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Emerging Investigator: Jian Lin at Xi’an Jiaotong University, China

27 Mar 2023

Emerging Investigator: Jian Lin

Position Professor

Postdoc 2014–2016 Argonne National Laboratory

Education 2010–2014 University of Notre Dame (USA) Ph.D.

2006–2009 China Agricultural University M.Sc.

2002–2006 China Agricultural University B.Sc.

Website https://gr.xjtu.edu.cn/en/web/jianlin/home

ORCID 0000-0002-3536-220X Google Scholar

Read Jian Lin’s Emerging Investigator Series article in Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers and learn more about him.


	Topological control of metal–organic frameworks toward highly sensitive and selective detection of chromate and dichromate
	Zi-Jian Li, Yu Ju, Xiao-Ling Wu, Xiaoyun Li, Jie Qiu, Yongxin Li, Zhi-Hui Zhang, Ming-Yang He, Linjuan Zhang, Jian-Qiang Wang and Jian Lin*
	A synthetic modulation approach has given rise to two topologically distinct thorium-based MOFs, whose polymorphism allows for elucidating how the structure of MOF, in isolation, influences the sensing efficacy of Cr(VI) oxyanions.

	From the themed collection: Frontiers Emerging Investigator Series
	The article was first published on 04 Jan 2023
	Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023, 10, 1721-1730
	https://doi.org/10.1039/D2QI02631G

My research interests

Key words: actinide, inorganic chemistry, coordination chemistry, radiochemistry, nuclear science

My research interests mainly focus on developing new synthetic strategies to access crystalline materials, including metal–organic frameworks and clusters, for potential applications in ionizing radiation detection, radionuclide separation, and chemosensing.

10 Facts about me

I published my first academic article in Inorganic Chemistry when I was a graduate student in Prof. Thomas Albrecht-Schoenzart’s group.

An accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is our work of thorium-based nanoclusters, which show photochromism, fluorochromism, and piezochromism.

I am most passionate about my work in actinide chemistry because actinides are the most fascinating elements in the periodic table.

I advise my students to work smart, not just hard.

One of my hidden talents is making crystals.

If I were not a chemist, I would probably be a photographer.

My favourite sport is basketball and Yao Ming is my favourite basketball player.

One thing I cannot live without is my daughter, who has a beautiful and infectious laugh.

My passion besides work is travel and my best travel experience was in New Zealand.

My favourite inspirational quote: “It’s not who you are underneath but what you do that defines you.”

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Emerging Investigator: Justin J. Wilson from Cornell University, USA

16 Dec 2022

Emerging Investigator: Justin J. Wilson

Position Associate Professor

Postdoc 2013–2015 Los Alamos National Laboratory

Education 2008–2013 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ph.D.

2004–2008 UC Berkeley B.Sc.

Website https://wilson.chem.cornell.edu/

ORCID 0000-0002-4086-7982 Google Scholar

Read Justin J. Wilson’s Emerging Investigator Series article in Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers and learn more about him.


	A ferrocene-containing analogue of the MCU inhibitor Ru265 with increased cell permeability
	Zhouyang Huang, Jesse A. Spivey, Samantha N. MacMillan and Justin J. Wilson*
	An analogue of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) inhibitor Ru265 containing axial ferrocenecarboxylate ligands is reported. This new complex exhibits enhanced cellular uptake compared to the parent compound Ru265.

	From the themed collection: Frontiers Emerging Investigator Series
	The article was first published on 06 Dec 2022
	Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023, Advance Article
	https://doi.org/10.1039/D2QI02183H

My research interests

Key words: medicinal inorganic chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, f-element coordination chemistry, radiopharmaceutical chemistry

My research interests broadly span the field of metals in medicine and f-element coordination chemistry. Our group is interested in designing coordination complexes so that they have properties that are suitable for different biomedical applications, including both therapy and diagnosis. Within this area, we have developed metal-based mitochondrial calcium uptake inhibitors that show cytoprotective effects against in vitro models of ischemic stroke. Furthermore, we have interests in the realm of nuclear medicine. In this area, our group design chelating agents that can be used to deliver different diagnostic and therapeutic radiometals to diseased sites in patients. In the general realm of f-element coordination chemistry, we are working to apply our chelators for different applications, including rare earth element separation and isolation.

10 Facts about me

I published my first academic article as a graduate student in Prof. Steve Lippard’s lab. As a young graduate student, it was exciting to translate results from the lab into a tangible product (manuscript), but it also made me realize that there was a lot that goes into every manuscript that is published besides just the research!

An accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is our work in actinium-225 chelation chemistry. Thus far, this work seems like it may have some immediate near-future applications that can harness the therapeutic properties of this radionuclide.

I am most passionate about my work in mentoring students and postdocs because they are dynamic products. Instead of a manuscript or interesting scientific result, mentees go on to do amazing things that I never would have envisioned.

