课题组在“双碳目标”的背景下，以CO₂资源化利用合成高值化学品为研究主题。开发了电解析氢-微生物电合成原位耦合体系，分别在电极微纳界面调控、气体载体及装置改进等方面提出气液传质强化措施，解决微生物电合成体系气液传质效率低、电流密度低的问题，对高效固定CO₂合成化学品技术的发展提供技术支撑。主要研究方向如下：

• 微生物固碳合成乙酸、甲烷、PHA等高值化学品技术
• 微生物固氮碳合成菌体蛋白技术
• 生物反应器内气体传质强化：实验及数值模拟研究
• 生物反应装置研发

代表性研究成果：

[1] Wenfang Cai, Shifeng Zhao, Kai Zhang, Kun Guo, Yechun Wang, Qingyun Chen, Yunhai Wang. Synergy of light trapping and water management in interconnected porous PEDOT: PSS hydrogels for efficient solar-driven water purification, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 62(26) (2023) 10175-10183.

[2] Wenfang Cai, Qian Ma, Kaibo Pu, Dengwei Jing, Yunhai Wang. Incorporation of silver recovery with electricity generation through methanol-Ag+ coupled redox fuel cell, Chemical Engineering and Processing-Process Intensification 183 (2023) 109222.

[3] Wenfang Cai, Jiafeng Geng, Shifeng Zhao, Yucheng Zhu, Yunhai Wang, Qingyun Chen, Kun Guo. Simulation of OH–and oxygen transport in the air–cathode catalyst layer of microbial fuel cells, Electrochem. Commun. 151 (2023) 107494.

[4] Wenfang Cai, Kai Cui, Zhuangzhuang Liu, Xiaodan Jin, Qingyun Chen, Kun Guo, Yunhai Wang. An electrolytic-hydrogen-fed moving bed biofilm reactor for efficient microbial electrosynthesis of methane from CO2, Chem. Eng. J. 428 (2022) 132093.

[5] Wenfang Cai, Fei Long, Yunhai Wang, Hong Liu, Kun Guo. Enhancement of microbiome management by machine learning for biological wastewater treatment, Microb. Biotechnol. 14(1) (2021) 59-62.

[6] Wenfang Cai, Keaton Larson Lesnik, Matthew J Wade, Elizabeth S Heidrich, Yunhai Wang, Hong Liu. Incorporating microbial community data with machine learning techniques to predict feed substrates in microbial fuel cells, Biosens. Bioelectron. 133 (2019) 64-71.

[7] Wenfang Cai, Jiafeng Geng, Kaibo Pu, Qian Ma, Dengwei Jing, Yunhai Wang, Qingyun Chen, Hong Liu. Investigation of a two-dimensional model on microbial fuel cell with different biofilm porosities and external resistances, Chem. Eng. J. 333 (2018) 572-582.

[8] Wenfang Cai, Kaibo Pu, Qian Ma, Yunhai Wang. Insight into the fabrication and perspective of dendritic Ag nanostructures, J. Exp. Nanosci. 12(1) (2017) 319-337.

[9] Wenfang Cai, Deli Geng, Yunhai Wang. Assessment of cathode materials for Ni (ii) reduction in microbial electrolysis cells, Rsc Adv. 6(38) (2016) 31732-31738.

[10] Wenfang Cai, Xiaowen Fang, Mengxi Xu, Xiaohe Liu, Yunhai Wang. Sequential recovery of copper and nickel from wastewater without net energy input, Water Sci. Technol. 71(5) (2015) 754-760.

[11] Wenfang Cai, Yunhai Wang. Investigation of a two-dimensional model on Cu2+ recovery in bioemectrochemical system, IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, (2023) 012013.

[12] Keaton Larson Lesnik, Wenfang Cai, Hong Liu. Microbial community predicts functional stability of microbial fuel cells, Environ. Sci. Technol. 54(1) (2019) 427-436.

[13]   Kai Zhang, Wenfang Cai, Shifeng Zhao, Yi Zhao, Qingyun Chen, Yunhai Wang. Hierarchical CuO/ZnO Heterojunction with Improved Spectrum Absorption for Interfacial Solar Steam Generation, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 62(36) (2023) 14557-14567.

[14] Boan Zhao, Wenfang Cai, Kaibo Pu, Jirui Bai, Jiayao Gao, Yunyai Wang. Electrochemical deposition of flower-like nanostructured silver particles with a PVA modified carbon cloth cathode, Rsc Adv. 12(34) (2022) 21793-21800.

[15] Kai Zhang, Wenfang Cai, Jinwen Shi, Qingyun Chen. Architecture lattice‐matched cauliflower‐like CuO/ZnO p–n heterojunction toward efficient water splitting, Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology 97(4) (2022) 914-923.

[16] Zengyu Han, Wenfang Cai, Shifeng Zhao, Yi Zhao, Jirui Bai, Qingyun Chen, Yunhai Wang. Iron carbide nanoparticles supported on an N-doped carbon porous framework as a bifunctional material for electrocatalytic oxygen reduction and supercapacitors, Nanoscale 14(48) (2022) 18157-18166.

[17] Fei Long, Luguang Wang, Wenfang Cai, Keaton Lesnik, Hong Liu. Predicting the performance of anaerobic digestion using machine learning algorithms and genomic data, Water Res. 199 (2021) 117182.

[18] 高等学校科学技术一等奖（3/6）