Zhaofu Fei
![photo placeholder image](/private/common/photos/links/153598.jpg?ts=1725164641)
Principal scientist
zhaofu.fei@epfl.ch +41 21 693 98 38 http://people.epfl.ch/zhaofu.fei
EPFL SB ISIC LCOM
BCH 2403 (Batochime UNIL)
Av. François-Alphonse Forel 3
1015 Lausanne
Web site: Web site: https://lcom.epfl.ch
Fields of expertise
Organometallic Chemistry, Main group Chemistry, Coordination Chemistry, In-Situ Polymerization, NMR, Solar Cells,
Make molecules for life!
I was born into a family in a small village in Shandong. However, my father dedicated his life to saving money, which allowed me the opportunity to study Chemistry at Tongji University in Shanghai - an institution founded by a german dentist.After working in the Shanghai Chemical Industry Bureau and BASF for several years, I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship from the Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst (DAAD, in English: German Academic Exchange Service). This opportunity opened doors for further academic pursuits and provided me with the means to further advance my career.
I had good time in Schmutzler's group in Braunschweig, Germany, learning the 31P NMR, 19F-31P resonance splitting, the Pt-P satellite signals-it was fun!
After my Phd, I went to St. Andrews where I learned good chemisttry from an exceptional chemist, Derek Woollins, who often says, "I am a synthetic chemist... I make new molecules... especially those that shouldn't exist." I like every elements in the main group in the periodic table- Phosphorus, Sulfur, Fluorine, Silicon.
After St. Andrews, I spent time in Magdeburg, Würzburg. In the place where Röntgen discovered the X-ray, I continued in searching new molecules. I boiled many PCl3, and elemental sodium, potassium.
The problem for those making new molecules that shouldn't exist is that there are not so many followers. Without a strong following, the recognition and impact of one's work can be diminished.
Then I joined EPFL and delved into sustainable chemistry. I began to make simple molecules with cheap starting materials, usually in 100% yield and 100% purity. These simple molecules will have broad applications-from materials science to the modern nanotechnology. By doing so, I gained more followers and citations, increasing the impact of my work.
Currently, my main focus lies on the development of new functional ionic liquids for the passivation of perovskite solar films. Through the application of a small quantity of ionic liquids, we can significantly enhance the quality of the perovskite films. This, in turn, leads to improved efficiency and stability of the resulting solar devices. By exploring and optimizing the properties of these ionic liquids, we aim to enhance the overall performance of perovskite solar cells and advance the field of renewable energy.
Another area in which I am currently heavily involved is the utilization of CO2 for the production of value-added chemicals. While CO2 may be considered one of the most uninteresting molecules, it is undeniably problematic and contributes to global warming. As a result, a significant part of my research involves the development of novel catalysts that can effectively convert CO2 into organic carbonates. These organic carbonates hold potential as solvents for electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries, which presents a highly beneficial application. By transforming CO2 into a valuable resource, we can address environmental concerns while simultaneously creating useful chemicals for various industries. I am a CO2-Chemist.
Current work
Ionic Liquid and Ionic Polymers-Design, Synthesis, Application and related Mechanism Study.Biomass Catalysis-Transforming Biomass into Value-Added Platform Chemicals,
CO2 Catalysis-Utilizing CO2 for Synthesis of Organic Carbonates for Application in Lithium Ion Battery,
Solar Cells-High Efficiency, Ultra-Stable Perovskite with Ionic Liquids
Biography
Zhaofu Fei received his Phd degree fromTechnical University Braunschweig(Germany) in 1999.Following postdocs in UK, Germany, he joined the Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering (ISIC) at the EPFL in 2002 where he serves as Principal Scientist in the Laboratory of Organometallic and Medicinal Chemistry.
He is the co-supervisor of Professor Paul J. Dyson, who is the head of the Laboratory of Organometallic and Medicinal Chemistry at EPFL and the Dean of the School of Basic Sciences at EPFL.
