Multidisciplinary, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
51
Scopus Publications
2955
Scholar Citations
29
Scholar h-index
38
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Inhibition of Imidacloprid Photolysis by Particulate Matter: Experimental and Computational Evidence Ying Zhou, Zikuan Wang, Chenyu Wu, Jun Li, Longkun He, Boya Zhang, Junyu Guo, Jianbo Zhang Environmental Science and Technology, 2026 Neonicotinoid insecticides have been consistently detected in atmospheric particulate matter (PM), highlighting the possible critical role of PM in shaping their environmental persistence and ecological impact. This study investigates the influence of PM on the photolysis of imidacloprid (IMI), a representative neonicotinoid, using computational simulations and laboratory experiments. Results reveal that the adsorption of IMI onto soot particles significantly suppresses its photolysis, reducing its photolysis rate by ∼39-fold and increasing its atmospheric half-life from 7.1 to 279.5 h under simulated conditions. Computational modeling attributes this decrease in the IMI photolysis rate to IMI-soot van der Waals interactions, energy transfer from IMI to soot, and particle shading. Field measurements reveal that IMI undergoes considerable degradation during the daytime, and direct photolysis appears to be a minor loss pathway under the examined ambient conditions. Our findings highlight the important role of PM in altering the atmospheric photolysis of IMI and provide a quantitative assessment of the contribution of IMI photolysis to its outdoor loss, offering a valuable reference for future investigations on its environmental fate.
Open-Air, Ultrafast Photoiniferter Polymerization Enables 3D Printing with Low-Viscosity Resins Zipeng Zhang, Dong Su, Mingzhou Zhang, Zesheng An, Cyrille Boyer, Chenyu Wu Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2026 Photo‐curing 3D printing is fundamentally challenged by the formation of heterogeneous networks with uneven cross‐linking densities and unreacted monomer residues, which compromise the integrity and performance of printed parts. While photo‐controlled radical polymerization (photo‐RDRP) offers a path to precise network control, it is often limited by sluggish kinetics, necessitating viscous resins to compensate for slow curing rates. To overcome this, we employed a computer‐guided strategy to design a new photoiniferter, dithioindazolylcarboxylate (DTI). Computational analyses predicted DTI would be an efficient and oxygen‐tolerant photoiniferter. Under 415 nm light (10 mW cm −2 ), DTI enabled the photoiniferter polymerization of methyl acrylate with an apparent propagation rate () of 0.809 min −1 , over four‐fold higher than that of the existing dithiopyrazolylcarboxylate (DTP) with a of 0.196 min −1 in equivalent conditions under 425 nm (optimum for ). This was achieved while maintaining low molecular weight dispersity ( Đ < 1.1). DTI also exhibited better oxygen tolerance, maintaining 65.9% of its (with respect to that under nitrogen) under an air‐purging condition (1 mL 30 s −1 ), as compared to 13.3% for DTP under the same condition. This enabled ultrafast digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing at just 8 s per layer using routine low‐viscosity acrylic resins, producing high‐resolution, complex centimeter‐scale prototypes. The technology also enabled photo‐curing of anticorrosion coatings with an adhesion strength of 13.53 MPa and 720 h resistance to acetic acid salt spray.
Covalently sewing dual-sided Janus coatings via photoiniferter surface chain extension Baoshan Hou, Ruizhe He, Chenyu Wu, Zipeng Zhang, Cuijuan Xuan, Chao Xing, Peng Xu, Xiaonan Kan Materials Horizons, 2026 Visible-light photoiniferter RAFT enables covalent “sewing” of weak Janus bilayer boundaries into robust interfaces. The resulting polyPFPA/polyOFPA dual-sided coating combines high adhesion and hydrophobic shielding for durable corrosion resistance.
