Dr. Muhammad Arsalan earned his M.Phil. from the University of Engineering and Technology and his PhD from Northwest University's School of Chemistry and Materials Science. He completed his first postdoc at Henan University of Technology and his second postdoc at Qatar University. Dr. Arsalan publishes more than 40 research articles and books in international journals. His H-index is 15, and his i10 index is 20. He is Top 2% scientist according To Stanford University list. His research focuses on electrochemical CO2 reduction, nanomaterial preparation for electrocatalytic water splitting, water remediation, electrochemical sensing, and so on. He has more than 14 years of research experience. He is a lecturer at Govt College Gulberg, Lahore, and later works as an assistant professor at UMT, Lahore. He is now a postdoctoral researcher at Qatar University.
EDUCATION
PhD in Anbnalytical Chemistry from Northwest University, 1st Postdoc from Henan Univesity of Technology and 2nd Postdoc from Qatar University.
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Chemical Engineering, Electrochemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Chemistry
29
Scopus Publications
1031
Scholar Citations
19
Scholar h-index
24
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
PbBiNi alloy catalyst for electrochemical reduction of CO2: Performance evaluation for formic acid production Muhammad Arsalan, Muftah H. El-Naas Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2025 The electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into value-added products offers a promising strategy to tackle energy storage issues and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. This study introduces a novel PbBiNi alloy catalyst that enables highly efficient conversion of CO 2 into formic acid (HCOOH). The catalyst demonstrates outstanding stability, selectivity, and catalytic performance under ambient conditions. The PbBiNi catalyst's remarkable performance is attributed to its distinctive electronic properties and surface morphology. SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, and EDX analysis were performed to understand its surface morphology and composition. The catalyst’s performance in the electrochemical conversion of CO 2 into formic acid was evaluated through a series of experiments designed using response surface methodology (RSM). Various parameters, such as current, catalyst dosage, and electrolyte concentration, were optimized using Central Composite Design (CCD) to enhance formic acid production. At optimum conditions, the metal-based alloy achieved a high faradaic efficiency (FE) of 81 %, a formic acid concentration of 756 mg/L, and an energy consumption value of 3.45 kWh.kg −1 (formic acid) at current density of 56 mA.cm −2 . The catalyst also exhibited good stability under these conditions. These findings underscore the potential of the PbBiNi alloy (due to synergistic effect) as an effective and scalable solution for CO 2 reduction into formate/formic acid, thereby facilitating the development of sustainable energy technologies. • High-performance PbBiNi alloy catalyst was synthesized. • The catalyst was evaluated for CO 2 reduction into formic acid (HCOOH). • The catalyst performance was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). • The catalyst demonstrated outstanding stability, selectivity, and catalytic performance.
Electrochemical CO2 reduction: The role of catholyte-anolyte interactions in formate/formic acid production Muhammad Arsalan, Dina Ewis, Nafis Mahmud, Zeyad M Ghazi, Muftah H. El-Naas Surfaces and Interfaces, 2025 Reducing and mitigating CO 2 emissions is crucial to enhancing air quality and preserving the environment. The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide is a technology that can convert CO 2 into valuable added products and can offer long-term solutions for addressing the challenges associated with CO 2 emissions. In this work, the role of the anolyte and its interaction with catholyte for electrochemical reduction of CO 2 into formic acid was investigated. Different types of anolyte solutions of different groups including KOH, NaOH, H 2 SO 4, and NaHCO 3 were investigated. In addition, the best anolyte was selected to run an optimization study using response surface methodology as well as to assess the synergy between the anolyte and catholyte concentrations in order to understand their influence on the reduction process. The results suggest that NaOH outperforms other anolytes over the concentration ranges studied. The interaction between anolyte and catholyte concentrations plays a critical role in determining the optimum formic acid concentration, Faradic Efficiency (FE%), energy consumption, and Energy Efficiency (EE%). At the optimum anolyte concentration of 0.92 M and catholyte concentration of 0.11 M, the maximum formic acid concentration, FE%, energy consumption, and EE% of about 821 mg/L, 77%, 2.4 kWh/kg formic acid , and 75%, respectively, were achieved. Overall, this study highlights the significance of the type and concentration of anolyte in determining the overall performance of the CO 2 ECR to formic acid.