My favourite morning routine is swimming. Starting the day with a good swim gets my head clear for work.

One of my hidden talents is playing guitar. As an undergraduate, I used to play with a lot of my friends.

One thing I cannot live without is my family. Seeing them at the end of everyday always puts work and its demands into perspective.

I advise my students to be curious about everything. If a result doesn’t turn out the way you expect it to, think about if that result could mean something potentially even more impactful.

The most important quality of a mentor is to let students come up with their own ideas and pursue them, but with guidance.

My passion besides work is food and travel. It’s always exciting to try and see new things.

A recent epiphany: you can say “no” to requests on your time. It’s always exciting to participate in different projects, reviewing assignments, and committees, but at a certain point you need to recognize what you can manage effectively.

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Emerging Investigator: Hongwei Yu from Tianjin University of Technology, China

05 Sep 2022

Emerging Investigator: Hongwei Yu

Position Professor

Postdoc 2016–2017 Northwestern University (USA)

2014–2016 University of Houston (USA)

Education 2009–2014 Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics &Chemistry, CAS Ph.D.

2005–2009 Jilin University (China) B.Eng.

ORCID 0000-0002-5607-0628

Read Hongwei Yu’s Emerging Investigator Series article on Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers and learn more about him.


	The exploration of new infrared nonlinear optical crystals based on the polymorphism of BaGa₄S₇
	Zhen Qian, Haonan Liu, Yujie Zhang, Hongping Wu, Zhanggui Hu, Jiyang Wang, Yicheng Wu and Hongwei Yu*
	Two new polymorphism of BaGa₄S₇ was successfully discovered and synthesized. Among them, β-BaGa₄S₇ exhibits the best balance among a large phase-matching SHG response and a wide band gap, as well as the stable physicochemical property.

	From the themed collection: Frontiers Emerging Investigator Series
	The article was first published on 26 Jul 2022
	Inorg. Chem. Front., 2022, Advance Article
	https://doi.org/10.1039/D2QI01263D

My research interests

Key words: nonlinear optical crystals, solid state chemistry, crystal growth

Nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals—the unique materials capable of generating coherent radiation at various difficult-to-access wavelengths through frequency conversion technologies—are of particular importance for laser and photonic technologies. Currently, the commercial NLO crystals are mainly used in the ultraviolet (UV) and visible regions. However, in the deep-UV (λ < 200 nm) and mid-IR (3 μm < λ < 20 μm) regions, the available NLO crystals are still limited. Therefore, my research interests are to design, synthesize and grow new NLO crystals for the laser output in deep-UV and IR regions. The materials classes I am interested in include borates, phosphates, chalcogenides and some heteroanionic compounds, etc.

10 Facts about me

I published my first academic article on synthesis, structure and characterization of a new tripotassium cadmium pentaborate in Journal of Solid State Chemistry in 2011.

An accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is that I have synthesized hundreds of new inorganic crystals and determined their structures by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

My favourite sport is mountain-climbing.

One of my hidden talents is singing.

One thing I cannot live without is delicious food.

My favorite books were tales of mystery when I was a child.

I always believe that a good chemist would also be a good cooker.

In five years, I hope to get an excellent NLO material for achieving highly effective output of deep-UV lasers.

I chose chemistry as a career because chemistry is magical; it can create a new material world.

The best advice I have ever been given is to cherish everything around you.

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Emerging Investigator: Lingling Mao from Southern University of Science and Technology, China

25 Aug 2022

Emerging Investigator: Lingling Mao

Position Associate Professor

Postdoc 2018–2021 UC Santa Barbara

Education 2014–2018 Northwestern University (USA) Ph.D.

2010–2014 Sun Yat-sen University (China) B.Sc.

Group website https://faculty.sustech.edu.cn/maoll/en/

ORCID 0000-0003-3166-8559

Read Lingling Mao’s Emerging Investigator Series article on Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers and learn more about her.


	“Breathing” organic cation to stabilize multiple structures in low-dimensional Ge-, Sn-, and Pb-based hybrid iodide perovskites
	Congcong Chen, Emily E. Morgan, Yang Liu, Jian Chen, Ram Seshadri and Lingling Mao*
	By using S-(2-aminoethyl)isothiouronium (ETU) as the templating cation, five new metal iodide hybrids, (ETU)GeI₄, (ETU)₄Ge₅I₁₈, (ETU)PbI₄ and (ETU)₃Pb₂I₁₀ are reported with varied C–S–C angles in the organic cation.

	From the themed collection: Frontiers Emerging Investigator Series
	The article was first published on 06 Aug 2022
	Inorg. Chem. Front., 2022, Advance Article
	https://doi.org/10.1039/D2QI01247B

My research interest

Key words: Inorganic Chemistry; Materials Chemistry; Solid-state Chemistry

Materials chemistry: designing functional hybrid materials for optoelectronic applications

Establishing structure-property relationship in hybrid materials

10 Facts about me

I am most passionate about my work in discovering new materials. Solving a new crystal structure is the highlight of the day.

