Materials Science Professor Yang Yang’s years of discovery, innovation and dedication were recognized with one of the field’s highest honors: being named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Yang says he is deeply honored and humbled to have been named a Fellow, as the distinction represents one of the highest accolades in the global sciences community.
“To me, achieving this status is not just a personal milestone; it is a validation of the hard work, creativity and dedication of the talented postdocs, graduate students and colleagues I’ve had the privilege of working with at UCF over the years,” he says. “It also reinforces UCF’s growing reputation as a hub for world-class research in energy chemistry and materials science.”
Yang first came to UCF as an assistant professor in 2015. He directs the Advanced Materials and Renewable Energy Lab and is a core faculty member of the UCF Nanoscience and Technology Center.
He’s dedicated his career to solving global energy and environmental issues through atomic-level interface engineering.
“My primary motivation stems from the urgent global need for scalable, sustainable energy technologies designed to meet the demands of AI data centers and other high-energy-consumption sectors,” he says.
Among his many innovations, Yang is particularly proud of his breakthrough research in three areas. His work in biofuel electrocatalysis has enabled longer lasting ethanol fuel cells with significantly higher power densities. He has engineered 3D alloy anodes to create nonflammable batteries that use seawater as an electrolyte. His efforts have also uncovered an energy-efficient method of producing high volumes of hydrogen peroxide using metal-free carbon catalysts.
“Seeing fundamental chemistry translated from a theoretical concept into a real-world device that can power electric vehicles, store renewable energy on the grid or produce value-added chemicals sustainably is immensely rewarding,” he says. “Additionally, I am deeply motivated by the educational aspect of my work — watching students and postdocs grow into independent scientists, develop their own ideas and go on to lead successful academic and industrial careers of their own.”
He adds that he is grateful for the spirit of collaboration that serves as a hallmark of UCF research, sharing that the research environment at the university has helped drive his success.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the leadership, my colleagues and the collaborative environment across the Nanoscience Technology Center, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and the Office of Research at UCF,” Yang says. “The highly supportive culture here at UCF, combined with strong backing from funding agencies and industry partners, has played a crucial role in enabling us to push the boundaries of energy materials research.”
- Written by Bel Huston