Enhanced activity of electrodeposited WO3 thin films as bi-functional electrocatalysts for water splitting Adil Mehboob, Ayesha Sadiqa, Awais Ahmad, Aneela Anwar, Sidra Tabassum, Muhammad Arsalan, Mohamed A. Habila, Adnan Raza Altaf, Yonggang Yao, Muftah H. El-Naas Results in Engineering, 2024 The ultimate goal of the hydrogen economy is to develop an efficient and cost-effective electrocatalyst that can accelerate hydrogen synthesis from water without or with little additional energy. This study describes a unique surface modified electrodeposited nano-sized tungsten oxide (WO3) as an intriguing bi-functional electrocatalyst for OER in alkaline and HER in acidic conditions. The nano-WO3 was synthesized hydrothermally and electrodeposited on a fluorinated tin oxide (FTO) electrode. The highly uniform distribution of the WO3@FTO catalyst results in negligible charge transfer resistance, a large electroactive surface area, and increased water-splitting potential. During oxygen evolution reaction (OER), electrodeposited WO3@FTO initiates water splitting at an overpotential (η) of just 240 mV and represents a turnover frequency (TOF) of 0.59 sec−1. These results are comparable to previously reported electrocatalysts. Under an alkaline electrolyte, a current density of 15 mA/cm2 remained constant for several hours, indicating the high stability and durability of the electrodeposited WO3@FTO electrode. The electrode also performed well in hydrogen evolution reactions (HER). A Tafel slope of 46 mV/dec and −28 mV/dec was found for OER and HER, respectively, indicating an enhanced kinetics rate of reaction taking place at the electrode surface. Furthermore, in acidic conditions, the electrode represents a lower HER overpotential of 104 mV. The work provides a significant understanding of electrodeposited WO3@FTO electrodes and their role in electrochemical water splitting.
Enhanced OER performance by varying Al-WO3 electrocatalyst thickness: Process optimization Adil Mehboob, Ayesha Sadiqa, Awais Ahmad, Muhammad Rashid, Noha Said Bedowr, Azka Awais, Nafis Mahmud, Mohamed A. Habila, Muhammad Arsalan Results in Engineering, 2024 Oxygen evolution reactions (OER) are highly significant and play a critical role in the advancement of fuel cells, electrolyzers, chemicals, and solar energy conversion devices. The challenge in the quest is attributed to the absence of an efficient electrocatalyst assembly that functions optimally. A simple method of electrodeposition of Al:WO3 on a fluorinated tin oxide (FTO) electrode was used to investigate the OER in this study. The electrodepositions were achieved by employing a three-electrode cell at various scan rates ranging from 10 to 100 mV/s. During this investigation, the influence of the scan rate on electrocatalyst loadings and the impact of electrocatalyst layer thickness on the OER were examined. The electrodepositions of Al:WO3@FTO were analyzed using a range of optical, chemical, and physical techniques such as SEM, XRD, FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, EDX, EDS mapping, and electrochemical tests. The FTIR and Raman analysis confirmed the synthesis of AL:WO3 while the peaks detected at angles 38.7° and 43° by XRD with planes (111) and (200), served as a distinctive characteristic for identifying aluminum (Al). The peaks observed at angles of 27.8°, 30.7°, 33°, 50.45°, and 58° correspond to WO3 material. The characterization techniques also confirmed that the synthesized material is highly crystalline in nature. The OER potential using Al:WO3@FTO electrodes with different electrocatalyst thicknesses, ranging from 8 nm to 31 nm was investigated by studying various electrochemical techniques such as CV, LSV, CPE, Tafel slope, HP2P splitting, EIS, TOF, short and long-term electrode stability, and double layer capacitance. The linear regression coefficient (R2) was also calculated to measure the relationship between the electrocatalyst's thickness and each electrochemical test. The findings indicated that increasing the scan rates resulted in thinner and denser electrodepositions on the FTO substrate as the thinnest film was formed at 100mV/s. An inverse relationship between electrocatalyst layer thickness and OER activity was observed. The electrode with the thinnest and most compact electrocatalyst layer, specifically ED Al:WO3@FTO08, exhibited the lowest onset potential of 1.48 V and a maximum current of 84 mA/cm2 at 1.76 V. It also demonstrated superior reaction kinetics, as evidenced by its lower Tafel slope value of 49 mV/dec, which is the lowest among all the electrodes that were prepared. In particular, the electrode with a thin and compact electrocatalyst layer worked better in OER operations than the other five electrodes that had higher amounts of Al:WO3.
