Education:

BS (1998), Xiamen University

PhD (2005),  University of California –Riverside

Principal Research Interests:
Our research interests mainly focus on the development of advanced functional materials for both fundamental research and practical applications, particularly in the fields of catalysis and biology. His ultimate goal is to gain deeper understanding of the synthesis, properties and also applications of functional nanomaterials at the molecular level. Most of current research efforts of his group are directed to noble metal nanocrystals with well-defined exposed surfaces, interfacial chemistry of metal nanocrystals, hierarchical nanomaterials with enhanced catalysis and biological performances, and also nanocluster chemistry.

Selected Recent Publications:

1. (1) Jian Peng, Bili Chen, Zhichang Wang, Jing Guo, Binghui Wu, Shuqiang Hao, Qinghua Zhang, Lin Gu, Qin Zhou, Zhi Liu, Shuqin Hong, Sifan You, Ang Fu, Zaifa Shi, Hao Xie, Duanyun Cao, Chang-Jian Lin, Gang Fu*, Lan-Sun Zheng, Ying Jiang*, Nanfeng Zheng*, "Surface coordination layer passivates oxidation of copper", Nature 2020, 586, 390-394.

2. (2) Pengxin Liu, Yun Zhao, Ruixuan Qin, Shiguang Mo, Guangxu Chen, Lin Gu, D.M.  Chevrier, Peng Zhang, Qing Guo, Dandan Zang, Binghui Wu, Gang Fu*, Nanfeng Zheng*, "Photochemical Route for Synthesizing Atomically Dispersed Palladium Catalysts", Science 2016, 352, 797-801.

3. (3) Guangxu Chen, Yun Zhao, Gang Fu, Paul N. Duchesne, Lin Gu, Yanping Zheng, Xuefei Weng, Mei S. Chen, Peng Zhang, Chih-Wen Pao, Jyh-Fu Lee, Nanfeng Zheng*, "Interfacial Effects in Iron-Nickel Hydroxide-Platinum Nanoparticles Enhance Catalytic Oxidation", Science 2014, 344, 495-499.

4. (4) Pengpeng Ruan, Bili Chen, Qin Zhou, Hansong Zhang, Yahao Wang, Kunlong Liu, Wenting Zhou, Ruixuan Qin, Zhi Liu, Gang Fu, Nanfeng Zheng, "Upgrading heterogeneous nickel catalysts with thiol modification", The Innovation 2022, 4, 100362.

5. (5) Hui Shen, Qingyuan Wu, Sami Malola, Ying-Zi Han, Zhen Xu, Ruixuan Qin, Xiongkai Tang, Yang-Bo Chen, Boon K. Teo, Hannu Häkkinen*, Nanfeng Zheng*, "N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Stabilized Gold Nanoclusters with Organometallic Motifs for Promoting Catalysis", J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 10844-10853.

6. (6) Kunlong Liu, Lizhi Jiang, Wugen Huang, Guozhen Zhu, Yue-Jiao Zhang, Chaofa Xu, Ruixuan Qin, Pengxin Liu, Chengyi Hu, Jingjuan Wang, Jian-Feng Li, Fan Yang*, Gang Fu*, Nanfeng Zheng*, "Atomic overlayer of permeable microporous cuprous oxide on palladium promotes hydrogenation catalysis", Nat. Commun. 2022, 13, 2597.

7. (7) Hui Shen, Qingyuan Wu, Maryam Sabooni Asre Hazer, Xiongkai Tang, Ying-Zi Han, Ruixuan Qin, Chuxin Ma, Sami Malola, Boon K. Teo, Hannu Häkkinen*, Nanfeng Zheng*, "Regioselective hydrogenation of alkenes over atomically dispersed Pd sites on NHC-stabilized bimetallic nanoclusters", Chem 2022, 8, 2380-2392.

8. (8) Kunlong Liu, Ruixuan Qin, Nanfeng Zheng*, "Insights into the Interfacial Effects in Heterogeneous Metal Nanocatalysts toward Selective Hydrogenation", J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 4483-4499.

