The depletion of fossil fuels and the serious environmental problems resulting from their combustion are two critical challenges facing society. The understanding and development of high performance catalytic systems can effectively address these problems in two ways: (i) by reducing energy consumption through efficient conversion of reactants to desired products, and (ii) by increasing the effectiveness of the methods by which energy is obtained from renewable energy sources. The ultimate goal of the Huang group is to understand and develop integrated catalytic systems based on controlled nanostructures to improve the efficiency of catalytic processes and renewable energy-related reactions.