Chem501 Spring Seminar

Speaker: Dr. Jianbing Jiang

Associate Professor                                                                               Department of Chemistry                                                       

University of Cincinnati

UT Host: Dr. Konstantinos Vogiatzis

Title: “Electrocatalysis Using Main-Group-Element-based Molecular Catalysts”

Abstract: Electrocatalytic proton reduction to form dihydrogen (H₂) is an effective way to store energy in the form of chemical bonds. In this talk, I will discuss the applicability of a main-group-element-based tin porphyrin complex as an effective molecular electrocatalyst for proton reduction. A PEGylated Sn porphyrin complex displayed high activity and high selectivity in acetonitrile. The maximum turnover frequency (TOF_max) for H₂ production was obtained as 1099 s^–1. Spectroelectrochemical analysis, in conjunction with quantum chemical calculations, suggest that proton reduction occurs via an Electron-Chemical-Electron-Chemical (ECEC) pathway. This study reveals that the tin porphyrin catalyst serves as a novel platform for investigating molecular electrocatalytic reactions and provides new mechanistic insights into proton reduction.

Bio:  Dr. Jimmy Jiang is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cincinnati. He earned his B.S. from Jiangnan University in 2007 and M.S. from East China University of Science and Technology in 2010. He obtained his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University (advisor: Jonathan Lindsey) working on tetrapyrrole compounds for energy applications. In 2015, he joined Yale University as a Postdoctoral Associate and then an Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Chemistry and Yale Energy Sciences Institute, working with Professors Gary Brudvig and Robert Crabtree on organometallic materials for small molecule activation and energy storage. Jimmy started his independent career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cincinnati in 2018 and was tenured in 2022. He received the NSF CAREER award in 2021.