Wei Zhang

2015 - 2019  Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2012 - 2015  M.Sc. in Applied Chemistry, East China Normal University, China

2008 - 2012  B.Sc. in Applied Chemistry, Taiyuan University of Technology, China

2025 -    Professor, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, China 

2023 - 2024  Postdoc RA C, Institute for Integrated Catalysis, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA

2020 - 2023  Group leader, Lehrstuhl für Technische Chemie II, Technical University of Munich, Germany

Wei Zhang received his BS from Taiyuan University of Technology in 2012 and MS from East China Normal University in 2015, both in the field of Applied Chemistry. He earned his Ph.D. in 2019 from the Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. From 2020 to 2023, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher and senior scientist with Prof. Johannes A. Lercher at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. After that, he joined the Institute of Integrated Catalysis at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA. Since 2025, Zhang holds a professorship in the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry & Chemical Processes at East China Normal University. His research focuses on heterogeneous catalysis and sustainable chemistry.

Publications (ORCID: 0000-0003-4506-6583 | Google Scholar)

13. Zhang, W.*; Kim, S.; Wahl, L.; Khare, R.; Hu, J.; Camaioni, D.; Gutiérrez, O. Y.; Liu, Y.; Lercher, J. A. Low-temperature upcycling of polyolefins into liquid alkanes via tandem cracking-alkylation. Science 2023, 379, 807–811.

12. Zhang, W. *; Khare, R.; Kim, S.; Hu, W.; Yuan, C.; Sheng, Y.; Zhang, P.; Wahl, L., Mai, J.; Yang, B.; Ray, D.; Fulton, J.; Camaioni, D.; Lee, M.; Hu.J.; Wang, H.; Gutiérrez, O.; Lercher, J. A.*Active species in chloroaluminate ionic liquids catalyzing low-temperature polyolefin deconstruction. Nat. Commun. 2024,15, 5785. 

11. Zhang, W.; Yao, H.; Khare, R.; Zhang, P.; Yang, B.; Hu, W.;Ray, D.; Hu, J.; Camaioni, D.; Wang, H.; Kim, S.; Lee, M.; Sarazen, M.; Chen, J. G.; Y.; Lercher, J. A. Hydride transfer as key to catalytic upcycling of polyethylene into liquid alkanes. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e202319580.

10. Zhang, W.; Oulego, P.; Sharma, S. K..; Yang, X., Li, L-J.; Rothenberg, G.; Shiju, N. R. Self-exfoliated Synthesis of Transition Metal Phosphate Nanolayers for Selective Aerobic Oxidation of Ethyl Lactate to Ethyl Pyruvate. ACS Catal. 2020, 10, 3958-3967. 

9. Zhang, W.; Xu, C.; Kobayashi, T.; Guo, Z.; Pruski, M.; Huang, W. Hydrazone-linked heptazine-based mesoporous conjugated polymer for visible-light-driven oxidation of benzyl alcohols with molecular oxygen.Chem. Eur. J. 2020, 26, 7358-7364.

8. Zhang, W.; Mei, Y.; Huang, X.; Wu, P.; Wu, H.-H.; He, M. Y. Size-controlled growth of silver nanoparticles onto functionalized ordered mesoporous polymers for efficient CO₂ upgrading. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2019, 11, 47, 44241.

7. Zhang, W.; Mei, Y.; Wu, P.; Wu, H.-H.; He, M. Y. Highly tunable periodic imidazole-based mesoporous polymers as cooperative catalysts for efficient carbon dioxide fixation. Catal. Sci. Technol. 2019, 9, 1030-1038.

6. Zhang, W.; Oulego, P.; Slot, T. K.; Rothenberg, G.; Shiju, N. R.Selective aerobic oxidation of lactate to pyruvate catalysed by vanadium-nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets.ChemCatChem 2019,11, 3831-3387.

5. Zhang, W.; Innocenti, G.; Oulego, P.; Wu, H.-H.; Ensing, B.; Cavani, F.; Rothenberg, G.; Shiju, N. R. Highly selective oxidation of ethyl lactate to ethyl pyruvate catalysed by mesoporous vanadia–titania. ACS Catal. 2018, 8, 2365-2374.

4. Zhang, W.; Ensing, B.; Rothenberg, G.; Shiju, R. N. Designing effective solid catalysts for biomass conversion: Aerobic oxidation of ethyl lactate to ethyl pyruvate. Green Chem. 2018, 20, 1866-1873.

3. Zhang, W.; Innocenti, G.; Ferbinteanu, M.; Ramos Fernandez, E. V.; Sepulveda-Escribano, A.; Wu, H.-H.; Cavani, F.; Rothenberg, G.; Shiju, R. N. Understanding the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethyl lactate to ethyl pyruvate over vanadia/titania catalysts. Catal. Sci. Technol. 2018, 8, 3737-3747. 

2. Zhang, W.; Liu, T.; Wu, H.; Wu, P.; He, M. Direct synthesis of ordered imidazolyl-functionalized mesoporous polymers for efficient chemical fixation of CO₂. Chem. Commun. 2015, 51, 682-684.

1. Zhang, W.; Wang, Q.; Wu, H.; Wu, P.; He, M. A highly ordered mesoporous polymer supported imidazolium-based ionic liquid: an efficient catalyst for cycloaddition of CO₂ with epoxides to produce cyclic carbonates. Green Chem. 2014, 16, 4767-4774.

      Doctoral thesis: Zhang, W. (2019). “Selective air oxidation of biobased lactate to pyruvate catalyzed by abundant element heterogeneous catalysts”. ISBN: 978-94-6380-460-8.