Polyethylene Recycling via Hydrogenolysis
Aligning catalyst development with process-level sustainability metrics is crucial for advancing the chemical recycling of plastics. We bridge both elements to study hydrogenolysis of high-density polyethylene and report Ru–Ni alloy nanoparticles supported on titania that yield up to 55% liquid alkane products (C6–C45) under optimized conditions. Operando spectroscopy reveals Ru–Ni alloy sites formed in situ, and temperature-programmed experiments suggest an enhanced preference for internal instead of terminal scission over the bimetallic catalysts. By integrating these experimental insights with life cycle and techno-economic analyses, we identify a minimum average-chain-length threshold of C11 for product distributions as a catalyst design guideline to reconcile environmental and economic objectives, illustrating the value of bridging catalyst design and process-level analyses.
- 29 April 2026
- Published by Swiss Chemical Society in Chimia
- Vol. 80 (4) , 245-249
Open AccessBridging Catalyst Design and Process-Level Analysis for Sustainable Polyethylene Recycling via Hydrogenolysis
Aligning catalyst development with process-level sustainability metrics is crucial for advancing the chemical recycling of plastics. We bridge both elements to study hydrogenolysis of high-density polyethylene and report Ru–Ni alloy nanoparticles supported on titania that yield up to 55% liquid alkane products (C6–C45) under optimized conditions. Operando spectroscopy reveals Ru–Ni alloy sites formed in situ, and temperature-programmed experiments suggest an enhanced preference for internal instead of terminal scission over the bimetallic catalysts. By integrating these experimental insights with life cycle and techno-economic analyses, we identify a minimum average-chain-length threshold of C11 for product distributions as a catalyst design guideline to reconcile environmental and economic objectives, illustrating the value of bridging catalyst design and process-level analyses.
- Top Cited Papers
- 12 February 2025
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature
- Vol. 638 (8051) , 690-696
Shielding Pt/γ-Mo2N by inert nano-overlays enables stable H2 production
The use of reactive supports to disperse metal species is crucial for constructing highly efficient interfacial catalysts, by tuning the competitive reactant adsorption–activation pattern in supported metal catalysts into a non-competitive mechanism1,2,3. However, these reactive supports are prone to deterioration during catalysis, limiting the lifespan of the catalyst and their potential practical applications4. New strategies are needed to simultaneously protect reactive supports and surface metal species without compromising the inherent catalytic performance. Here we report a new strategy to augment the structural stability of highly active interfacial catalysts by using inert nano-overlays to partially shield and partition the surface of the reactive support. Specifically, we demonstrate that atomically dispersed inert oxide nano-overlays on a highly active Pt/γ-Mo2N catalyst can block the redundant surface sites of γ-Mo2N responsible for surface oxidation of this reactive support and the resulting deactivation. This strategy yields an efficient and highly durable catalyst for hydrogen production by methanol-reforming reaction with a mere 0.26 wt% Pt loading, exhibiting a record-high turnover number, to our knowledge, of 15,300,000 and a notable apparent turnover frequency of \(\mathrm{24,500}\,{\text{mol}}_{{{\rm{H}}}_{2}}\,{\text{mol}}_{{\rm{metal}}}^{-1}\,{\text{h}}^{-1}\). This innovative approach showcases the prospects of reducing noble metal consumption and boosting longevity, which could be applied to design effective and stable heterogeneous catalysts.- 12 February 2025
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature
- Vol. 638 (8051) , 690-696
Top Cited PapersShielding Pt/γ-Mo2N by inert nano-overlays enables stable H2 production
The use of reactive supports to disperse metal species is crucial for constructing highly efficient interfacial catalysts, by tuning the competitive reactant adsorption–activation pattern in supported metal catalysts into a non-competitive mechanism1,2,3. However, these reactive supports are prone to deterioration during catalysis, limiting the lifespan of the catalyst and their potential practical applications4. New strategies are needed to simultaneously protect reactive supports and surface metal species without compromising the inherent catalytic performance. Here we report a new strategy to augment the structural stability of highly active interfacial catalysts by using inert nano-overlays to partially shield and partition the surface of the reactive support. Specifically, we demonstrate that atomically dispersed inert oxide nano-overlays on a highly active Pt/γ-Mo2N catalyst can block the redundant surface sites of γ-Mo2N responsible for surface oxidation of this reactive support and the resulting deactivation. This strategy yields an efficient and highly durable catalyst for hydrogen production by methanol-reforming reaction with a mere 0.26 wt% Pt loading, exhibiting a record-high turnover number, to our knowledge, of 15,300,000 and a notable apparent turnover frequency of \(\mathrm{24,500}\,{\text{mol}}_{{{\rm{H}}}_{2}}\,{\text{mol}}_{{\rm{metal}}}^{-1}\,{\text{h}}^{-1}\). This innovative approach showcases the prospects of reducing noble metal consumption and boosting longevity, which could be applied to design effective and stable heterogeneous catalysts. - Open Access
- 5 November 2013
- Published by Wiley in Advances in Materials Science and Engineering
- Vol. 2013, 1-8
Synergistic Flame Retardancy of Aluminium Dipropylphosphinate and Melamine in Polyamide 6
The synergistic flame retardancy of aluminium dipropylphosphinate (ADPP) and melamine (ME) in polyamide 6 (PA6) was studied by the limiting oxygen index (LOI) measurement, the vertical burning test, and the cone calorimeter test, and the mechanism was also discussed by thermogravimetric and residual analyses. The experimental results indicated that there was obvious synergistic flame retardancy between ADPP and ME under their appropriate weight ratios. The thermogravimetric results and the analysis of the residues obtained in cone calorimeter test showed that ADPP and ADPP/ME played the role of flame retardance by gaseous- and condensed-phase mechanisms, where, on one hand, they were decomposed into nonvolatile aluminum phosphate and promoted the carbonization of PA6, and the formed intumescent layer resulted in flame retardancy by the barrier effect on heat, air, and decomposition products, and on the other hand, they were decomposed into volatile phosphorus compounds which bring about flame retardancy by flame inhibition. Using a combination of ADPP and ME improved charring of PA6 and raised the residual rate of P and Al, thus, improving the barrier effect in the condensed phase.
- 5 November 2013
- Published by Wiley in Advances in Materials Science and Engineering
- Vol. 2013, 1-8
Open AccessSynergistic Flame Retardancy of Aluminium Dipropylphosphinate and Melamine in Polyamide 6
The synergistic flame retardancy of aluminium dipropylphosphinate (ADPP) and melamine (ME) in polyamide 6 (PA6) was studied by the limiting oxygen index (LOI) measurement, the vertical burning test, and the cone calorimeter test, and the mechanism was also discussed by thermogravimetric and residual analyses. The experimental results indicated that there was obvious synergistic flame retardancy between ADPP and ME under their appropriate weight ratios. The thermogravimetric results and the analysis of the residues obtained in cone calorimeter test showed that ADPP and ADPP/ME played the role of flame retardance by gaseous- and condensed-phase mechanisms, where, on one hand, they were decomposed into nonvolatile aluminum phosphate and promoted the carbonization of PA6, and the formed intumescent layer resulted in flame retardancy by the barrier effect on heat, air, and decomposition products, and on the other hand, they were decomposed into volatile phosphorus compounds which bring about flame retardancy by flame inhibition. Using a combination of ADPP and ME improved charring of PA6 and raised the residual rate of P and Al, thus, improving the barrier effect in the condensed phase.