The overall research goal is the design, synthesis and characterization of new materials with an emphasis on understanding the fundamental issues of structural assembly and growth that will enable the rational control of the material composition, micro/nano-structure, morphology, property and functionality. Molecular sieves, and mesoporous (1.5–40.0nm), electro-optic materials, low-dimensional nanomaterials and organic-inorganic hybrid materials with especial interesting frameworks are being synthesized and studied. Current research topics in my laboratory are focused on synthesis and characterization of various advanced materials such as microporous materials, zeolites and mesoporous molecular sieves and porous coordination polymers, metal-organic frameworks and low-dimensional nanoscale materials. Synthesis of new materials and understanding of the synthesis mechanism are a target of primary importance among the research topics. Our research approaches center on self-assembly and supramolecular templating, molecular and block unite tailoring to prepare novel catalytic, electronic, and optical materials. These materials have a variety of possible applications including catalysis, separation, and electro-photonic microdevice.

Prof Zhao’s research group is currently investigating:

• Designed Synthesis of Microporous Solids, Molecular Sieves
• Synthesis and Assembly of Mesostructured Materials
• Synthesis of Porous Metal-Organic Frameworks
• Rational Synthesis and Organization of Low-dimensional Nanoscale Material Arrays

Professor Dongyuan Zhao received his Master’s degree from the Chemistry Department of the Jilin University (China) (1987), and his PhD from Jilin University and Dalin Institute of Chemical Physics (1990). He began his academic career as a lecturer in the Chemical Engineering Department at the Shenyang Institute of Chemical Technology, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1992. In 1992-93, he was a visiting scholar in the Chemistry Department of University of Regina (Canada). After postdoctoral research at the Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel), University of Houston (USA) and the University of California Santa Barbara (USA), he joined the faculty of the Fudan University in 1998, where he is now Professor in the Department of Chemistry.

Prof Zhao has been active in academia, serving as pluralistic professors of East China Normal University and Xiamen University. He was the member of academic committees in Nano Sci&Tech Research Center at Xiamen University, Nano Sci&Tech Research Center at Nanjing University and the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Ceramic Materials at Shanghai Institute of Ceramics. He was the Vice-Editor-of-Chief of the Chinese Science Bulletin, and also joined the editorial board of some professional journals, such as Acta Petrolei Sinica and the Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology. He has overseen 18 key and major programs of National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and Ministry of Science and Technology. In addition, he was also the technology consultant of SBA Inc. (USA).  Recent honors include President of the 5^th International Mesostructured Materials Symposium in Shanghai (2006), Feinberg Fellowship at Weizmann Institute of Science, Distinguished Post-doctoral Award (American Chemical Society, 1998), New Century Distinguished Young Professor Award (Ministry of Education, 1999), Outstanding Young Scientist Award (National Natural Science Foundation of China, 1999), Cheung Kong Program Special Professorship (Ministry of Education, 2000), Shanghai Scientific Talent (2002), Mudan Research Prize (2002), First Prize of Shanghai Science and Technology Promotion Prize (2002), and he was recognized as one of 48 top authors in the past fifteen years by Adv. Mater.

He has published more than 140 papers, reviews, and communications, plus he has six US Patents and 22 China Patents. He has been invited to write review papers for Encyclopedia of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and Current Opinion in Solid State and Materials. He has been a keynote, or named lecturer at more than 10 international symposia and invited to give more than 30 lectures at renowned universities and institutes. To date, he has educated 13 PhD students, 10 Masters student. students and six postdoctoral associates.