Efficient electrochemical conversion of CO2 into formic acid using colloidal NiCo@rGO catalyst Muhammad Arsalan, Dina Ewis, Muneer M. Ba-Abbad, Mazen Khaled, Abdulkarem Amhamed, Muftah H. El-Naas Results in Engineering, 2024 A simple approach was used to synthesize a catalyst based on colloidal NiCo with rGO support. The catalyst was uniformly deposited on acid-treated Sn foil using drop-casting method. The prepared NiCo@rGO catalyst was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XRD measurements confirmed the development of a homogenously immersed structure with a specific NiCo composition. The different ratios of Ni and Co in the NiCo@rGO catalyst were further confirmed by XPS and SEM-EDX. The catalyst was tested for the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to produce formic acid (HCOOH) and resulted in a significantly higher faradaic efficiency at −50 mA current compared to the simple Co nanoparticle, rGO, Sn foil, Ni nanoparticles, and NiCo composite. The colloidal NiCo bimetallic structure, combined with the rGO support on the treated Sn foil, played an important role in enhancing the catalytic activity and selectivity towards formic acid. When comparing the NiCo@rGO catalyst with other catalysts, especially Ni, Co, Sn foil, NiCo, and rGO, the NiCo@rGO catalyst showed superior CO2 electrochemical chemical reduction performance. The results suggest that the synergic effect of combining Ni with Co along with using acid-treated Sn foil as a support is responsible for the high activity towards formic acid production. The experimental results demonstrated the formation of formic acid with low energy consumption and good faradic efficiency.
Bifunctional Cu-Based Catalyst for Electrochemical Conversion of Carbon Dioxide into CO and Formate Mahmud, Nafis, Arsalan, Muhammad, Al Jehani, Haya N., Ba-Abbad, Muneer M., El-Naas, Muftah H. Proceedings of the International Conference of Theoretical and Applied Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 2024 Electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 into value-added products is increasingly becoming one of the most viable approaches for mitigating the negative impacts of anthropogenic CO2 emissions and alleviating the impact of these emissions on global warming. However, the effectiveness of the electrocatalytic conversion technique is highly dependent on the type of electrocatalyst used and at times limited by the selectivity of the catalyst towards one specific product. In this work, CuO nanocatalysts were synthesized using sol-gel technique and applied for the electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide into CO and formate. The synthesized catalysts were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) techniques. A homogenous mixture of the synthesized nanocatalysts with PTFE was uniformly deposited on carbon electrode through the drop-casting technique. The electrochemical activity of the prepared electrodes was then investigated using Linear sweep voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry, and chronopotentiometry techniques. The results indicated that electrodes prepared using the synthesized CuO catalyst can be effectively applied to convert carbon dioxide into both CO and formate at different current densities. At a high current density of 50 mA.cm-2, the CuO-doped carbon electrodes could simultaneously produce 470 ppm of CO and 273 ppm of formate. Furthermore, the CuO nanocatalyst doping exhibited high stability on the carbon electrodes, which indicates that the electrodes can be effectively applied for large-scale applications.
