Sihai Yang

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Sihai Yang
Sihai Yang-2021.jpg
Sihai Yang
Born
Sihai Yang

China
Alma mater Peking University (BSc.)
University of Nottingham (PhD)
Known for Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs)
Awards Harrison Meldola Memorial Prize (2020) [1]
CCDC Chemical Crystallography Prize for Younger Scientists (2019) [2]
ISIS Neutron & Muon Source Impact Awards (2019) [3]
Institute of Physics B T M Willis Prize (2013) [4]
Scientific career
Fields Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs)
Institutions University of Manchester
University of Nottingham [5]
Thesis  (2011)
Doctoral advisor Martin Schröder

Sihai Yang is a professor in the Department of Chemistry at The University of Manchester. [6] His research in general is based on Inorganic and Materials Chemistry where he and his group investigate on the design and synthesis of novel Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) and zeolites for potential applications in gas adsorption, catalysis and industrial separations. [7] [8]

Contents

Education

Sihai Yang completed his Bachelor of Science at Peking University in 2007 and his Doctor of Philosophy degree at University of Nottingham in 2011. [6]

Research and career

After graduating, Yang received an EPSRC PhD+ Fellowship, an Early Career Leverhulme Trust Fellowship in 2011 at The University of Nottingham. [5] He later received the Nottingham Research Fellowship in 2013 [9] and in 2015 moved to The University of Manchester where he currently is at the position of Professor. [6]

He develops solid materials for applications in clean-air technology, catalysis, biomass conversion, energy storage, separation and conductivity. His team studies a wide range of porous materials based upon metal-organic frameworks, zeolites, and inorganic materials. The key research interest is to investigate the chemical processes involved in host-guest binding underpinning their materials property using state-of-the-art structural and dynamic studies by synchrotron X-ray diffraction, spectroscopy and neutron scattering, combined with modelling.

Porous materials containing nanosized cavities (1-20 nm), the walls of which are decorated with designed active sites, can form unique functional platforms to study and re-define the chemistry and reactivity of small molecules within the confined space. Research in his group involves design, synthesis and characterisation of the materials, and more importantly, the structural and dynamic studies at National Facilities to understand their materials function at a molecular level. Recent finding includes the discovery of catalytic origins for a range of important biomass conversions, and a series of new metal-organic frameworks showing emerging properties for the clean-up of air pollutants, such as SO2 and NOx. [7] [8]

Notable work

In 2018, Yang led a research with Martin Schröder where they designed a novel robust Metal Organic Framework (MFM - 300(Al)) which exhibited reversible NO2 isotherm uptake of 14.1 mmol g−1 and also showed the capability to selectively remove low concentrations of NO2 (5,000 to < 1 ppm) from gaseous mixtures. [10] The research revealed five types of supramolecular interactions that cooperatively binds both NO2 and N2O4 molecules within the MFM-300(Al) framework and also showed the coexistence of helical monomer–dimer chains of NO2 within the framework which provided an initial understanding of the behavior of guest molecules within porous hosts which may provide further development routes of future NO2 capture and conversion technologies. [11]

In 2019, Yang led a further research with Martin Schröder where a novel Metal Organic Framework (MFM - 520) was synthesized which showcased a high adsorption capacity of NO2 (4.2 mmol g−1). [12] The framework also showed a high turn over number and treatment of captured NO2 in the framework with water led to a quantitative conversion of the captured NO2 into HNO3 which is an important feedstock for fertilizer production. [13] [14]

Awards and nominations

Major Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heterogeneous catalysis</span> Type of catalysis involving reactants & catalysts in different phases of matter

In chemistry, heterogeneous catalysis is catalysis where the phase of catalysts differs from that of the reactants or products. The process contrasts with homogeneous catalysis where the reactants, products and catalyst exist in the same phase. Phase distinguishes between not only solid, liquid, and gas components, but also immiscible mixtures, or anywhere an interface is present.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metal–organic framework</span> Class of chemical substance

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of compounds consisting of metal ions or clusters coordinated to organic ligands to form one-, two-, or three-dimensional structures. The organic ligands included are sometimes referred to as "struts" or "linkers", one example being 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid (BDC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeolitic imidazolate framework</span>

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) are a class of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that are topologically isomorphic with zeolites. ZIF glasses can be synthesized by the melt-quench method, and the first melt-quenched ZIF glass was firstly made and reported by Bennett et al. back in 2015. ZIFs are composed of tetrahedrally-coordinated transition metal ions connected by imidazolate linkers. Since the metal-imidazole-metal angle is similar to the 145° Si-O-Si angle in zeolites, ZIFs have zeolite-like topologies. As of 2010, 105 ZIF topologies have been reported in the literature. Due to their robust porosity, resistance to thermal changes, and chemical stability, ZIFs are being investigated for applications such as carbon dioxide capture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omar M. Yaghi</span> American chemist

