Group Leader 丨 Research 丨 Teaching 丨 Members 丨 News
Group Leader |
Pengxin Liu
Assistant Professor (Tenure Track), Principal Investigator
Add：SPST 6#501
Email：liupx@shanghaitech.edu.cn
ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-2332-4652
Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=hQgj9HEAAAAJ
Education & Career
| 2021 - now | ShanghaiTech Univesity | Assistant Professor, PI |
| 2018 - 2021 | ETH Zurich | Research Assistant (with Prof. Christophe Copéret) |
| 2016 - 2018 | PCSS State Key Laboratory | Postdoc (with Prof Lansun Zheng, Prof. Nanfeng Zheng) |
| 2010 - 2016 | Xiamen University | Ph. D. in Chemistry (Supervisor: Prof. Nanfeng Zheng） |
| 2006 - 2010 | Sun Yat-sen University | Bachelor in Engineering |
Awards & Honors
| 2023 | Dalton Transactions - New Talents: Asia-Pacific |
| 2022 | Shanghai Leading Talent (Overseas) |
| 2021 | Shanghai PuJiang Talent |
| 2019 | Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Cofund ETH Fellow |
| 2018 | ACS Catalysis - Early Career Researcher Award |
| 2016 | National Postdoctoral Innovative Talents |
| 2016 | Outstanding Graduates Award in Honour of Professor Lu Jiaxi |
| 2016 | Xiamen Univ. Commendatory Order, Tan Kah-Kee Commendation Medal |
Projects & Funding
2025 - 2028 | National Natural Science Foundation of China | General Project (Onging) |
| 2021 - 2023 | Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai | Shanghai PuJiang Talent |
| 2021 - 2027 | ShanghaiTech Univesity | Start-up Funding |
| 2019 - 2021 | ETH and Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Cofund | ETH Fellow |
| 2017 - 2018 | China Postdoctoral Science Foundation | General Project (First-rate) |
| 2016 - 2018 | MOHRSS | National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents |
Board Memberships
| 2024 - 2026 | Science Popularization Committee of CCS | Committee Member |
| 2024 - 2026 | National Science Open (NSO) | Youth Editorial Board Member |
| 2023 | NSFC Seminar | Secretary |
| 2023 | Materials Chemistry Frontiers | Guest editor |
Research |
Research
1. Single-atom Catalysts (SAC), focusing on the model systems of 2D metal oxide-supported SAC
2D metal oxide synthesis and crystallization mechanism
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 3254-3260;
Nano Lett. 2025, 25, 1, 56-62
Novel synthetic approach of SAC
Nature Catalysis 2021, 4, 968-975;
Mater. Chem. Front. 2024, 8, 1334
ACS. Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2025,17, 3337-3343;
Chin. J. Struct. Chem. 2025, 44, 100438
2. Solution Chemistry of Ti, focusing on the interconversion of Ti() salts, Ti-oxo clusters, TiO2 polymorphs in solution phase
Speciation of Ti(IV) (aq): coming soon
Speciation of Ti-oxo clusters: Nano Lett. 2025, 25, 1, 56-62
Phase transition of Ti oxides in solution phase: Dalton Trans. 2023, 52, 15590
3. Photosynthesis of H2O2, focusing on the surface chemistry of C3N4
coming soon
Reseach Articles
9. Xiang Ma, Shaohua Chen, Yifei Dang, Kecheng Cao*, Pengxin Liu*, Coordination Equilibrium-Assisted Coprecipitation Synthesis of Atomically Dispersed 3d Metal Catalysts. ACS. Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2025,17, 3337-3343
8. Fan Wu, Lijing Fan, Yanxin Chen, Shaohua Chen, Jiayi Shen, Pengxin Liu*, Crystallization of 2D TiO2 Nanosheets via Oriented Attachment of 1D Coordination Polymer. Nano Lett. 2025, 25, 1, 56-62
7. Jinyun Cui, Tingting Yang, Teng Xu, Jin Lin, Kunlong Liu*, Pengxin Liu*, Hydrogen Spillover Enhances the Selective Hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes on the Cu-O-Ce interface. Chin. J. Struct. Chem. 2025, 44, 100438
