{"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":"2026-04-28T15:33:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T22:33:00","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chem.wsu.edu\/zhang\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Zhang Research Group<\/h1>\n\n\n
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Research Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\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\n\n\n

Student Training<\/h2>\n\n\n\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","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Zhang Research Group Research Overview 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2540,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"wsuwp_university_location":[],"wsuwp_university_org":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chem.wsu.edu\/zhang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chem.wsu.edu\/zhang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chem.wsu.edu\/zhang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chem.wsu.edu\/zhang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2540"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chem.wsu.edu\/zhang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2"}],"version-history":[{"count":65,"href":"https:\/\/chem.wsu.edu\/zhang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1164,"href":"https:\/\/chem.wsu.edu\/zhang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2\/revisions\/1164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chem.wsu.edu\/zhang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chem.wsu.edu\/zhang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chem.wsu.edu\/zhang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chem.wsu.edu\/zhang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_location?post=2"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_org","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chem.wsu.edu\/zhang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_org?post=2"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}