Omar M. Yaghi is the James and Neeltje Tretter Chair Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, the Founding Director of the Berkeley Global Science Institute, and an elected member of the US National Academy of Sciences.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a class of materials that form two- or three-dimensional structures through reactions between organic precursors resulting in strong, covalent bonds to afford porous, stable, and crystalline materials. COFs emerged as a field from the overarching domain of organic materials as researchers optimized both synthetic control and precursor selection. These improvements to coordination chemistry enabled non-porous and amorphous organic materials such as organic polymers to advance into the construction of porous, crystalline materials with rigid structures that granted exceptional material stability in a wide range of solvents and conditions. Through the development of reticular chemistry, precise synthetic control was achieved and resulted in ordered, nano-porous structures with highly preferential structural orientation and properties which could be synergistically enhanced and amplified. With judicious selection of COF secondary building units (SBUs), or precursors, the final structure could be predetermined, and modified with exceptional control enabling fine-tuning of emergent properties. This level of control facilitates the COF material to be designed, synthesized, and utilized in various applications, many times with metrics on scale or surpassing that of the current state-of-the-art approaches.

The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide, also known as electrolysis of carbon dioxide, is the conversion of carbon dioxide to more reduced chemical species using electrical energy. It is one possible step in the broad scheme of carbon capture and utilization, nevertheless it is deemed to be one of the most promising approaches.

NOTT-202 is a two-part chemical compound that is capable of selectively absorbing carbon dioxide. It is a metal–organic framework (MOF) that functions like a sponge, adsorbing selected gases at high pressures. Its creation was announced by scientists in 2012. The researchers claimed this structure was an entirely new class of porous material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two-dimensional polymer</span>

A two-dimensional polymer (2DP) is a sheet-like monomolecular macromolecule consisting of laterally connected repeat units with end groups along all edges. This recent definition of 2DP is based on Hermann Staudinger's polymer concept from the 1920s. According to this, covalent long chain molecules ("Makromoleküle") do exist and are composed of a sequence of linearly connected repeat units and end groups at both termini.

Martin Schröder in an inorganic chemist. He is Vice President and Dean for the Faculty of Science and Engineering and Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Manchester since June 2015. He served previously as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science from 2011 to 2015 and Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Nottingham from 1995 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong-Cai (Joe) Zhou</span> Chinese-American chemist and academic (born c. 1964)

Hong-Cai (Joe) Zhou is a Chinese-American chemist and academic. He is the Davidson Professor of Science and Robert A. Welch Chair in Chemistry at Texas A&M University. He is the associate editor of the journal Inorganic Chemistry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susumu Kitagawa</span> Japanese chemist

Susumu Kitagawa is a Japanese chemist working in the field of coordination chemistry, with specific focus on the chemistry of organic–inorganic hybrid compounds, as well as chemical and physical properties of porous coordination polymers and metal-organic frameworks in particular. He is currently Distinguished Professor at Kyoto University's institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), of which he is co-founder and current director.

Omar K. Farha is the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor in Chemistry at Northwestern University, an Executive Editor for ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, and President of NuMat Technologies. His current research spans diverse areas of chemistry and materials science ranging from energy to defense-related challenges. Specifically, his research focuses on the rational design of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for applications sensing, catalysis, storage, separations, and water purification. His research accomplishments have been recognized by several awards and honors including a fellow of the European Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the Academy of Arab Scientists, the Kuwait Prize, the Japanese Society of Coordination Chemistry “International award for creative work”, the Royal Society of Chemistry “Environment, Sustainability and Energy Division Early Career” Award, the American Chemical Society “The Satinder Ahuja Award for Young Investigators in Separation Science” and “ACS ENFL Emerging Researcher Award”, and an award established by the Department of Chemistry at Northwestern University in his honor: the Omar Farha Award for Research Leadership “awarded for stewardship, cooperation and leadership in the finest pursuit of research in chemistry” and given annually to an outstanding research scientist working in the department. Prof. Farha has been named a “Highly Cited Researcher” from 2014 to 2021. Prof. Farha is one of the Top 100 Chemists (#35) in the world (Research.com). Prof. Farha is the co-founder and president of NuMat Technologies, the first company to commercialized an engineered system-level product enabled by Metal-Organic Framework Materials.