My passion besides work is enjoying great food with my friends.

I love skiing, but I have been stuck for two years without skiing due to COVID19.

One of my hidden talents is sketching. I find it very relaxing.

One thing I cannot live without is music. I play music all the time when I’m driving or in the office.

Great papers depend not only on good results, but also on great writing. The writing reflects your thought process and whether you can deliver the essence.

A recent epiphany: work does not define who you are. Work is work.

I advise my students to take charge of their lives, have fun and do good science.

The most important quality of a mentor is to take a back seat when needed, and always be there for your mentees.

I have a cat named Schrödinger. He is an one-year-old blue/white British shorthair.

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Emerging Investigator: Yuanbin Zhang from Zhejiang Normal University, China

26 Jul 2022

Emerging Investigator: Yuanbin Zhang

Position Professor

Education 2013-2018 Zhejiang University Ph.D.

2009-2013 Nanjing University of Sci & Tech B. Eng.

Group website https://www.x-mol.com/groups/zhang_yuanbin

ORCID 0000-0002-8268-384X Google Scholar

Read Yuanbin Zhang’s Emerging Investigator Series article on Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers and learn more about him.


	A new boron cluster anion pillared metal organic framework with ligand inclusion and its selective acetylene capture properties
	Wanqi Sun, Yujie Jin, Yilian Wu, Wushuang Lou, Yanbin Yuan, Simon Duttwyler, Lingyao Wang and Yuanbin Zhang*
	A novel microporous boron cluster pillared metal–organic framework BSF-10 was synthesized with ligand inclusion for efficient C₂H₂/CO₂ and C₂H₂/C₂H₄ adsorption separation.

	From the themed collection: Frontiers Emerging Investigator Series
	The article was first published on 19 Jul 2022
	Inorg. Chem. Front., 2022, Advance Article
	https://doi.org/10.1039/D2QI00890D

My research interest

Key words: metal-organic frameworks, supramolecular organic frameworks, gas separation, porous materials, boron cluster chemistry

My research interests mainly focus on the design of new porous materials for selective gas separation (light hydrocarbon splitting, carbon dioxide capture, etc). The gas separation based on traditional distillation method is highly energy-intensive. My work is to design suitable porous adsorbent to realize energy-efficient adsorptive separation of gas mixtures and investigate the structure-property relationship by experiments and theoretical calculation. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and supramolecular organic frameworks (SOFs) are two main materials that I focus on. For different gas mixtures, I design materials with customized properties to recognize the difference. The ultimate target is to achieve efficient gas separation with both high adsorption capacity and high selectivity. Boron cluster anion hybrid supramolecular metal organic frameworks (BSFs) are a new series of crystalline porous materials developed in my group, which have shown benchmark separation performance for C₃H₈/C₂H₆/CH₄, C₂H₂/C₂H₄ and C₂H₂/CO₂ separation. For gas molecules with high polarity, I introduce electronegative elements (F/O) into MOFs’s pore surface to enhance the host-guest interaction. By this strategy, our group have developed a novel MOF termed as ZNU-2 (ZNU = Zhejiang Normal University) for benchmark C₃H₄/C₃H₆ separation.

10 Facts about me

I published my first academic article in European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry in 2015. It is also the first paper of my PhD research group. I spent nearly two years to finish the work but a Germany group reported a similar results before me.

I chose chemistry as a career because I want to be a scientist since very young and my middle school science teacher piqued my interest in chemistry.

An accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is the design of the first boron cluster anion pillared supramolecular metal organic framework, which displays a new application of anionic boron clusters. This work was published in Angewandte Chemie in 2019.

One of my hidden talents is cooking. I will be a good cooker if I am not a researcher.

My favourite sport is badminton. I ever obtained 3^rd Prize of badminton competition in high school.

A key experience in my education was my visiting time at UCLA. During that stay, I made the decision of changing my research field from organic chemistry to MOFs that I am still insisting on.

The biggest challenge facing me is to get funding as well as to manage the time.

The most important thing I learned from my students is that everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. It is my job to help them become the best version of themselves.

My most important role models are the advisors Duttwyler, Spokoyny, and Xing during my PhD and postdoc study. They are all great scientists and I learned a lot of things from them.

Guaranteed to make me happy is making progress every day and having new discovery from my lab.

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Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers Blog

Archive for the ‘EMI’ Category

Emerging Investigator: Jian Lin at Xi’an Jiaotong University, China

Emerging Investigator: Justin J. Wilson from Cornell University, USA

Emerging Investigator: Hongwei Yu from Tianjin University of Technology, China

Emerging Investigator: Lingling Mao from Southern University of Science and Technology, China

Emerging Investigator: Yuanbin Zhang from Zhejiang Normal University, China

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