Zhen Chen

Dr. Zhen Chen is currently Associate Professor and Core-PI at Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University.  He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Tokyo, in 2016 under the supervision of Prof. Takuzo Aida, and then worked as a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Vivian Wing-Wah Yam’s group at the University of Hong Kong during 2017–2021.  Dr. Chen’s research interests mainly focus on functional organic polymers and supramolecular self-assembled soft materials.  He has published over 10 papers, including in Nature Materials, Nature Communications, PNAS, J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. etc., and applied for 1 patent.   He previously got Japan Government MEXT Scholarship.

Oct. 2011 - Dec. 2016, Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biotechnology, The University of Tokyo, Japan

Sep. 2008 - Jul. 2011, M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, China

Sep. 2004 - Jul. 2008, B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, China

Dec.2023-present，Associate Professor, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, China

Jun. 2021 - Dec. 2023, Assistant Professor, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, China

Apr. 2017 - Jun. 2021, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, China (Hong Kong)

Oct. 2014 - Apr. 2017, Research Associate, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Japan

Chen’s group is looking for highly motivated Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows with background in one of the following fields including polymeric/organic soft materials, supramolecular chemistry, and chemical engineering.

Applicants should send their CV to zhen.chen@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn.

Supramolecular autocatalysis; polymeric membranes and artificial water channels; organic cathode materials for batteries.

The main focus of Chen’s group is on creating advanced soft materials including liquid crystals, 2D porous polymers, biomimetic materials, functional supramolecular polymers, etc., with controlled micro- and macroscopic structures, and exploring their applications in green synthesis (autocatalytic systems), energy store (organic batteries) and membrane engineering (desalination and gas separation), for a sustainable future. Besides, the manipulation of interfacial supramolecular interactions between designed molecules and nanomaterials including 2D nanosheets, cellulose nanocrystals, carbon nanotubes, graphene oxide, clusters and nanoparticles, etc. are of our great interest for the development of functional composites towards the multicomponent co-assembly and 3D printing. Our research projects are listed as follows:

1)    Design, construction and applications of supramolecular autocatalytic systems;

2)    Development of polymeric membranes and artificial water channels for ion sieving;

3)    Development of organic cathode materials for batteries.

1. Chen, Z., Suzuki, Y., Imayoshi, A., Ji, X., Rao, K. V., Omata, Y., Miyajima, D., Sato, E., Nihonyanagi, A., Aida, T. Solvent-free autocatalytic supramolecular polymerization. Nat. Mater., 2022, 21, 253–261.

2. Poon, J. K.-L., Chen, Z. (Equal contribution), Leung, S. Y.-L., Leung, M.-Y., Yam, V. W.-W. Geometrical manipulation of complex supramolecular tessellations by hierarchical assembly of amphiphilic platinum(II) complexes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2021, 118, e2022829118.

3. Yao, L., Chen, Z., Zhang, K., Yam, V. W.-W. Heterochiral self-discrimination-driven supramolecular self-assembly of decanuclear gold(I)-sulfido complexes into 2D nanostructures with chiral anions-tuned morphologies. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2020, 59, 21163–21169.

4. Chen, Z., Chan, M. H.-Y., Yam, V. W.-W. Stimuli-responsive two-dimensional supramolecular polymers based on trinuclear platinum(II) scaffolds: reversible modulation of photoluminescence, cavity size, and water permeability. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2020, 142, 16471–16478.

5. Chen, Z., Yam, V. W.-W. Precise size-selective sieving of nanoparticles using a highly oriented two-dimensional supramolecular polymer. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2020, 59, 4840–4845.

6. Chen, Z., Chan, A. K.-W., Wong, V. C.-H., Yam, V. W.-W. A supramolecular strategy toward an efficient and selective capture of platinum(II) complexes. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2019, 141, 11204–11211.

7. Chen, Z., Chan, Y.-T., Miyajima, D., Kajitani, T., Kosaka, A., Fukushima, T., Lobez, J. M., Aida, T. A design principle of polymers processable into 2D homeotropic order. Nat. Commun., 2016, 7, 13640.

8. Chen, Z., He, Y., Wang, Y., Wang, X. Amphiphilic diblock copolymer with dithienylethene pendants: synthesis and photo-modulated self-assembly. Macromol. Rapid Commun., 2011, 32, 977–982.

Chen, Z., He, Y., Guo, M., Wang, X. Preparation method of dianhydride monomer containing chiral dianhydrohexitol. Bibliographic data: CN101648958 (B)-16/11/2011.

2021, Overseas High-Caliber Personnel in Shenzhen

2011, Japan Government MEXT Scholarship

2010, “The Friend of Tsinghua” Fellowship