个人简介

聂伟轩，江苏扬州人。2012年、2015年于南京大学获得化学专业理学学士学位、无机化学专业硕士学位。 2015 – 2021年在美国密歇根大学（University of Michigan, Ann Arbor）攻读无机化学专业并获得博士学位。2021年5月起在美国加州理工学院 (California Institute of Technology, Caltech)，加盟美国能源部组建的“液体阳光研究联盟” （The Liquid Sunlight Alliance, LiSA）从事博士后研究工作。曾荣获国家优秀自费留学生奖学金、美国化学会无机化学青年学者奖（ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry Young Investigator Award）、美国南京大学教育基金会奖学金（American NJUEF Scholarship）等奖项。聂伟轩博士于2023年冬季加入西湖大学工学院任特聘研究员，助理教授，独立PI，建立“电化学催化CO₂转化”实验室。

研究方向

随着我国“碳达峰”、“碳中和”科学发展目标的提出，利用绿色电能将二氧化碳（CO₂）通过电化学催化方式转变成生产/生活所需的能源产物（如合成气、甲烷、乙烯、乙醇等），成为“碳减排”方式以外能够实现高效“碳循环”，并促进能源产业升级的有效技术途径。基于此愿景，高效催化剂的设计以及对电化学催化CO₂还原反应（CO₂ reduction，CO₂R）机理的研究尤为关键。近年来，大量分子催化剂（金属离子/有机配体形成的配合物分子）和固体催化剂（金属及其合金电极，碳及其参杂材料、MOF/COF新型催化材料等）被设计出来，但是绝大部分都基于实验室理想的测试环境，而对工业生产条件下的实际问题考虑不足。聂伟轩教授课题组研究将聚焦于该领域两大催化剂类别——分子催化剂和固体催化剂受限于实际生产条件和要求的瓶颈问题：

1. 分子催化剂：

a) 如何降低能耗而提高催化活性？

打破传统分子催化剂“催化活性”与“有效过电位”的关联限制（scaling relationships），设计出在较低CO₂R过电位下具有高催化活性的新颖分子催化剂体系，实现“节能”与“高产”的同步优化。

b) 产生高价值的CO₂还原产物

通过对传统CO₂还原机理的突破和改变，以及对新颖分子催化剂结构的设计，期待发展出能够将CO₂高选择性地催化还原成>2电子（除CO与甲酸以外的）高阶还原产物的分子催化体系。

2. 固体催化剂：

a) 如何提高工业生产中CO₂气体的利用率？

调控催化剂表面微环境，实现酸性溶液中高效的CO₂还原，避免CO₂气体在电解液中形成碳酸根离子，提高CO₂利用率。

b) 有效利用工业废气中的CO₂

调控催化剂表面微环境，实现低浓度非纯态CO₂气体的有效催化还原。

代表论文（*代表通讯作者）

At Westlake

5. Hailong Li, Yizhou Wu, Yuxuan Wang, Kai Zhang, Jin Zhu, Yuan Ji, Tao Gu, Weixuan Nie, Licheng Sun*, and Yajie Wang*, “Bifunctional Rh^III-complex catalyzed CO₂ reduction and NADH regeneration for direct bioelectrochemical synthesis of C₃ and C₄”, ACS Catal. 2024, 14, XXX, 17201–17208, https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.4c05457

4. Madeline H. Hicks, † Weixuan Nie,† Annette E. Boehme, Harry A. Atwater*, Theodor Agapie* and Jonas C. Peters*, “Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction in Acidic Electrolytes: Spectroscopic Evidence for Local pH Gradients”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 36, 25282–25289.  https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c09512 (†: Co-First Author)

3. Shaoyang Lin,† Yuval Fishler,† Soonho Kwon, † Annette Böhme, Weixuan Nie, Moon Young Yang, Jesse Matthews, Zachery W. B. Iton, Brian C. Lee, Thomas Jaramillo, Harry A. Atwater, William A. Goddard III,* Wilson A. Smith, * Kimberly A. See*, “Cooperative Effects Associated with High Electrolyte Concentrations in Driving the Conversion of CO₂ to C₂H₄ on Copper”, 2024, under review.

2. Jukai Zhou†, Weixuan Nie†, Drew E. Tarnopol, and Charles C.L. McCrory*, “Co-Co and Co-Zn Bimetallic Complexes for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction: The Role of Interrelated Intramolecular Effects on Activity”, Chem Catalysis, 2024, 4, 101006, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.checat.2024.101006  (†: Co-First Author)

A special preview of our work:

David S. Tresp, Demyan E. Prokopchuk*, “Leveraging intramolecular electrostatics to boost electrocatalytic CO2 reduction”, Chem Catalysis, 2024, 4, 101053, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.checat.2024.101053

1. Yingshuo Liu, Shuaishuai Lyu, Fuli Wen, Weixuan Nie* and Shuqing Wang*, “Polymer-encapsulated metal complex catalysts: An emerging and efficient platform for electrochemical CO2 reduction”, Journal of Materials Science & Technology, 2024, 172, 33-50. (*: Co-Corresponding Author)

Prior to Westlake

15. Weixuan Nie, Madeline H. Hicks, Theodor Agapie* and Jonas C. Peters*, “Mixed N-Aryl Pyridinium Films Enable Modular Catalyst Microenvironments for Performing CO₂ Reduction at Low pH”, 2024, Manuscript in Preparation.

