About

Shouheng Sun is the Vernon K. Krieble Professor of Chemistry and a Professor of Engineering at Brown University. His research profile is associated with the Sun Lab at Brown University, where he is engaged in chemical research. His academic and professional focus includes chemistry and engineering, with a notable position within the Department of Chemistry. Further details about his specific research interests, background, and key contributions are not provided in the available page text.

Research topics

• Chemistry
• Organic chemistry
• Materials science
• Physical chemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Inorganic chemistry
• Combinatorial chemistry
• Chemical engineering
• Nuclear chemistry
• Physics
• Optics
• Condensed matter physics
• Computational chemistry
• Engineering
• Photochemistry

Selected publications

• Research on the Construction of Evaluation Index System and the Determination Method of Index Weights for the Power Load Supply Guarantee Capacity of Thermal Power Units

  2025-04-11

  article

  During the operation of thermal power units, factors such as equipment aging, unstable fuel supply, and imperfect management mechanisms pose challenges to their power load supply guarantee capacity. Evaluating this capacity scientifically to boost operational efficiency and stability is urgent, especially in peak-load and extreme-climate periods.This paper constructs a comprehensive evaluation index system from five dimensions: equipment, operation, coal, management, and maintenance. It has 5 first-level, 23 second - level, and 42 third-level indicators. By stratifying dimensions, it explores influencing factors, offering a framework and data for improving load supply capacity and ensuring scientific evaluation. For the evaluation method, it combines the entropy weight method and the analytic hierarchy process. This combination reduces single-method biases, rationalizes weight allocation, and ensures evaluation authenticity. The constructed index system covers key operation factors, provides decision-making support for thermal power enterprises, improves unit power guarantee capacity, and secures the stability of power supply.

  PublisherDOI

• Gold Nanoparticles Grafted with Molecular N-Heterocyclic Carbenes for CO₂ Electroreduction: Combining Electronic and Hydrophobic Effects

  ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces · 2025-07-16 · 1 citations

  article

  Tuning the surface microenvironment offers a powerful strategy to enhance the electrocatalytic performance of presynthesized metal nanocatalysts. Here, we demonstrate that N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), as a self-assembled monolayer on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), synergistically promote the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to CO. This NHC functionalization boosts the partial current density for CO formation by ∼30% while concurrently suppressing competing proton reduction. The change of NHC electronic properties through electron-donating or -withdrawing substituents has a minimal impact on the catalytic activity and selectivity. In situ infrared spectroscopy reveals that NHCs suppress the proton reductions while enhancing the CO2 selectivity. Furthermore, NHC ligands exhibit high electrochemical stability under a reductive potential. Their surface coverage remains about 70–90% at −1.1 V, in contrast to the near-complete detachment of organic thiol ligands. These findings highlight ligand engineering as a promising approach for optimizing selectivity and efficiency in CO2 electroreduction.

  PublisherDOI

• Y-Doped CuS Promotes Selective Electroreduction of CO ₂ to Ethanol

  Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2025-10-23 · 15 citations

  articleCorresponding

  conversion to ethanol and potentially other value-added products.

  PublisherDOI

• Dynamic Correction Method for the Electricity Load Guarantee Supply Capacity of Thermal Power Units

  2025-07-25

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Scientific dynamic evaluation of the power load supply capacity of thermal power units is crucial for the safe and economic dispatch of the power grid. This article constructs an evaluation index system for the power load supply capacity of thermal power units. A dynamic evaluation and correction method for the power load supply capacity of thermal power units is proposed based on entropy weight method, analytic hierarchy process, and differential theory, and case calculations are conducted using basic data from three thermal power units. Research has shown that for every 0.1 increase in equipment reliability indicators, the average power supply capacity increases by 1.2 - 3.5 percentage points. And optimizing coal quality indicators by 0.2 units can increase power supply capacity by 3.9 - 6.8 percentage points. The work done in this article has certain reference value for improving the power guarantee capability of thermal power units.

  PublisherDOI

• <i>N</i>-Heterocyclic Carbene Polymer-Stabilized Au Nanowires for Selective and Stable Reduction of CO₂

  Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2025-04-16 · 19 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  The structural stability of nanocatalysts during electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2RR) is crucial for practical applications. However, highly active nanocatalysts often reconstruct under reductive conditions, requiring stabilization strategies to maintain activity. Here, we demonstrate that the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) polymer stabilizes Au nanowire (NW) catalysts for selective CO2 reduction to CO over a broad potential range, enabling coupling with Cu NWs for one-step tandem conversion of CO2 to C2H4. By combining the hydrophobicity of the polystyrene chain and the strong binding of NHC to Au, the polymer stabilizes Au NWs and promotes CO2RR to CO with excellent selectivity (>90%) across −0.4 V to −1.0 V (vs RHE), a significantly broader range than unmodified Au NWs (−0.5 V to −0.7 V). Stable CO2RR at negative potentials yields a high jCO of 142 A/g Au at −1.0 V. In situ ATR-IR analysis indicates that the NHC polymer regulates the water microenvironment and suppresses hydrogen evolution at high overpotential. Moreover, NHC-Au NWs maintain excellent stability during 10 h of CO2RR testing, preserving the NW morphology and catalytic performance, while unmodified NWs degrade into nanoparticles with reduced activity and selectivity. NHC-Au NWs can be coupled with Cu NWs in a flow cell to catalyze CO2RR to C2H4 with 58% efficiency and a partial current density of 70 mA/cm2 (overall C2 product efficiency of 65%). This study presents an adaptable strategy to enhance the catalyst microenvironment, ensure stability, and enable efficient tandem CO2 conversion into value-added hydrocarbons.