Electrochemical reduction of CO2 into formate/formic acid: A review of cell design and operation Dina Ewis, Muhammad Arsalan, Mazen Khaled, Deepak Pant, Muneer M. Ba-Abbad, Abdulkarem Amhamed, Muftah H. El-Naas Separation and Purification Technology, 2023 The release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere is threatening the environment and ecosystems, resulting in major challenges to sustainable development for modern industry. In this context, CO2 electrochemical reduction (CO2 ECR) is one of the most promising technologies to mitigate the effects of high CO2 content in the atmosphere. Electrochemical technology can convert CO2 into value-added chemicals including methanol, ethanol and formate. In this review, different mechanisms of CO2 electrochemical reduction into formate/formic acid are reviewed, highlighting the different cell designs . Also, the effect of cell design and operating parameters on the electrochemical reduction process are discussed. The review aims to highlight recent developments in the CO2 electrochemical cell design for formate production and provide guidelines for future advancements. Challenges of large-scale production and research gaps are also provided.
Inorganic salt hydrates and zeolites composites studies for thermochemical heat storage Ata Ur Rehman, Muhammad Zahir Shah, Shehla Rasheed, Wasim Afzal, Muhammad Arsalan, Habib Ur Rahman, Mati Ullah, Tianyu Zhao, Ihsan Ullah, Ala Ud Din, Saif Ullah, Rahim Shah, Muhammad Iqbal, Zheng Maosheng, Zheng-Hui Guan Zeitschrift Fur Physikalische Chemie, 2021
PbBiNi alloy catalyst for electrochemical reduction of CO2: Performance evaluation for formic acid production M Arsalan, MH El-Naas Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 183851 , 2025 2025
Electrochemical CO2 reduction: The role of catholyte-anolyte interactions in formate/formic acid production M Arsalan, D Ewis, N Mahmud, ZM Ghazi, MH El-Naas Surfaces and Interfaces, 107576 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Enhanced activity of electrodeposited WO3 thin films as bi-functional electrocatalysts for water splitting A Mehboob, A Sadiqa, A Ahmad, A Anwar, S Tabassum, M Arsalan, ... Results in Engineering 23, 102516 , 2024 2024 Citations: 6
Selective and Efficient Electrochemical Conversion of Carbon Dioxide into Formic Acid Using Metal-Based Alloy Nanocatalyst M Arsalan, N Mahmud, D Ewis, MH El-Naas 8th International Conference on Theoretical and Applied Nanoscience and … , 2024 2024 Citations: 3
Bifunctional Cu-Based Catalyst for Electrochemical Conversion of Carbon Dioxide into CO and Formate M Nafis, M Arsalan, HN Al Jehani, MM Ba-Abbad, MH El-Naas 8th International Conference on Theoretical and Applied Nanoscience and … , 2024 2024 Citations: 1
Enhanced OER performance by varying Al-WO3 electrocatalyst thickness: process optimization A Mehboob, A Sadiqa, A Ahmad, M Rashid, NS Bedowr, A Awais, ... Results in Engineering 22, 102322 , 2024 2024 Citations: 10
Electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide into value-added products using metal-based nanomaterials M Arsalan, MH El-Naas International Conference on Material Chemistry and Industrial Technologies … , 2024 2024
Construction of cellulose nanofiber-Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene/silver nanowire nanocomposite papers with gradient structure for efficient electromagnetic interference … Y Zhao, B Miao, MA Nawaz, Q Zhu, Q Chen, TR Reina, J Bai, D He, ... Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials 7 (2), 34 , 2024 2024 Citations: 60
Efficient electrochemical conversion of CO2 into formic acid using colloidal NiCo@rGO catalyst M Arsalan, D Ewis, MM Ba-Abbad, M Khaled, A Amhamed, MH El-Naas Results in Engineering, 101824 , 2024 2024 Citations: 28