6. Ruixuan Qin*, Ziwen Chen, Qingyuan Wu, Nanfeng Zheng, Pengxin Liu*, Supported Atomically Dispersed Pd Catalyzed Direct Alkoxylation and Allylic Alkylation. Chinese J. Chem. 2024, 42, 719-724
Invited Research Article for the Special Issue 'Single-atom Catalysis'
5. Biwen Gao, Kefeng Zhang, Yu Wang*, Jiqing Lu*, Pengxin Liu*, On the Structure Insensitivity of Propane Oxidation over Pt/CeO2: A Comparision between Single Atoms, Clusters and Nanoparticles. Chemcatchem, 2023, e202301160
Invited Research Article for the Special Collection 'Chinesecatchem'
Highlighted by WileyChem
4. Shirui Xie, Lijing Fan, Yanxin Chen, Jiliang Cai, Fan Wu, Kecheng Cao*, Pengxin Liu*, Phase Transition Behaviour and Mechanism of 2D TiO2(B) Nanosheets through Water-mediated Removal of Surface Ligands. Dalton Trans. 2023, 52, 15590
Invited Research Article for the Themed Collection 'New Talents: Asia-Pacific 2023'
Highlighted by ShanghaiTech, SPST
3. Qingyuan Yang, Jiawei Liu, Wentao Cai, Xiao Liang, Zechao Zhuang*, Tao Liao, Fengxian Zhang, Weikang Hu, Pengxin Liu, Sanjun Fan, Wenqian Yu, BingBing Jiang, Cao Li*, Dingsheng Wang*, and Ziqiang Xu*, Non-heme Iron Single-Atom Nanozymes as Peroxidase Mimics for Tumor Catalytic Therapy. Nano Lett. 2023, 23, 8585
2. Ning Liu, Bili Chen, Kunlong Liu, Ruixuan Qin, Jingjuan Wang, Yazhou Zhang, Qinghua Zhang, Lin Gu, Pengxin Liu, Kecheng Cao, Pu Yan, Gang Fu*, Nanfeng Zheng*, Ensemble Effect of the Nickel-Silica Interface Promotes Water-Gas Shift Reaction. ACS Catalysis 2023, 13, 7347
1. Pengxin Liu*; Xing Huang; Deni Mance; Christophe Copéret*, Atomically Dispersed Iridium on MgO(111) Nanosheets Catalyze Benzene-Ethylene Coupling towards Styrene. Nature Catalysis 2021, 4, 968-975
Highlighted by Shanghaitech, Nanoer, Xueyanhui
Review Articles
2. Shaohua Chen, Pengxin Liu*, A Review on the Photochemical Synthesis of Atomically Dispersed Catalysts. Mater. Chem. Front. 2024, 8, 1334
Review for the guest-editing Collection 'Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of ShanghaiTech University'
Editorial for the guest-editing Collection
Highlight by several platforms
1. Fan Wu, Pengxin Liu*, Surface Organometallic Chemistry for Single-site Catalysis and Single-atom Catalysis. Chem. Res. Chin. Univ. 2022, 38, 1139
Invited Review for the Special Issue 'Single-atom Catalysis'
Representative Publication before joining ShanghaiTech
1. Pengxin Liu; Yun Zhao; Ruixuan Qin; Shiguang Mo; Guangxu Chen; Lin Gu; Daniel M Chevrier; Peng Zhang; Qing Guo; Dandan Zang; Binghui Wu; Gang Fu*; Nanfeng Zheng*, Photochemical Route for Synthesizing Atomically Dispersed Palladium Catalysts. Science 2016, 352 (6287), 797-800
Highlighted by ChemistryWorld, NSFC website
Over 1800 citations
2. Pengxin Liu; Ruixuan Qin; Gang Fu*; Nanfeng Zheng*, Surface Coordination Chemistry of Metal Nanomaterials. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139 (6), 2122-2131
3. Pengxin Liu; Nanfeng Zheng*, Coordination Chemistry of Atomically Dispersed Catalysts. Natl. Sci. Rev. 2018, 5 (5), 636-638
4. Pengxin Liu; Yun Zhao; Ruixuan Qin; Lin Gu; Peng Zhang; Gang Fu; Nanfeng Zheng*, A Vicinal Effect for Promoting Catalysis of Pd1/TiO2: Supports of Atomically Dispersed Catalysts Play More Roles than Simply Serving as Ligands. Sci. Bull. 2018, 63 (11), 675-682
5. Pengxin Liu*; Paula M. Abdala; Guillaume Goubert; Marc-Georg Willinger*; Christophe Copéret*, Ultrathin Single-crystalline MgO (111) Nanosheets. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 3254-3260