Structural Origin of the Fast Polymerization Rates and Monomer Universality of Pyrazole-Based Photoiniferters Bo Wang, Xuegang Liu, Zhilei Wang, Chenyu Wu, Zikuan Wang, Wenjian Liu Molecules, 2025 Herein, we report a combined computational and experimental investigation into the recently reported universal pyrazole-based reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agents (Z−C(=S)−S−R, where Z is 3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl), which can mediate controlled radical polymerization of a broad scope of monomers without the need for an additional initiator or catalyst. The results reveal that the high molar absorption coefficient and efficient photolysis kinetics of pyrazole-based chain transfer agents (CTAs) under blue light (λmax = 465 nm) enable rapid radical generation, underpinning ultrafast polymerization of acrylates, acrylamides, methacrylates, and N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP). While the efficient light absorption is attributed to structural dissimilarity between the Z group and the S–R group (which breaks the local symmetry of the C=S group), the fast photolysis originates from favorable π electron donation from the Z group to the C=S group. Meanwhile, the π electron donation is still weaker than in xanthates, which explains the excellent control of a wide range of monomers, except methacrylates. This work establishes design principles for next-generation CTAs for ultrafast and monomer-universal photoiniferter RAFT polymerization.
Organocatalysts for Radical Polymerization Chenyu Wu, Qiang Ma, Baoshan Hou, Zhilei Wang, Zikuan Wang, Saihu Liao Organocatalysts in Polymer Chemistry Synthesis and Applications, 2025 This chapter delves into organocatalysts for radical polymerizations, with a primary focus on the guidelines of designing organocatalysts in photocontrolled reversible deactivation radical polymerization (photo-RDRP), such as organocatalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization (O-ATRP) and the organocatalyzed photoinduced electron/energy transfer reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (PET-RAFT). The huge number of organocatalysts that emerged in the last 15 years are first categorized based on the chromophore core classification, for both O-ATRP and PET-RAFT, respectively. Their design guidelines, termed as structure–property-performance (SPP) relationships, are explored theoretically so as to establish the intrinsic relationships from the electronic structure to actual polymerization performances. In order to gain understanding at the theoretical level, mechanistic evaluation of the photon absorption, excited-state evolution, activation, and deactivation steps, emphasizing on oxidative quenching pathway (OQP), is performed to extract the key properties and performance aspects in photo-RDRP; from which the respective SPP relationships are reviewed.
Design and Synthesis of a New Indazole-Decorated RAFT Agent for Highly Efficient PET-RAFT Polymerization Zipeng Zhang, Yueqin Yu, Cyrille Boyer, Zilong Wu, Chenyu Wu Macromolecules, 2024 While enabling precise control and well-defined molecular weights in polymer synthesis, photocatalyzed reversible deactivation radical polymerization (photo-RDRP) suffers from slow kinetics, limiting its broader application in advanced manufacturing. Despite a decade of research on photocatalyst design, progress in significantly improving the kinetics of photo-RDRP remains insufficient. In contrast, the role of the initiator in photo-RDRP is often overlooked, especially in photoinduced electron/energy transfer reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (PET-RAFT) polymerization, where the RAFT agent serves as both the initiator and chain transfer agent. In this work, we first designed and synthesized a new RAFT agent with an indazole Z group (InZ) for highly efficient PET-RAFT polymerization under irradiation. This strongly electron-donating Z group accelerates initiation by facilitating π* → σ* charge transfer in PET-RAFT systems. Compared to the commonly used trithiocarbonates in PET-RAFT polymerization, utilization of InZ improved polymerization rates significantly by 2.7-fold. Additionally, we discovered a new efficient photocatalyst (PC) in PET-RAFT polymerization, i.e., zinc 5,10,15,20-tetra(naphthalen-2-yl)porphyrin (ZnTNP), through experimental screening of various zinc porphyrin derivates. This ZnTNP/InZ system exhibits precise temporal and molecular weight control in the course of polymerization, being compatible with a broad range of acrylates and acrylamides and exhibiting good oxygen tolerance. Importantly, InZ may inspire further development of high-performance RAFT agents for PET-RAFT polymerization.
