RGC Senior Research Fellow Scheme

Biography

Professor in Department of Building and Real Estate, Faculty of Construction and Environment at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Research focuses on electrochemical systems for energy conversion and storage, including solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs), Zn-air batteries (ZABs), electrochemical cells for low-grade heat utilization
SRFS project — adopts both the trial-and-error and machine learning-based approaches to facilitate new cathode material development. Through multi-physics modelling and optimisation techniques, unconventional stack designs, including several nature-inspired stack configurations, will be evaluated for protonic ceramic fuel cell (PCFC). The research integrates engineering, chemistry, physics and material science to address the complex challenges of using PCFC for clean power generation
Awards and Honours:
- RGC Senior Research Fellow (2023)
- Innovation Award by China Energy Research Society (2022)
- Humboldt Research Fellowship (2016)

Project Title

Protonic Ceramic Fuel Cells for Clean Power Generation: From New Cathode Materials to New Stack Designs

Award Citation

Prof. Meng Ni received his PhD from The University of Hong Kong in 2007. He is currently a Professor at the Department of Building and Real Estate, and an Associate Dean of Faculty of Construction and Environment, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Prof. Meng Ni’s research includes electrolyzers for hydrogen production, fuel cells for clean power generation and rechargeable batteries for energy storage. His team developed a series of perovskite oxide materials and developed comprehensive models for design optimization of fuel cells/electrolyzers/batteries. They proposed a novel thermal-expansion offset approach to significantly improve the fuel cell durability and combined machine learning with experimental testing to facilitate new material discovery. Prof. Meng Ni received the Hong Kong Young Scientist Award in 2007 and Humboldt Research Fellowship (for experienced researcher) in 2016. He was awarded the Innovation Award 2022 (First Prize) by China Energy Research Society in recognition of his contributions to the mathematical modeling of fuel cells and electrolyzers. His team participated in the Tera Award competition and won a Bronze Award in 2022.

Prof. Meng Ni is an active reviewer for over 80 journals, including Science, Nature Energy, Nature Communications, etc. He is a Co-editor-in-Chief for Energy Reviews (Elsevier), a Senior Editor for Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments (Elsevier), e-Prime (Elsevier), and an Associate Editor for International Journal of Green Energy (Taylor & Francis), Energy Storage (Wiley), and The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering (Wiley). He served as an Associate Editor for Science Bulletin between 2015 and 2017 and received The Best Associate Editor Award twice.