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

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.