Publications
Selected publications
Cheng Liu, Xiuhong Sun, Yi Yang, Olga A. Syzgantseva, Maria A. Syzgantseva, Bin Ding, Naoyuki Shibayama, Hiroyuki Kanda, Farzaneh Fadaei Tirani, Rosario Scopelliti, Shunlin Zhang, Keith G. Brooks, Songyuan Dai, Guanglei Cui, Michael D. Irwin, Zhipeng Shao, Yong Ding, Zhaofu Fei, Paul J. Dyson, Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin Science Advances, 2023, 9, eadg0087 |
Retarding Solid-State Reactions Enable Efficient and Stable All-Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells and Modules, |
Hu, Xutao ; Yang, Xuemei ; Chen, Lifang ; Mei, Mingcan ; Song, Zhen ; Fei, Zhaofu ; Dyson, Paul J. ; Qi, Zhiwen Chemical Engineering Journal, 2022, 435, 134956. |
Elucidating the transition between CO2 physisorption and chemisorption in 1, 2, 4-triazolate ionic liquids at a molecular level, Chemical Engineering Journal, 2022, 435, 134956. |
Zhaofu Fei, De Chen, Emiel J.M. Hensen, Yongdan Li, Rajenahally V. Jagadeesh Catalysis Today, 2022, 408, 1. |
Catalytic valorization of lignocellulose and its derived feedstocks into fuels and chemicals (Editorial) |
XX Gao, B Ding, H Kanda, Z Fei, W Luo, Y Zhang… Cell Reports Physical Science, 2021, 2, 100475 |
Engineering long-term stability into perovskite solar cells via application of a multi-functional TFSI-based ionic liquid, |
Xinjiang Cui, Wu Li, Kathrin Junge, Zhaofu Fei, Matthias Beller, and Paul J. Dyson Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 7501. |
Selective Acceptorless Dehydrogenation of Primary Amines to Imines by Core–Shell Cobalt Nanoparticles, |
Xinjiang Cui, Zhangjun Huang, Antoine P. van Muyden, Zhaofu Fei, Tao Wang, Paul J. Dyson Science Advances, 2020, 6, eabb3831. |
Acceptorless dehydrogenation and hydrogenation of N- and O-containing compounds on Pd3Au1(111) facets, Science Advances, 2020, 6, eabb3831. |
Xinjiang Cui, Serhii Shyshkanov, Tu N. Nguyen, Arunraj Chidambaram, Zhaofu Fei, Kyriakos C. Stylianou, Paul J. Dyson Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2020, 59, 16371. |
CO2 Methanation via Amino Alcohol Relay Molecules Employing a Ruthenium Nanoparticle/Metal Organic Framework Catalyst, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2020, 59, 16371. |
Rui Xia, Xiao-Xin Gao, Yi Zhang, Nikita Drigo, Valentin I. E. Queloz, Farzaneh Fadaei Tirani, Rosario Scopelliti, Zhangjun Huang, Xiaodong Fang, Sachin Kinge, Zhaofu Fei, Cristina Roldán-Carmona, Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin, Paul J. Dyson Advanced Materials, 2020, 32, 2003801 |
An efficient approach to fabricate air‐stable perovskite solar cells via addition of a self‐polymerizing ionic liquid |
Zhaofu Fei, Paul. J. Dyson
Coordination Chemistry Review, 2005, 249, 2056-2074. |
29. The Chemistry of Phosphinoamides and Related Compounds |
Zhaofu Fei, Dongbin Zhao, Tilmann J. Geldbach, Rosario Scopelitti and Paul J. Dyson
Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2005, 44, 5720-5725. Angewandte Chemie 2005, 117, 5866-5871. |
30. A synthetic zwitterionic water channel: characterisation in the solid state by X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy |
Zhaofu Fei, Dongbin Zhao Science In China (Series B). 2005 |
39. Application of Functional Ionic Liquid (First chinese paper) |
Dongbin Zhao, Zhaofu Fei, Tilmann J. Geldbach, Rosario Scopelliti and Paul J. Dyson
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126 (48), 15876-15882. |
26. Nitrile functionalised pyridinium ionic liquids: synthesis, characterisation and their application in carbon-carbon coupling reactions |
Zhaofu Fei, Nikolaus Kocher, Christian J. Mohrschladt, Heiko Ihmels, and Dietmar Stalke
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2003, 42, 783-787. |
14. Single Crystals of the Disubstituted Anthracene 9,10-(Ph2P=S)2C14H8 Selectively and Reversibly Detect Toluene by Solid-State Fluorescence Emission |