9. (9) Hui Shen, Zhen Xu, Maryam Sabooni Asre Hazer, Qingyuan Wu, Jian Peng, Ruixuan Qin, Sami Malola, Boon K. Teo, Hannu Häkkinen, Nanfeng Zheng, "Surface Coordination of Multiple Ligands Endows N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Stabilized Gold Nanoclusters with High Robustness and Surface Reactivity", Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 3752-3758.

10. (10) Yu Wang, Ruixuan Qin, Yongke Wang, Juan Ren, Wenting Zhou, Laiyang Li, Jiang Ming, Wuyong Zhang, Gang Fu, Nanfeng Zheng, "Chemoselective Hydrogenation of Nitroaromatics at the Nanoscale Iron(III)–OH–Platinum Interface", Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 12736-12740.

11. (11) Lizhi Jiang, Kunlong Liu, Sung-Fu Hung, Lingyun Zhou, Ruixuan Qin, Qinghua Zhang, Pengxin Liu, Lin Gu, Hao Ming Chen, Gang Fu*, Nanfeng Zheng*, "Facet engineering accelerates spillover hydrogenation on highly diluted metal nanocatalysts", Nat. Nanotechnol. 2020, 15, 848-853.

12. (12) Ruixuan Qin, Lingyun Zhou, Pengxin Liu, Yue Gong, Kunlong Liu, Chaofa Xu, Yun Zhao, Lin Gu, Gang Fu*, Nanfeng Zheng*, "Alkali ions secure hydrides for catalytic hydrogenation", Nat. Catal. 2020, 3, 703-709.

13. (13) Kunlong Liu, Ruixuan Qin, Lingyun Zhou, Pengxin Liu, Qihua Zhang, Wentong Jing, Pengpeng Ruan, Lin Gu, Gang Fu*, Nanfeng Zheng*, "Cu₂O-supported atomically dispersed Pd catalysts for semihydrogenation of terminal alkynes: critical role of oxide supports", CCS Chem. 2019, 1, 207-214.

14. (14) Chaofa Xu, Guangxu Chen, Yun Zhao, Pengxin Liu, Xinping Duan, Lin Gu, Gang Fu*, Youzhu Yuan*, Nanfeng Zheng*, "Interfacing with silica boosts the catalysis of copper", Nat. Commun. 2018, 9, 3367.

15. (15) Pengxin Liu, Ruixuan Qin, Gang Fu*, Nanfeng Zheng*, "Surface Coordination Chemistry of Metal Nanomaterials", J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 2122-2131.

16. (16) Guangxu Chen, Chaofa Xu, Xiaoqing Huang, Jinyu Ye, Lin Gu, Gang Li, Zichao Tang, Binghui Wu, Huayan Yang, Zipeng Zhao, Zhiyou Zhou, Gang Fu*, Nanfeng Zheng*, "Interfacial electronic effects control the reaction selectivity of platinum catalysts", Nat. Mater. 2016, 15, 564-569.

17. (17) Huayan Yang, Yu Wang, Huaqi Huang, Lars Gell, Lauri Lehtovaara, Sami Malola, Hannu Häkkinen*, Nanfeng Zheng*, "All-thiol-stabilized Ag₄₄ and Au₁₂Ag₃₂ nanoparticles with single-crystal structures", Nat. Commun. 2013, 4, 2422.

18. (18) Binghui Wu, Huaqi Huang, Jing Yang, Nanfeng Zheng*, Gang Fu*, "Selective hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes catalyzed by amine-capped platinum-cobalt nanocrystals", Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 3440-3443.

19. (19) Xiaoqing Huang, Shaoheng Tang, Xiaoliang Mu, Yan Dai, Guangxu Chen, Zhiyou Zhou, Fangxiong Ruan, Zhilin Yang, Nanfeng Zheng*, "Freestanding palladium nanosheets with plasmonic and catalytic properties", Nat. Nanotechnol. 2011, 6, 28-32.

20. (20) Xiaoqing Huang, Zipeng Zhao, Jingmin Fan, Yueming Tan, Nanfeng Zheng*, "Amine-Assisted Synthesis of Concave Polyhedral Platinum Nanocrystals Having {411} High-Index Facets", J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 4718-4721.