Pushing the Limit of Photo-Controlled Polymerization: Hyperchromic and Bathochromic Effects Zhilei Wang, Zipeng Zhang, Chenyu Wu, Zikuan Wang, Wenjian Liu Molecules, 2024 The photocatalyst (PC) zinc tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) is highly efficient for photoinduced electron/energy transfer reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (PET-RAFT) polymerization. However, ZnTPP suffers from poor absorbance of orange light by the so-called Q-band of the absorption spectrum (maximum absorption wavelength λmax = 600 nm, at which molar extinction coefficient εmax = 1.0×104 L/(mol·cm)), hindering photo-curing applications that entail long light penetration paths. Over the past decade, there has not been any competing candidate in terms of efficiency, despite a myriad of efforts in PC design. By theoretical evaluation, here we rationally introduce a peripheral benzo moiety on each of the pyrrole rings of ZnTPP, giving zinc tetraphenyl tetrabenzoporphyrin (ZnTPTBP). This modification not only enlarges the conjugation length of the system, but also alters the a1u occupied π molecular orbital energy level and breaks the accidental degeneracy between the a1u and a2u orbitals, which is responsible for the low absorption intensity of the Q-band. As a consequence, not only is there a pronounced hyperchromic and bathochromic effect (λmax = 655 nm and εmax = 5.2×104 L/(mol·cm)) of the Q-band, but the hyperchromic effect is achieved without increasing the intensity of the less useful, low wavelength absorption peaks of the PC. Remarkably, this strong 655 nm absorption takes advantage of deep-red (650–700 nm) light, a major component of solar light exhibiting good atmosphere penetration, exploited by the natural PC chlorophyll a as well. Compared with ZnTPP, ZnTPTBP displayed a 49% increase in PET-RAFT polymerization rate with good control, marking a significant leap in the area of photo-controlled polymerization.
Toward the Rational Design of Organic Catalysts for Organocatalysed Atom Transfer Radical Polymerisation Zhilei Wang, Chenyu Wu, Wenjian Liu Polymers, 2024 Thanks to their diversity, organic photocatalysts (PCs) have been widely used in manufacturing polymeric products with well-defined molecular weights, block sequences, and architectures. Still, however, more universal property-performance relationships are needed to enable the rational design of such PCs. That is, a set of unique descriptors ought to be identified to represent key properties of the PCs relevant for polymerisation. Previously, the redox potentials of excited PCs (PC*) were used as a good descriptor for characterising very structurally similar PCs. However, it fails to elucidate PCs with diverse chromophore cores and ligands, among which those used for polymerisation are a good representative. As showcased by model systems of organocatalysed atom transfer radical polymerisation (O-ATRP), new universal descriptors accounting for additional factors, such as the binding and density overlap between the PC* and initiator, are proposed and proved to be successful in elucidating the experimental performances of PCs in polymerisation. While O-ATRP is exemplified here, the approach adopted is general for studying other photocatalytic systems.
Biomimetic Superhydrophobic Materials through 3D Printing: Progress and Challenges Haishuo Liu, Zipeng Zhang, Chenyu Wu, Kang Su, Xiaonan Kan Micromachines, 2023 Superhydrophobicity, a unique natural phenomenon observed in organisms such as lotus leaves and desert beetles, has inspired extensive research on biomimetic materials. Two main superhydrophobic effects have been identified: the “lotus leaf effect” and the “rose petal effect”, both showing water contact angles larger than 150°, but with differing contact angle hysteresis values. In recent years, numerous strategies have been developed to fabricate superhydrophobic materials, among which 3D printing has garnered significant attention due to its rapid, low-cost, and precise construction of complex materials in a facile way. In this minireview, we provide a comprehensive overview of biomimetic superhydrophobic materials fabricated through 3D printing, focusing on wetting regimes, fabrication techniques, including printing of diverse micro/nanostructures, post-modification, and bulk material printing, and applications ranging from liquid manipulation and oil/water separation to drag reduction. Additionally, we discuss the challenges and future research directions in this burgeoning field.
