Collaborative Research: Electrocatalytic Synthesis of Heterocycles from Biomass-Derived Furanics via Immobilized 1st-Row Transition Metal Catalysts

在化学系化学催化项目的支持下，辛辛那提大学的孙玉杰和加州大学河滨大学的蒋德恩正在研究生物质衍生化合物的电催化转化为增值化合物。生物质是一种很有前途的可持续原料，生物质的有价化继续受到越来越多的关注。然而，与石化工业中使用的方法相比，现有的大多数从生物质合成增值化学构件的方法效率低下，成本效益不高。遵循绿色化学的原则，孙和江博士将设计和开发动态可行的低成本电催化剂，将生物质衍生的化学品升级为增值杂环化合物。两位主要研究人员的实验和计算工作之间的协同作用是值得注意的，并为更好地理解正在研究的各种电催化过程提供了潜力。孙博士一直在积极开发一门绿色化学的新课程，为本科生提供可持续化学途径和方法的广泛背景。江博士一直在为以化学为导向的一年级新生开发一个名为“化学研究前沿”的新生发现研讨会。江博士还与Riverside STEM Academy 15密切合作，这是一所专注于STEM的河滨联合学校。这两个研究小组都积极参与了其他各种推广计划，如加州大学社区日开放日和辛辛那提博物馆中心的加州大学化学夏令营。在化学系化学催化计划的支持下，辛辛那提大学的孙玉杰和加州大学河滨大学的蒋德恩教授正在开发第一排过渡金属基电催化剂，将生物质衍生化合物合成升级为增值杂环化合物。生物质化学合成因其丰富的、可持续的和碳中性的性质而引起人们越来越多的兴趣。由于生物质衍生的中间体中存在多个官能团，选择性转化是生物质成功升级为目标化学体系的关键。利用均相和多相催化策略的优势，孙博士和江博士将研究固定在电极上的第一排过渡金属和配位不饱和的电催化剂，以选择性地将生物质衍生的呋喃类化合物转化为感兴趣的杂环化合物。考虑到理论/计算和实验在方法上的紧密结合，所涉及的电催化机制的基本知识预计将从这些研究中演变出来。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With the support of the Chemical Catalysis program in the Division of Chemistry, Yujie Sun from the University of Cincinnati and De-en Jiang from the University of California-Riverside are studying the electrocatalytic conversion of biomass-derived compounds to value-added compounds. Biomass is a promising sustainable raw material and biomass valorization continues to attract increasing attention. However, most existing methods for the synthesis of value-added chemical building blocks from biomass are inefficient and not cost-effective compared to those employed in the petrochemical industry. Following the principles of green chemistry, Drs. Sun and Jiang will design and develop kinetically viable and low-cost electrocatalysts for the upgrading of biomass-derived chemicals to value-enhanced heterocyclic compounds. The synergy between the experimental and computational efforts of the two principal investigators is notable and offers potential for improved understanding of the various electrocatalytic processes under study. Dr. Sun has been actively developing a new course in Green Chemistry to offer undergraduates a broad background in sustainable chemical approaches and methods. Dr. Jiang has been developing a Freshman Discovery Seminar entitled “Frontiers in Chemical Research” to chemistry-oriented freshmen. Dr. Jiang is also working closely with the Riverside STEM Academy 15, a Riverside Unified School with a focus on STEM. Both research groups are actively involved in a variety of other outreach programs, such as UC Community Day Open House and UC-Chem Summer Camp at the Cincinnati Museum Center.With the support of the Chemical Catalysis program in the Division of Chemistry, Yujie Sun from the University of Cincinnati and Professor De-en Jiang from the University of California Riverside are developing 1st-row transition metal-based electrocatalysts to synthetically upgrade biomass-derived compounds to value-added heterocyclic compounds. Chemical synthesis from biomass has attracted increasing interest because of its abundant, sustainable, and carbon-neutral nature. Due to the existence of multiple functional groups in biomass-derived intermediate compounds, selective transformations are crucial for the successful upgrading of biomass to targeted chemical systems. Taking advantages of both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic strategies, Drs. Sun and Jiang will investigate 1st-row transition metal-based and coordinatively-unsaturated electrocatalysts immobilized on electrodes for the selective transformation of biomass-derived furan-based edicts into heterocyclic compounds of interest. Fundamental knowledge of the electrocatalytic mechanisms involved is expected to evolve out of these studies given the tight integration of theory/computation and experiment in the approach.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.