  PublisherDOI

• A Joint Frequency Regulation and Peak Shaving Optimization Method for Thermal Power Energy Storage

  2025-07-11

  article

  As large-scale deep peak regulation operation of thermal units increases, their frequency regulation capacity declines significantly, posing a substantial challenge to the safe operation of the power grid frequency. Considering the assessment standards and performance indicators of the State Grid, a joint optimization method for thermal power and energy storage frequency regulation that accounts for deep peak regulation is proposed. This method utilizes residual storage capacity to assist peak shaving while meeting frequency regulation performance. Initially, using an attenuation model of the frequency regulation performance indicators related to deep regulation of thermal units, the capacity for aiding primary frequency regulation with energy storage is forecasted. Subsequently, based on the power generation schedule of the units, the capacity for assisting secondary frequency regulation through rapid load changes is determined. The residual storage capacity is then allocated to peak shaving and valley filling to optimize economic efficiency, ultimately realizing combined frequency regulation and peak shaving in the thermal power-energy storage system. An economic model of the combined thermal power and energy storage frequency regulation system is established for simulation of the proposed optimization algorithm. Simulation results show that in a scenario with a 660 MW thermal unit and a maximum storage output of 40 MW, the proposed algorithm increases the primary frequency regulation qualification rate by 76.7%, the secondary frequency regulation qualification rate by 40%, and the economic benefits of the combined thermal-storage system by 179.3%, compared to traditional methods.

  PublisherDOI

• Multi-metallic nanoparticles: synthesis and their catalytic applications

  Chemical Communications · 2025-01-01 · 20 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Multi-metallic nanoparticles (MMNPs) have recently garnered significant interest due to their inclusion of different metal atoms within a single nanostructure. The interactions among these metal atoms induce novel properties in MMNPs, making them an ideal platform for exploring the complex interplay between structure and properties, particularly in terms of catalytic properties. This review summarizes recent advancements in the synthesis and catalytic studies of MMNPs. It begins by outlining the synthesis of MMNPs with well-defined structures, including solid solutions, intermetallics, composite core/shell structures, heterodimers, and high-entropy alloys. These MMNPs exhibit unique electronic and surface properties that are crucial for enhancing catalysis. Using representative examples, the review further highlights the promising applications of MMNPs in catalyzing important chemical reactions related to energy conversion and green chemistry, achieving high reaction efficiencies. Finally, the review discusses strategies for attaining atomic precision in the synthesis of MMNPs and optimizing their catalytic performance for a broader range of chemical reactions.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Phase Engineering of Nanomaterials: Metal Nanomaterials

  Chemical Research in Chinese Universities · 2025-05-20 · 7 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Nanoparticle-enabled integration of air capture and conversion of CO₂

  Nanoscale · 2024-01-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  This work demonstrates a nanoparticle-enabled integration of air capture and conversion of CO 2 . Ambient CO 2 is captured in a KOH–ethylene glycol solution and then selectively reduced to formate under 50 °C and ambient pressure using Pd NPs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Polyvinylpyrrolidone-Coated Cubic Hollow Nanocages of PdPt₃ and PdIr₃ as Highly Efficient Self-Cascade Uricase/Peroxidase Mimics

  Nano Letters · 2024-02-23 · 28 citations

  articleCorresponding

  Uricase-catalyzed uric acid (UA) degradation has been applied for hyperuricemia therapy, but this medication is limited by H2O2 accumulation, which can cause oxidative stress of cells, resulting in many other health issues. Herein, we report a robust cubic hollow nanocage (HNC) system based on polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated PdPt3 and PdIr3 to serve as highly efficient self-cascade uricase/peroxidase mimics to achieve the desired dual catalysis for both UA degradation and H2O2 elimination. These HNCs have hollow cubic shape with average wall thickness of 1.5 nm, providing desired synergy to enhance catalyst’s activity and stability. Density functional theory calculations suggest the PdIr3 HNC surface tend to promote OH*/O* desorption for better peroxidase-like catalysis, while the PdPt3 HNC surface accelerates the UA oxidation by facilitating O2-to-H2O2 conversion. The dual catalysis power demonstrated by these HNCs in cell studies suggests their great potential as a new type of nanozyme for treating hyperuricemia.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Dumbbell Nanocomposites: Controlled Chemical Synthesis and Catalytic Applications

  NSF · $300k · 2006–2009

• Collaborative Research: SUSCHEM: Engineering Polymer-Nanocatalyst Membranes for Direct Capture of CO2 and Electrochemical Conversion to C2+ Liquid Fuel

  NSF · $300k · 2023–2026

• Collaborative Research: CAS: Carbene-Containing Ligands on Cu and Cu3N Nanocubes: Access to Stable and Selective Electrolysis for CO2 Reduction

  NSF · $270k · 2021–2025

• NIH Grant R21CA128529

  NIH · $337k · 2010

Frequent coauthors

• Zhouyang Yin

  Brown University

  132 shared

• Junrui Li

  Clark Atlanta University

  114 shared

• Chao Wang

  111 shared

• Sen Zhang

  109 shared

• Chao Yu

  109 shared

• Shaojun Guo

  Peking University

  107 shared

• Michelle Muzzio

  One Cell Systems (United States)

  104 shared

• Chenjie Xu

  Nanjing Medical University

  101 shared

Labs

• Sun Research LabPI