Oxygen-Insensitive Delayed Fluorescence Based on Singlet Manifold Yingnan Wu, Yanliang Zhao, Haoran Hou, Gaobo Hong, Yanhui Guo, Ruiling Zhang, Wenlong Chen, Jiarui Tian, Shibo Lv, Honglei Wang, Meishan Wang, Chenyu Wu, Fengling Song Advanced Optical Materials, 2023
Open‐Air, Ultrafast Photoiniferter Polymerization Enables 3D Printing with Low‐Viscosity Resins Z Zhang, D Su, M Zhang, Z An, C Boyer, C Wu Angewandte Chemie International Edition 65 (6), e19602 , 2026 2026 Citations: 1
Structural origin of the fast polymerization rates and monomer universality of pyrazole-based photoiniferters B Wang, X Liu, Z Wang, C Wu, Z Wang, W Liu Molecules 30 (18), 3687 , 2025 2025 Citations: 3
Organocatalysts for Radical Polymerization C Wu, Q Ma, B Hou, Z Wang, Z Wang, S Liao Organocatalysts in Polymer Chemistry: Synthesis and Applications, 325-364 , 2025 2025
Pushing the Limit of Photo-Controlled Polymerization: Hyperchromic and Bathochromic Effects Z Wang, Z Zhang, C Wu, Z Wang, W Liu Molecules 29 (10), 2377 , 2024 2024 Citations: 5
Design and Synthesis of a New Indazole-Decorated RAFT Agent for Highly Efficient PET-RAFT Polymerization Z Zhang, Y Yu, C Boyer, Z Wu, C Wu Macromolecules 57 (9), 4421-4429 , 2024 2024 Citations: 13
Toward the Rational Design of Organic Catalysts for Organocatalysed Atom Transfer Radical Polymerisation Z Wang, C Wu, W Liu Polymers 16 (3), 323 , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
When do tripdoublet states fluoresce? A theoretical study of copper (II) porphyrin X Wang, C Wu, Z Wang, W Liu Frontiers in Chemistry 11, 1259016 , 2023 2023 Citations: 5
Biomimetic superhydrophobic materials through 3D printing: progress and challenges H Liu, Z Zhang, C Wu, K Su, X Kan Micromachines 14 (6), 1216 , 2023 2023 Citations: 31
Oxygen‐Insensitive Delayed Fluorescence Based on Singlet Manifold Y Wu, Y Zhao, H Hou, G Hong, Y Guo, R Zhang, W Chen, J Tian, S Lv, ... Advanced Optical Materials 11 (5), 2202413 , 2023 2023 Citations: 1
Incorporating self-healing capability in temperature-sensitive hydrogels by non-covalent chitosan crosslinkers Z Liu, J Li, Z Zhang, J Liu, C Wu, Y Yu European Polymer Journal 182, 111728 , 2023 2023 Citations: 19
Tuning Catalyst-Free Photocontrolled Polymerization by Substitution: A Quantitative and Qualitative Interpretation J Li, C Wu, Y Lei, W Liu The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 13 (14), 3290-3296 , 2022 2022 Citations: 10
Biomimetic Nanochannels: From Fabrication Principles to Theoretical Insights X Kan, C Wu, L Wen, L Jiang Small Methods 6 (4), 2101255 , 2022 2022 Citations: 47
The Second Excited Triplet‐State Facilitates TADF and Triplet–Triplet Annihilation Photon Upconversion via a Thermally Activated Reverse Internal Conversion Y Zhao, Y Wu, W Chen, R Zhang, G Hong, J Tian, H Wang, D Zheng, ... Advanced Optical Materials 10 (6), 2102275 , 2022 2022 Citations: 21
Selective Photoactivation of Trithiocarbonates Mediated by Metal Naphthalocyanines and Overcoming Activation Barriers Using Thermal Energy Z Wu, K Jung, C Wu, G Ng, L Wang, J Liu, C Boyer Journal of the American Chemical Society 144 (2), 995-1005 , 2022 2022 Citations: 51
