{"id":2,"date":"2016-06-29T15:48:20","date_gmt":"2016-06-29T15:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chem.wsu.edu\/zhang\/?page_id=2"},"modified":"2026-02-25T09:25:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T17:25:20","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chem.wsu.edu\/zhang\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Research Overview<\/h1>\n

Our group designs modular porous and inorganic materials to address challenges in catalysis, separations, photonics, and nuclear chemistry. A central focus is the development of metal\u2013organic frameworks (MOFs), where we use defect engineering and targeted functionalization to create materials with precisely tuned reactivity. In catalysis, we design defective MOF catalysts with accessible active sites for carbon dioxide conversion and oxidative desulfurization, complemented by our work on mixed metal oxides and zirconium phosphate supports for stabilizing single atoms and nanoparticles that drive hydrogenation, Suzuki cross\u2011coupling, and other small\u2011molecule transformations. We also develop luminescent MOFs featuring tetraphenylethene (TPE)\u2011based ligands, leveraging aggregation\u2011induced emission to create responsive materials for sensing and photonic applications. In adsorption and separation, our research targets the selective capture and separation of iodine and lanthanides, with applications in environmental remediation and critical\u2011element recovery. Extending these concepts into nuclear chemistry, we investigate MOFs containing neutron\u2011active components for neutron\u2011initiated transmutation, isotope production, and radionuclide adsorption and separation, using the structural precision of MOFs to elucidate binding mechanisms and optimize performance. Across all projects, we emphasize clear structure\u2013property relationships, rigorous characterization, and scalable synthesis to build materials capable of addressing key energy, environmental, and radiochemical challenges.<\/p>\n

Student Training<\/h1>\n

Students in the Zhang Group receive comprehensive training in inorganic and organic synthesis, including techniques for handling air\u2011sensitive compounds, performing column chromatography and thin\u2011layer chromatography, and preparing and characterizing materials. They gain hands\u2011on experience with a broad suite of analytical tools, including powder X\u2011ray diffraction, single\u2011crystal X\u2011ray crystallography, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), UV\u2011vis spectroscopy, FTIR, fluorescence spectroscopy, and NMR. In addition, students become proficient with modern research\u2011related software used for structure determination, data analysis, and materials characterization. Our goal is to ensure that group members develop strong foundational skills and advanced technical expertise applicable to both academic and industrial research careers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Group News<\/span><\/h1>\n

August 6, 2025<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Tori for receiving the prestigious Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) Fellowship! We are incredibly proud of Tori\u2019s achievement and can\u2019t wait to see the impact of her work. Way to go, Tori!<\/h4>\n

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April 16, 2025<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Hannah,  Mycah and Sebastian, our work \u201cUnifying the pts and sql Isomers of the Lanthanide-pETTC Metal\u2013Organic Frameworks\u201d has been accepted by Energy &Fuels<\/a>. Good Job!<\/h4>\n

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April  23rd  2024<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Hannah,  Matt, Fidelia, Lauren, Dylan, and Jiahong, our work “Probing Ligand Conformation and Net Dimensionality in a Series of Tetraphenylethene-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks” has been accepted by Frontiers in Chemistry<\/a>. Good Job!<\/h4>\n

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April  18th  2024<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Hannah,  our collaborative work “Cationic Radical Metal\u2013Organic Framework Enabling Low Water Evaporation Enthalpy and High Photothermal Conversion Efficiency for Solar-Driven Water Purification” with the Liu group has been published by Journal of Materials Chemistry A<\/a>. Good Job!<\/h4>\n

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February  22nd  2024<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Hannah,  our collaborative work “Uranyl uptake into metal\u2013organic frameworks: a detailed X-ray structural analysis” with the Moreau group has been published by Dalton Transactions<\/a>. Good Job!<\/h4>\n

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October 27th 2023<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Sheng (Jason),  our collaborative work “NiFe Nanoparticle Nest Supported on Graphene as Electrocatalyst for Highly Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction” with the Lin group<\/a> has been published by Small<\/a>. Good job!<\/h4>\n

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October 11th 2023<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Jiahong,  our collaborative work “Synergetic catalytic effect in functionalized HP-MOF system for boosted catalytic performances” with the Guo group<\/a> has been published by Chemical Engineering Journal<\/a>. Good job!<\/h4>\n

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May 5th 2023<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Sheng for being selected to receive the Philip H. Adelson Graduate Fellowship for the second year! Good Job!<\/h4>\n

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April 28th, 2023<\/h4>\n

Congrats to Hannah on successfully defending her proposal today! Now an ABD \u2013 well done, Hannah!<\/h4>\n

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April 14th, 2023<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Sheng for being selected to receive the William and Mary Lynn Graber Endowment in Sciences Scholarship! Excellent work! Sheng will work on Uranium extraction.<\/h4>\n

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April 10th, 2023<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Anika for being awarded the GPSA Dissertation Grant! Excellent work!<\/h4>\n

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April 4th, 2023<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Jiahong,  she successfully defended her dissertation. Another Dr. Li from the Zhang lab.<\/h4>\n

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Sep. 13th 2022<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Jiahong,  our collaborative work “Energetic Systematics of Metal\u2013Organic Frameworks: A Case Study of Al(III)-Trimesate MOF Isomers” with the Guo group has been published by Inorganic Chemistry<\/a> Good job!<\/h4>\n

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May 10th, 2022<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Lauren, she has been recognized as one of the 2022 College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Seniors.<\/a><\/h5>\n

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April 6th, 2022<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Lauren for winning the Crimson award of Applied Sciences in SURCA 2022<\/a>.<\/h6>\n

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January 18th, 2022<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Lauren, she has been selected to receive the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, or Creative Activity Support<\/a>. This award will support her to conduct carbon dioxide related research.<\/h4>\n

