Nov. 9th, 2015 (GMT), , Nature published a research finding named adsorption and adsorbatesuperlattice formation in metal-organic frameworks, a great discovery made by an international research group in which WHU Professor Deng Hexiang’s Team plays a major role.
Gas molecules form a superlattice array on MOFs
This academic finding was achieved by concerted effort of researchers from Wuhan University, Korean Technology University, Stockholm University, University of California, Berkeley and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Professor Deng Hexiang from School of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, WHU with Hae Sung Choi and Keiichi Miyasaka from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology spearheaded the study. Zhiyue Dong, a Ph.D. from Wuhan University, is one of the major members in this international cooperation project. Their findings for the first time revealed the orderly spontaneous aggregation behavior of micromolecules in limited space and is of great significance to the gathering and application of CO2.
Screenshot from Nature’s website
The research group led by Professor Deng Hexiang provided the crucialporous material, MOF, and the test plan for this study. The relevant fellows frequented America and South Korea for experiment observation and statistics analysis. Apart from that, they also organized the writing and the finalization of the preliminary draft. World-renowned pioneers in the field of gas adsorption, Professor Omar Yaghi and Professor Osamu Terasakiin, provided vital guidance for the experiments and implemented designs for this project. This project was firmly supported by The Recruitment Program of Global Experts organized by the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, 973 Plan, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of the Ministry of Education in Wuhan University and Plan of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Enhancing Efficient Exploitation Foundation of Shale Gas.
Professor Deng Hexiang is the first scholar recruited by School of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, WHU through the Young Overseas High-level Talents Introduction Plan in 2013. His area of research interest is porous material for the storage of green energy, and his present study on MOF has already made substantial headway in the construction of a multi-component structure, the mechanism of the adsorption, distribution and storage of gas molecules, and the precise control over the pore sizes as well as the environment. During the recent 5 years, he published many SCI thesis of high quality as a corresponding author or a lead author on academic journals both at home and abroad, including one on Nature, three on Science, one on Nature Chem., and one on J. Am. Chem. Soc. In 2014, Deng Hexiang joined in the Institute for Advanced Study newly founded by WHU as a primary member.
The Institute for Advanced Study provided a platform for multidisciplinary exchanges within the basic sciences including chemistry, physics, and biology. Professor Deng Said, “Manyideas and inspirations of my recent study came from my daily conversations with professors from the institute.”
The research group of Professor Deng Hexiang (the first one from bottom right is Professor Deng, and the fourth one counted from top left is ZhiyueDong )
“Nowadays, discipline crossover is a development trend of frontier science study,” said Professor Yuxian Zhu, director of the Institute for Advanced Studies, “Such cooperation prove to be effective in solving key scientific issues and integrating WHU into the international arena.”
(Rewritten by Jiaqi Li, Photo by the research group of professor Deng Hexiang, edited by Editing Group & Sijia Hu)
