Mrs. Liyu Hou | Catalysis | Best Researcher Award

Mrs. Liyu Hou is a PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering and Technology at the State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, China University of Petroleum, where her research specializes in heterogeneous catalysis for propane dehydrogenation (PDH). Her work focuses on the design of non-noble metal catalysts supported on oxides or zeolites, with particular emphasis on defect engineering and advanced characterization techniques such as XRD, and in situ DRIFTS. She has made significant contributions to catalytic science by developing Y-doped  catalysts through coprecipitation, demonstrating optimal performance  initial propane conversion and greater than  propylene selectivity sustained after 10 cycles. Her studies revealed that Y³⁺ incorporation into the TiO₂ lattice forms Y–O–Ti bonds, enhances lattice stability, increases surface area, promotes Ti species reduction, and facilitates oxygen vacancy formation, all of which boost PDH efficiency. Furthermore, she has shown that appropriate Y doping stabilizes Ti⁴⁺cus sites and balances the weak-to-medium acid ratio, while excessive Y reduces catalytic activity due to pore blockage. Her research, published in the Journal of Rare Earths and supported by the NSFC and the National Key R&D Program of China, has already gained recognition with 13 citations across 2 documents and an h-index of 1, underscoring her growing impact in catalysis and sustainable energy research.