Tao Zhang

Short CV

Prof. Tao Zhang received his PhD in 1989 from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). After one year at the University of Birmingham as a post-doctoral fellow, he joined DICP again in 1990, where he was promoted to a full professor in 1995. He was the director of DICP for 10 years (2007-2017), and the vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2017-2023). His research interests are mainly focused on single-atom catalysis and catalytic conversion of biomass. He discovered a new process from cellulose to ethylene glycol in 2008 and accomplished a pilot demonstration (1000 ton/year) in 2023 in China. Particularly, in 2011, he coined a new concept of “Single-Atom Catalysis”, which is now one of the hottest research frontiers in catalysis. For his seminal contributions to the development and application of single-atom catalysis, the 2024 Future Science Prize in Physical Science goes to Tao Zhang. In addition, Tao Zhang has won many other important awards, such as the National Invention Prize, Distinguished Award of CAS, and Excellent Scientist Award of Chinese Catalysis Society. Tao Zhang is the author or co-author of more than 600 peer-reviewed scientific publications with h-index 120 and 110 patents (based on web of science until Dec. 31, 2024). He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Chinese Journal of Catalysis, Editorial Board Members of Applied Catalysis B, Green Chemistry, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, ChemPhysChem and Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. He was elected as academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2013, fellow of TWAS in 2018, and international fellow of Canadian Engineering Academy in 2020.

Selected Awards

• 2024, the Future Science Prize
• 2024, Tang Ao-Chin Award of Chinese Chemical Society
• 2023, Advance of Catalysis Award of the Asian-Pacific Association of Catalysis Societies
• 2023, Distinguished Award of Chinese Chemical Society – SINOPEC
• 2019, ChinaNano Award
• 2018, Science China Materials Innovation Award
• 2016, The Science and Technology Progress Award of HLHL Foundation
• 2010, Distinguished Award of Chinese Academy of Sciences
• 2009, Zhou Guang Zhao Foundation Award for Applied Science
• 2008, 2006, 2005, National Award for Technology Invention
• 2003, Outstanding Young Scientists award from NSF China

Research Interests

Catalysis, Surface Science, Biomass conversion, Mössbauer spectroscopy

Selected Publications

• Z. Yu, S. Zhang, L. Zhang, X. Liu, Z. Jia, L. Li, N. Ta, A. Wang, W. Liu, A. Wang, T. Zhang, Suppressing metal leaching and sintering in hydroformylation reaction by modulating the coordination of Rh single atoms with reactants, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 11988-11967.
• H. Qi, Y. Li, Z. Zhou, Y. Cao, F. Liu, W. Guan, L. Zhang, X. LIU, Y. Su, K. Junge, X. Duan, M. Beller, A. Wang, T. Zhang, Synthesis of piperidines and pyridine from furfural over a surface single-atom alloy Ru₁Co_NP catalyst, Nature Commun. 2023, 14, 6329.
• Y. Zhou, F. Wei, H. Qi, Y. Chai, L. Cao, J. Lin, Q. Wan, X. Liu, Y. Xing, S. Lin, A. Wang, X. Wang T. Zhang, Peripheral-nitrogen effects on the Ru₁ centre for highly efficient propane dehydrogenation, Nature Catal. 2022, 5, 1145-1156.
• J. Yang, W. Liu, M. Xu, X. Liu, H. Qi, L. Zhang, X. Yang, S. Niu, D. Zhou, Y. Liu, Y. Su, J. Li, Z. Tian, W. Zhou, A. Wang, T. Zhang, Dynamic behavior of single-atom catalysts in electrocatalysis: identification of Cu-N₃ as an active site for the oxygen reduction reaction, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 14530-14539.
• B. Zhang, T. Guo, Y. Liu, F. E. Kühn, C. Wang, Z. K. Zhao, J. Xiao, C. Li, T. Zhang, Sustainable producdtion of benzylamines from lignin, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.2021, 60, 20666-20671.
• L. Zhang, M. Zhou, A. Wang, T. Zhang, Selective hydrogenation over supported metal catalysts: from nanoparticles to single atoms, Chem. Rev. 2020, 120, 683-733.
• H. B. Yang, S. F. Hung, S. Liu, K. D. Yuan, S. Miao, L. P. Zhang, X. Huang, H. Y. Wang, W. Z. Cai, R. Chen, J. J. Gao, X. F. Yang, W. Chen, Y. Q. Huang, H. M. Chen, C. M. Li, T. Zhang, B. Liu, Atomically dispersed Ni(I) as the active site for electrochemical CO₂ reduction. Nat. Energy, 2018, 3, 140-147.
• X. F. Yang, A. Wang, B. Qaio, J. Li, J, Liu, T. Zhang, Single-Atom Catalysts: A New Frontier in Heterogeneous Catalysis, Acc. Chem. Res. 2013, 46, 1740-1748.
• B. Qiao, A. Wang, X. Yang, L. F. Allard, Z. Jiang, Y. Cui, J. Liu, J. Li, T. Zhang, Single-atom catalysis of CO oxidation using Pt₁/FeO_x, Nature Chem. 2011, 3, 634-641.
• N. Ji, T. Zhang, M. Zheng, A. Wang, H. Wang, X. Wang, J. G. Chen, Direct catalytic conversion of cellulose into ethylene glycol using nickel-promoted tungsten carbide catalysts, Angew. Chem. Int .Ed. 2008, 47, 8510-8513.