Linjie Zhi received his PhD in 2000 at the Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Since 2003 he worked with Prof. Klaus Mu¨llen at the Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research for two years before assuming the position of project leader until the end of 2007. Since early 2008, he has been a professor in the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China. He was recognized as a Thomson Reuters ‘Highly Cited Researcher’ in 2015 and 2016. His research interests focus on carbon-rich nanomaterials and their application in energy-related areas; particularly, he is interested in the preparation and functionalization of well-defined graphene based nanomaterials and their application in energy storage, energy conversion, and catalysis.