Adjunct Professor of Department of Chemistry
| Email: | zhengtao@cityu.edu.hk |
|---|---|
| ORCID ID: | 0000-0002-7408-4951 |
| Scopus Author ID: | 9843801700 |
- Functional Porous Coordination Networks (MOFs) and Polymer Framework
- Organic-Inorganic Semiconductors for High Performance and Low-cost Processing
- Synthetic Organic Chemistry for Development of Solid State Materials
Zhengtao Xu’s group closely integrates molecular synthesis and the study of porous framework materials (MOF, COF and open cage compounds) for versatile sensing, separation, catalysis and electronic applications. We realize that, the extremely powerful molecular synthetic methods of modern chemistry, once mobilized in the study of open framework systems, is bound to open up broad areas of research in materials science. For example, our long-standing pursuit across framework engineering and organic synthesis has opened up the field of sulfur-equipped porous frameworks (SPF), wherein the powerful sulfur functions are starting to usher in a broad horizon of research in catalysis, semiconductors, sensors, heavy metal removal, energy storage and proton conductivity.
Prof. Xu obtained BS from Beijing University (1996), MS from University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (1998), and Ph.D. from Cornell University (2001). He was a postdoc with David B. Mitzi at IBM T. J. Watson Research Center from 2001-2003. Prior to moving his research program to CityU, Prof. Xu was an assistant professor at the George Washington University from 2003 to 2005. Prof. Xu has been awarded the PRF Starter Grant from the American Chemical Society (2004), and he was a winner of the ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award in 2004. He is also a recipient of the Humboldt Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers (host: Prof. Markus Antonietti, MPI of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam), 2011-2013. Since joining CityU in 2005, Xu has attracted nine major research grants from the Research Grant Council (the Hong Kong equivalent of the NSF in the United States) totaling over 5,000,000 HK$.
- "Metallation triggers single crystalline order in a porous solid", Y.-L. Hou, K.-K. Yee, Y.-L. Wong, M. Zha, J. He, M. Zeller, A. D. Hunter, K. Yang and Z. Xu*. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2016, 138, 14852-14855
- “Tackling Poison and Leach: Catalysis by Dangling Thiol-Palladium Functions within a Porous Metal-Organic Solid”, B. Gui, K.-K. Yee, Y.-L. Wong, S.-M. Yiu, M. Zeller, C. Wang*, Z. Xu*. Chem. Commun., 2015, 51, 6917-6920. This work was featured by Chemistry World on 7 April 2015.
- “Pd uptake and H2S sensing by an amphoteric metal-organic framework of soft core and strong arms”, J. Cui, M. Zeller, A. D. Hunter, Z. Xu*. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 14438–14442.
- “An Electroactive Porous Network from Covalent Metal-Dithiolene Links” J. Cui and Z. Xu*. Chem. Commun., 2014, 50, 3986-3988.
- “Selective Ag(I) Binding, H2S Sensing and White-light Emission from an Easy-to-make Porous Conjugated Polymer” J. Liu, K.-K. Yee, K.-W. Lo, Y. Zhang, W.-P. To, C.-M. Che, and Z. Xu*. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2014, 136, 2818.
- “Convenient detection of palladium by a metal-organic framework with sulfur and olefin functions” J. He, M. Zha, J. Cui, M. Zeller, A. D. Hunter, S.-M. Yiu, S.-T. Lee, Z. Xu*. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2013, 135, 7807-7810.
- “Effective Mercury Sorption by Thiol-Laced Metal-organic Frameworks” K.-K. Yee, N. Reimer, J. Liu, S.-Y. Cheng, S.-M. Yiu, J. Weber, N. Stock*, Z. Xu*. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2013, 135, 7795-7798.
- “White Light Emission and Second Harmonic Generation from Secondary Group Participation (SGP) in a Coordination Network” J. He, Z. Xu*, M. Zeller, A. D. Hunter. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2012, 134, 1553−1559. This work was highlighted by Nature Chemistry (2012, 4, 147).