Rational design of photocatalysts for controlled polymerization: effect of structures on photocatalytic activities C Wu, N Corrigan, CH Lim, W Liu, G Miyake, C Boyer Chemical Reviews 122 (6), 5476-5518 , 2022 2022 Citations: 258
An aqueous photo-controlled polymerization under NIR wavelengths: synthesis of polymeric nanoparticles through thick barriers Z Wu, W Fang, C Wu, N Corrigan, T Zhang, S Xu, C Boyer Chemical science 13 (39), 11519-11532 , 2022 2022 Citations: 75
NAC-TDDFT: Time-dependent density functional theory for nonadiabatic couplings Z Wang, C Wu, W Liu Accounts of chemical research 54 (17), 3288-3297 , 2021 2021 Citations: 40
Spirobifluorene-Based Three-Dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks with Rigid Topological Channels as Efficient Heterogeneous Catalyst Y Liu, C Wu, Q Sun, F Hu, Q Pan, J Sun, Y Jin, Z Li, W Zhang, Y Zhao CCS Chemistry 3 (4), 2418-2427 , 2021 2021 Citations: 79
Direct Synthesis of Crystalline Graphtetrayne—A New Graphyne Allotrope Q Pan, S Chen, C Wu, F Shao, J Sun, L Sun, Z Zhang, Y Man, Z Li, L He, ... CCS Chemistry 3 (4), 1368-1375 , 2021 2021 Citations: 57
Unravelling an oxygen-mediated reductive quenching pathway for photopolymerisation under long wavelengths C Wu, K Jung, Y Ma, W Liu, C Boyer Nature Communications 12 (1), 478 , 2021 2021 Citations: 86
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Fully Conjugated Two‐Dimensional sp 2 ‐Carbon Covalent Organic Frameworks as Artificial Photosystem I with High Efficiency Y Zhao, H Liu, C Wu, Z Zhang, Q Pan, F Hu, R Wang, P Li, X Huang, Z Li Angewandte Chemie International Edition 58 (16), 5376-5381 , 2019 2019 Citations: 321
Highly Conjugated Three-Dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks Based on Spirobifluorene for Perovskite Solar Cell Enhancement C Wu, Y Liu, H Liu, C Duan, Q Pan, J Zhu, F Hu, X Ma, T Jiu, Z Li, Y Zhao Journal of the American Chemical Society 140 (31), 10016-10024 , 2018 2018 Citations: 291
Construction of Fully Conjugated Covalent Organic Frameworks via Facile Linkage Conversion for Efficient Photoenzymatic Catalysis Y Wang, H Liu, Q Pan, C Wu, W Hao, J Xu, R Chen, J Liu, Z Li, Y Zhao Journal of the American Chemical Society 142 (13), 5958-5963 , 2020 2020 Citations: 266
Rational design of photocatalysts for controlled polymerization: effect of structures on photocatalytic activities C Wu, N Corrigan, CH Lim, W Liu, G Miyake, C Boyer Chemical Reviews 122 (6), 5476-5518 , 2022 2022 Citations: 258
Guiding the Design of Organic Photocatalyst for PET-RAFT Polymerization: Halogenated Xanthene Dyes C Wu, N Corrigan, CH Lim, K Jung, J Zhu, G Miyake, J Xu, C Boyer Macromolecules 52 (1), 236-248 , 2018 2018 Citations: 169
Interfacial synthesis of conjugated two-dimensional N-graphdiyne X Kan, Y Ban, C Wu, Q Pan, H Liu, J Song, Z Zuo, Z Li, Y Zhao ACS applied materials & interfaces 10 (1), 53-58 , 2018 2018 Citations: 159