Electrochemical Conversion of Carbon Dioxide into Formic Acid as Hydrogen Carrier: Role of Anolyte M Arsalan, MH El-Naas International Conference on Hydrogen Production (ICH2P-2023) , 2023 2023
Enhanced electrochemical conversion of CO2 into formic acid using PbSO4/AtSn electrode: Catalyst synthesis and process optimization M Arsalan, D Ewis, N Mahmud, MM Ba-Abbad, M Khaled, MH El-Naas Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 11 (6), 111352 , 2023 2023 Citations: 33
Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 into formic acid: A Case study M Arsalan, et al International Conference on Sustainable Energy-Water-Environment Nexus in … , 2023 2023
Electrochemical reduction of CO2 into formate/formic acid: A review of cell design and operation D Ewis, M Arsalan, M Khaled, D Pant, MM Ba-Abbad, A Amhamed, ... Separation and Purification Technology 316, 123811 , 2023 2023 Citations: 200
Highly efficient tetrametallic PtNiCuCo alloy nanoparticles for sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide B Miao, M Arsalan, A BaQais, V Murugadoss, I Saddique, MA Amin, J Ren, ... Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials 6 (3), 110 , 2023 2023 Citations: 34
Sensitive Catalyst for Electrochemical Sensing of Hydrogen Peroxide M Arsalan, A Awais 2nd International Conference (Online) Trends and Research in Chemistry (TRIC … , 2023 2023
Lead-Immobilization, transformation, and induced toxicity alleviation in sunflower using nanoscale Fe°/BC: Experimental insights with Mechanistic validations A Muhammad Rizwan, W Muhammad, M Ihsan, A Maqbool, K Zahid, ... Journal of Plant Interactions 17 (1), 812-823 , 2022 2022 Citations: 14
Novel Synthesis of Sensitive Cu-ZnO Nanorod-Based Sensor for Hydrogen Peroxide Sensing M Arsalan, I Siddique, M Baoji, A Awais, I Khan, MA Shamseldin, ... Frontiers in Chemistry, 1-11 , 2022 2022 Citations: 26
Facial Synthesis of Ultra-Sensitive non-enzymatic Glucose Sensor Based on Co-ZnO Nanorods M Arsalan 11th Chemistry Conference on "Chemistry in Engineering and Life Sciences" , 2022 2022
Novel Electrochemical Sensors based on Metal-based Nanomaterial A Awais, M Arsalan, Q Sheng LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, ISBN: 978-620-4-74706-4 , 2022 2022
Research on Metal Nanocomposite for Sensing and Water Splitting M Arsalan, A Awais, Q Sheng LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, ISBN: 978-620-4-74698-2 , 2022 2022
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Electrochemical reduction of CO2 into formate/formic acid: A review of cell design and operation D Ewis, M Arsalan, M Khaled, D Pant, MM Ba-Abbad, A Amhamed, ... Separation and Purification Technology 316, 123811 , 2023 2023 Citations: 200
Highly sensitive and selective detection of arsenic using electrogenerated nanotextured gold assemblage NUA Babar, KS Joya, MA Tayyab, MN Ashiq, M Sohail ACS omega 4 (9), 13645-13657 , 2019 2019 Citations: 114
One-step synthesis of renewable magnetic tea-biochar derived from waste tea leaves for the removal of Hg0 from coal-syngas AR Altaf, H Teng, M Zheng, I Ashraf, M Arsalan, AU Rehman, L Gang, ... Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 9 (4), 105313 , 2021 2021 Citations: 62
Preparation of one dimensional silver nanowire/nickel-cobalt layered double hydroxide and its electrocatalysis of glucose J Xu, X Qiao, M Arsalan, N Cheng, W Cao, T Yue, Q Sheng, J Zheng Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry 823, 315-321 , 2018 2018 Citations: 62
Construction of cellulose nanofiber-Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene/silver nanowire nanocomposite papers with gradient structure for efficient electromagnetic interference … Y Zhao, B Miao, MA Nawaz, Q Zhu, Q Chen, TR Reina, J Bai, D He, ... Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials 7 (2), 34 , 2024 2024 Citations: 60