14. Gavin P. Heim, Weixuan Nie, Jonas C. Peters* and Theodor Agapie*, “High Selectivity and Performance for C_≥2 Products from CO₂ Reduction in Low pH Electrolytes on Cu Electrodes Modified with Polyaromatic N-Heterocycle Molecular Additives”, 2024, Manuscript in Preparation.

13. Weixuan Nie, Gavin P. Heim, Nicholas B. Watkins, Theodor Agapie* and Jonas C. Peters*, “Organic Additive-derived Films on Cu Electrodes Promote Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction to C₂₊ Products Under Strongly Acidic Conditions”, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2023, 62, e202216102.

12. Nicholas B. Watkins†, Yueshen Wu† Weixuan Nie, Jonas C. Peters* and Theodor Agapie*, “In-Situ Deposited Polyaromatic Layer Generates Robust Copper Catalyst for Selective Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction at Neutral and Low pH”, ACS Energy Lett., 2023, 8, 189-195.

11. Weixuan Nie* and Charles C. L. McCrory*, “Strategies for Breaking Molecular Scaling Relationships for the Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction Reaction”, Dalton Trans., 2022, 51, 6993-7010. (*: Co-Corresponding Author).

Invited perspective/review article to Themed Collection: 2022 Frontier and Perspective Articles.

Included in Themed Collection: Dalton Transactions HOT Articles.

10. Weixuan Nie, Drew Tarnopol and Charles C. L. McCrory*, “Enhancing a Molecular Electrocatalyst’s Activity for CO₂ Reduction by Simultaneously Modulating Three Substituent Effects”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 3764-3778.

9. Weixuan Nie, Drew Tarnopol and Charles C. L. McCrory*, “The Effect of Extended Conjugation on Electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction by Molecular Catalysts and Macromolecular Structures”, Curr. Opin. Electrochem. 2021, 28, 100716.

8. Weixuan Nie, Yanming Wang, Ammar Ibrahim, Ziqiao Xu and Charles C. L. McCrory*, “Electrocatalytic CO₂ Reduction by Cobalt Bis(pyridylmonoimine) Complexes: Effect of Ligand Flexibility on Catalytic Activity”, ACS Catal., 2020, 10, 4942-4959.

7. Yingshuo Liu†, Aniruddha Deb†, Kwan Yee Leung, Weixuan Nie, William Dean, James E. Penner-Hahn*, Charles C. L. McCrory*, “Determining the Coordination Environment and Electronic Structure of Polymer-Encapsulated Cobalt Phthalocyanine under Electrocataytic Conditions using In Situ X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy”, Dalton Trans., 2020, 49, 16329-16339.

6. Weixuan Nie, and Charles C. L. McCrory*. “Electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction by a cobalt bis(pyridylmonoimine) complex: effect of acid concentration on catalyst activity and stability”, Chem. Commun., 2018, 54, 1579-1582.

5. Kun Fan, Song-Song Bao, Wei-Xuan Nie, Chwen-Haw Liao, and Li-Min Zheng*, “Iridium(III)-Based Metal−Organic Frameworks as Multiresponsive Luminescent Sensors for Fe³⁺, Cr₂O₇²⁻, and ATP²⁻ in Aqueous Media”, Inorg. Chem. 2018, 57, 1079−1089.

4. Kun Fan†, Wei-Xuan Nie†, Lu-Ping Wang, Chwen-Haw Liao, Song-Song Bao, and Li-Min Zheng*, “Defective Metal-Organic Frameworks Incorporating Iridium-Based Metalloligands: Sorption and Dye Degradation Properties”, Chem. Eur. J. 2017, 23, 6615−6624. (†: Co-First Author)

3. Yue-Biao Zhang, Hiroyasu Furukawa, Nakeun Ko, Weixuan Nie, Hye Jeong Park, Satoshi Okajima, Kyle E. Cordova, Hexiang Deng, Jaheon Kim, and Omar M. Yaghi*, “Introduction of Functionality, Selection of Topology, and Enhancement of Gas Adsorption in Multivariate Metal−Organic Framework-177”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 2641−2650.

2. Tao Zheng, Zhong-Sheng Cai, Wei-Xuan Nie, Min Ren, Song-Song Bao* and Li-Min Zheng*, “Modulating the Microporosity of Cobalt Phosphonates via Positional Isomerism of Co-linkers”, CrystEngComm, 2015, 17, 8926–8932.

1. Wei-Xuan Nie, Song-Song Bao, Dai Zeng, Li-Rong Guo‡ and Li-Min Zheng*, “Exfoliated Layered Copper Phosphonate Showing Enhanced Adsorption Capability Towards Pb Ions”, Chem. Commun., 2014, 50, 10622-10625.

联系方式

电子邮箱：nieweixuan@westlake.edu.cn

课题组诚聘各阶段的学者，包括博士后、博士研究生、研究助理以及行政助理。欢迎对我们研究方向感兴趣，具有化学合成、电化学催化，分子设计，材料科学或化学工程背景的学者加入我们，请通过电子邮件联系并附上简历。