Jeffrey R. Long is a professor of Chemistry at University of California, Berkeley known for his work in metal−organic frameworks and molecular magnetism. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019 and is the 2019 F. Albert Cotton Award recipient. His research interests include: synthesis of inorganic clusters and porous materials, investigating the electronic and magnetic properties of inorganic materials; metal-organic frameworks, and gas storage/capture.

David Collison is a British chemist and a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at The University of Manchester. His research in general is based on inorganic chemistry and magnetochemistry, specifically on coordination chemistry, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and f-block chemistry.

Floriana Tuna is a Romanian chemist and a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Chemistry at The University of Manchester. Her research in general is based on inorganic chemistry and magnetochemistry, specifically on molecular magnetism, EPR spectroscopy and quantum computing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy Lee Queen</span> American chemist and material scientist

Wendy Lee Queen is an American chemist and material scientist. Her research interest focus on development design and production of hybrid organic/inorganic materials at the intersection of chemistry, chemical engineering and material sciences. As of 2020 she is a tenure-track assistant professor at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, where she directs the Laboratory for Functional Inorganic Materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoffmann Institute of Advanced Materials</span>

The Hoffmann Institute of Advanced Materials (HIAM) is a science research institute affiliated to Shenzhen Polytechnic in Shenzhen, China. As the eighth institute at Shenzhen named after a Nobel laureate, it was founded in February 2018 under the tutelage of the theoretical chemist Roald Hoffmann. The institute was officially opened with a formal ceremony in May 2019. 

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jorge Gascon</span> Researcher

Jorge Gascon is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, director of the KAUST Catalysis Center. and a group leader of Advanced Catalytic Materials group

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deanna D'Alessandro</span> Australian chemist

Deanna Michelle D'Alessandro is an Australian chemist who is a Professor and Australian Research Council Future Fellow at the University of Sydney. Her research considers fundamental aspects of electron transfer in molecular coordination complexes and in nanoporous materials, and the development of metal–organic frameworks for environmental applications including carbon dioxide capture and conversion.

Xiaodong Zou is a Chinese-Swedish chemist who is a professor at Stockholm University. Her research considers the development of electron diffraction for the three dimensional characterisation of materials. She is a member of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry. She was elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences.

References

  1. 1 2 Royal Society of Chemistry. "2020 Royal Society of Chemistry Award Winners" . Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  2. 1 2 Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre. "2019 CCDC Prize Winner: Dr. Sihai Yang" . Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  3. 1 2 ISIS Neutron and Muon Source. "The 2019 Science Impact Award - developing functional materials" . Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  4. 1 2 University of Manchester. "Dr. Sihai Yang: Prizes" . Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  5. 1 2 University of Nottingham. "The school welcome three new research fellows" . Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 University of Manchester. "Dr. Sihai Yang" . Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  7. 1 2 University of Manchester. "Dr. Sihai Yang Research" . Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Dr. Sihai Yang (Google Scholar)" . Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  9. University of Nottingham (11 April 2013). "Dr Sihai Yang awarded prize for research excellence". University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  10. Yang, Sihai; Schröder, Martin; Thomas, K. Mark; Ramirez-Cuesta, Anibal J.; George, Michael W.; Drathen, Christina; Tuna, Floriana; McInnes, Eric J. L.; Sun, Junliang; Sheveleva, Alena M.; Daemen, Luke L.; Cheng, Yongqiang; Davies, Andrew J.; Briggs, Lydia; Godfrey, Harry G. W.; Han, Xue (2018). "Reversible adsorption of nitrogen dioxide within a robust porous metal–organic framework". Nature Materials. 17 (8): 691–696. Bibcode:2018NatMa..17..691H. doi:10.1038/s41563-018-0104-7. PMID   29891889. S2CID   48352557 . Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  11. Scott, Katy (11 July 2018). "The filter creating bubbles of clean air in London". London, United Kingdom: CNN. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  12. Yang, Sihai; Schröder, Martin; Teat, Simon J.; Ramirez-Cuesta, Anibal J.; McCormick McPherson, Laura J.; Tuna, Floriana; McInnes, Eric J. L.; Sun, Junliang; Sheveleva, Alena M.; Daemen, Luke L.; Cheng, Yongqiang; Zhang, Xinran (2019). "Capture of nitrogen dioxide and conversion to nitric acid in a porous metal–organic framework". Nature Chemistry. 11 (12): 1085–1090. Bibcode:2019NatCh..11.1085L. doi:10.1038/s41557-019-0356-0. OSTI   1580418. PMID   31758160. S2CID   208235639 . Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  13. Hays, Brooks (22 November 2019). "Scientists turn fossil fuel pollutant into usable industrial chemical". UPI. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  14. "Novel material can capture and convert toxic pollutant into industrial chemical: Study". Washington, US: Press Trust of India. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2020.