Nitrogen doped carbon dots derived from natural seeds and their application for electrochemical sensing K Li, J Xu, M Arsalan, N Cheng, Q Sheng, J Zheng, W Cao, T Yue Journal of the Electrochemical Society 166 (2), B56-B62 , 2019 2019 Citations: 58
Controlled synthesis of Au@ Pd core-shell nanocomposites and their application for electrochemical sensing of hydroquinone T Chen, J Xu, M Arsalan, Q Sheng, J Zheng, W Cao, T Yue Talanta 198, 78-85 , 2019 2019 Citations: 54
Highly efficient tetrametallic PtNiCuCo alloy nanoparticles for sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide B Miao, M Arsalan, A BaQais, V Murugadoss, I Saddique, MA Amin, J Ren, ... Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials 6 (3), 110 , 2023 2023 Citations: 34
A hybrid of ultrathin metal-organic framework sheet and ultrasmall copper nanoparticles for detection of hydrogen peroxide with enhanced activity. X Qiao, M Arsalan, X Ma, Y Wang, S Yang, Y Wang, Q Sheng, T Yue Analytical & Bioanalytical Chemistry 413 (3) , 2021 2021 Citations: 34
Enhanced electrochemical conversion of CO2 into formic acid using PbSO4/AtSn electrode: Catalyst synthesis and process optimization M Arsalan, D Ewis, N Mahmud, MM Ba-Abbad, M Khaled, MH El-Naas Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 11 (6), 111352 , 2023 2023 Citations: 33
Facial Synthesis of Highly Efficient non-enzymatic Glucose Sensor Based on Vertically Aligned Au-ZnO NRs A Awais, M Arsalan, X Qiao, W Yahui, Q Sheng, T Yue, Y He Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry 895, 115424 , 2021 2021 Citations: 33
Intelligent Hydrogels in Diagnostics and Therapeutics A Ghosal, A Kaushik, S Shaukat, M Arsalan CRC Press , 2020 2020 Citations: 32
Efficient electrochemical conversion of CO2 into formic acid using colloidal NiCo@rGO catalyst M Arsalan, D Ewis, MM Ba-Abbad, M Khaled, A Amhamed, MH El-Naas Results in Engineering, 101824 , 2024 2024 Citations: 28
Novel Synthesis of Sensitive Cu-ZnO Nanorod-Based Sensor for Hydrogen Peroxide Sensing M Arsalan, I Siddique, M Baoji, A Awais, I Khan, MA Shamseldin, ... Frontiers in Chemistry, 1-11 , 2022 2022 Citations: 26
A Non-enzymatic Hydrogen Peroxide Sensor with Enhanced Sensitivity based on Pt Nanoparticles Azka Awais, Muhammad Arsalan, Qinglin Sheng, Tianli Yue Analytical Sciences 37 (10), 1419-1426 , 2021 2021 Citations: 25
Development of PANI/BN-based absorbents for water remediation M Arsalan, A Awais, T Chen, Q Sheng, J Zheng Water Quality Research Journal 54 (4), 290-298 , 2019 2019 Citations: 24
Enhanced Sensitive Electrochemical Sensor for Simultaneous Catechol and Hydroquinone Detection by Using Ultrasmall Ternary Pt‐based Nanomaterial M Arsalan, X Qiao, A Awais, Y Wang, S Yang, Q Sheng, T Yue Electroanalysis 33 (6), 1528-1538 , 2021 2021 Citations: 22
Surface-assembled Fe-Oxide colloidal nanoparticles for high performance electrocatalytic water oxidation M Arsalan, A Sadiqa, S Mansha, N Baig, L Nisar, MN Ashiq, TA Saleh, ... International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 46 (7), 5207-5222 , 2021 2021 Citations: 22
Rational design of highly efficient one‐pot synthesis of ternary PtNiCo/FTO nanocatalyst for hydroquinone and catechol sensing A Awais, M Arsalan, Q Sheng, J Zheng, T Yue Electroanalysis 33 (1), 170-180 , 2021 2021 Citations: 22
Preparation and comparison of colloid based Ni50Co50(OH)2/BOX electrocatalyst for catalysis and high performance nonenzymatic glucose sensor M Arsalan, A Awais, X Qiao, Q Sheng, J Zheng Microchemical Journal 159, 105486 , 2020 2020 Citations: 18