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December 15th, 2021<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Matt and Xiaoyu, our collaborative work with the Zhong group at MME on applications of MOFs in Lithium battery has been published in Small.<\/h6>\n

\u201cMOF-Enabled Ion-Regulating Gel Electrolyte for Long-Cycling Lithium Metal Batteries Under High Voltage\u201d Fu, Xuewei, Hurlock, Matthew J. , Ding, Chenfeng, Li, Xiaoyu, Zhang, Qiang,* Zhong, Wei-Hong*, Small<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, (Early View) https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/smll.202106225.<\/p>\n

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October 11th, 2021<\/h4>\n
Group photo indoor-style:<\/h6>\n

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October 5th, 2021<\/h4>\n

Brandon Bunch joined the group as an undergraduate researcher, welcome Brandon!<\/h6>\n

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September 17th, 2021<\/h4>\n

Three of our graduate students are selected to receive graduate fellowships!!!<\/h6>\n
Congratulations to Matt, he has been selected to receive the Donald S. Matteson Graduate Fellowship in Chemistry<\/a>.<\/h6>\n
Congratulations to Anika, she has been selected to receive the Frank A. Fowler Graduate Fellowship in Chemistry.<\/a><\/h6>\n
Congratulations to Jiahong, she has been selected to receive the Julian Culbertson Fellowship<\/a>.<\/b><\/h6>\n

July 14th 2021<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Leiduan, Anika, Guodong and Xiaoyu, our collaborative work “Selective hydroxylation of aryl iodides to produce phenols under mild conditions using a supported copper catalyst” (Invited contribution) has been published by RSC Advances<\/a>, Good job!<\/h6>\n

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June 14th, 2021<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Matt and Leiduan, our collaborative work with the Guo group and O’Keeffe group “Evolution of 14-Connected Zr6<\/sub> Secondary Building Units through Postsynthetic Linker Incorporation<\/span>” (Invited contribution) has been published by ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces<\/a>, Good job!<\/h6>\n

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May 18th, 2021<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Lydia, she has been recognized as one of the 2021 College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Seniors<\/a>.<\/h6>\n

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March 12th, 2021<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Jiahong, Matt and Xiaoyu, their collaborative work “Solvent-Free and Phase-Selective Synthesis of Aluminum Trimesate Metal\u2013Organic Frameworks” has been published by Inorganic Chemistry<\/a> Good job!<\/h6>\n

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February 4th, 2021<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Matt and Fidelia , their work “Two Cd-Based Luminescent Coordination Polymers Constructed from a Truncated Linker” has been published by Inorganic Chemistry<\/a> Good job!<\/h6>\n

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September 7th, 2020<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Leiduan and Lydia, their work “Zr-based MOFs for oxidative desulfurization: What matters?” has been published by Green Chem. <\/a> Good job! This is a collaborative work with Prof. Sebastian Stoian<\/a> at University of Idaho.<\/h6>\n
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June 9th, 2020<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Xiaoyu, her work “Microwave-assisted Synthesis of Zirconium Phosphate Nanoplatelets Supported Ru-Anadem Nano-structures and Their Catalytic Study for the Hydrogenation of Acetophenone” has been published by ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces. <\/a><\/h6>\n

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April 3rd, 2020<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Guodong, his work “Atomically dispersed palladium catalyses Suzuki\u2013Miyaura reactions under phosphine-free conditions” has been accepted and published online by one of the new Nature journals, Communications Chemistry<\/a>.<\/h6>\n

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February 26, 2020<\/h4>\n

Our collaborative paper “Molten NaCl-induced MOF-derived Carbon-polyhedron Decorated Carbon-nanosheet with High Defects and High N-doping for Boosting the Removal of Carbamazepine from Water” has been accepted and published online by Environmental Science: Nano<\/a>.<\/h6>\n

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October 10, 2019<\/h4>\n
Our review paper has been accepted for publication by European Journal of Organic Chemistry<\/a>. Congratulations to Leiduan, Guodong and Derek.<\/h6>\n

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August 23, 2019<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Matt, he has been selected to receive the James P & Lee Ella Ruck Grad Fellowship in Chemistry for the 2019-20 academic year.<\/h6>\n

August 12, 2019<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Derek, he has been accepted into the WSU-PNNL Distinguished Graduate Research Program. He will spend his last two years of graduate research at PNNL working with Dr. Praveen Thallapally.<\/h6>\n

April 9, 2019<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Leiduan, Our work “Efficient oxidative desulfurization using a mesoporous Zr-based MOF” has been accepted by Catalysis Today<\/a>.<\/h6>\n

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April 4, 2019<\/h4>\n
Our collaborative work with Dr. Mazur has been accepted by Langmuir<\/a>.<\/h6>\n

March 25, 2019<\/h4>\n

Dr. Zhang has been selected as one of the 22 Emerging Investigators in Crystal Growth & Design<\/a>.<\/h6>\n

January 25, 2019<\/h4>\n

We helped the Dr. Universe to answer chemistry questions from kids. See the article here<\/a>.<\/h6>\n

January 17, 2019<\/h4>\n

Our collaborative work with Dr. Lin from MME has been accepted by ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces<\/a>.<\/h6>\n

November 11, 2018<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Leiduan, the collaborative work has been accepted by New Journal of Chemistry.<\/h6>\n

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September 25, 2018<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Leiduan, her work has been accepted by Chem. Comm.<\/h6>\n

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August 31, 2018<\/h4>\n

Congratulations to Matt, his work has been accepted by Crystal Growth & Design, good job!<\/h6>\n

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June 6th, 2018<\/h4>\n
The Zhang group has received the WSU SEED Grant. We thank WSU for the support!<\/h6>\n

14 junior faculty receive WSU seed funding<\/a><\/blockquote>