Computer-Guided Discovery of a pH-Responsive Organic Photocatalyst and Application for pH and Light Dual-Gated Polymerization C Wu, H Chen, N Corrigan, K Jung, X Kan, Z Li, W Liu, J Xu, C Boyer Journal of the American Chemical Society 141 (20), 8207-8220 , 2019 2019 Citations: 115
Charge transfer co-crystals based on donor–acceptor interactions for near-infrared photothermal conversion D Wang, X Kan, C Wu, Y Gong, G Guo, T Liang, L Wang, Z Li, Y Zhao Chemical Communications 56 (39), 5223-5226 , 2020 2020 Citations: 97
Unravelling an oxygen-mediated reductive quenching pathway for photopolymerisation under long wavelengths C Wu, K Jung, Y Ma, W Liu, C Boyer Nature Communications 12 (1), 478 , 2021 2021 Citations: 86
Direct Synthesis of Crystalline Graphdiyne Analogue Based on Supramolecular Interactions W Zhou, H Shen, C Wu, Z Tu, F He, Y Gu, Y Xue, Y Zhao, Y Yi, Y Li, Y Li Journal of the American Chemical Society 141 (1), 48-52 , 2018 2018 Citations: 86
Spirobifluorene-Based Three-Dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks with Rigid Topological Channels as Efficient Heterogeneous Catalyst Y Liu, C Wu, Q Sun, F Hu, Q Pan, J Sun, Y Jin, Z Li, W Zhang, Y Zhao CCS Chemistry 3 (4), 2418-2427 , 2021 2021 Citations: 79
An Oxygen Paradox: Catalytic Use of Oxygen in Radical Photopolymerization L Zhang, C Wu, K Jung, YH Ng, C Boyer Angewandte Chemie 131 (47), 16967-16970 , 2019 2019 Citations: 78
Chlorophyll a crude extract: efficient photo-degradable photocatalyst for PET-RAFT polymerization C Wu, S Shanmugam, J Xu, J Zhu, C Boyer Chemical Communications 53 (93), 12560-12563 , 2017 2017 Citations: 77
An aqueous photo-controlled polymerization under NIR wavelengths: synthesis of polymeric nanoparticles through thick barriers Z Wu, W Fang, C Wu, N Corrigan, T Zhang, S Xu, C Boyer Chemical science 13 (39), 11519-11532 , 2022 2022 Citations: 75
A Process for Well-Defined Polymer Synthesis through Textile Dyeing Inspired Catalyst Immobilization Y Chu, N Corrigan, C Wu, C Boyer, J Xu ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 6 (11), 15245-15253 , 2018 2018 Citations: 60
Interfacial synthesis of crystalline two-dimensional cyano-graphdiyne Z Zhang, C Wu, Q Pan, F Shao, Q Sun, S Chen, Z Li, Y Zhao Chemical Communications 56 (21), 3210-3213 , 2020 2020 Citations: 59
Direct Synthesis of Crystalline Graphtetrayne—A New Graphyne Allotrope Q Pan, S Chen, C Wu, F Shao, J Sun, L Sun, Z Zhang, Y Man, Z Li, L He, ... CCS Chemistry 3 (4), 1368-1375 , 2021 2021 Citations: 57
Selective Photoactivation of Trithiocarbonates Mediated by Metal Naphthalocyanines and Overcoming Activation Barriers Using Thermal Energy Z Wu, K Jung, C Wu, G Ng, L Wang, J Liu, C Boyer Journal of the American Chemical Society 144 (2), 995-1005 , 2022 2022 Citations: 51
Biomimetic Nanochannels: From Fabrication Principles to Theoretical Insights X Kan, C Wu, L Wen, L Jiang Small Methods 6 (4), 2101255 , 2022 2022 Citations: 47
Sulfur-rich Graphdiyne-Containing Electrochemical Active Tetrathiafulvalene for Highly Efficient Lithium Storage Application Q Pan, S Chen, C Wu, Z Zhang, Z Li, Y Zhao ACS applied materials & interfaces 11 (49), 46070-46076 , 2019 2019 Citations: 43
