RESEARCH INTERESTS:
My research interests focus on the design and synthesis of low-valent group 14 compounds and their application in redox catalysis.
EDUCATION AND ACADEMIC CAREER:
07/2022–Present: Professor, Sichuan University (SCU), China
04/2019–05/2022 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Kay Severin
01/2019–03/2019 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany, Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Thomas Müller
07/2015–12/2018 Ph.D. (Summa Cum Laude), Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany, Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Thomas Müller
09/2012–06/2015 M.Sc., Hangzhou Normal University, China, Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Zhifang Li
HONORS AND AWARDS:
1. 2024 Major Talent Project “Rongpiao Plan” in Chengdu
2. 2023 Young Science and Technology Talent of Sichuan Province
3. 2022 Double Hundred Talents Program of Sichuan University
4. 2018 Best PhD Dissertation Award, Awarded by Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany
5. 2017 Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad, Awarded by China scholarship council (CSC), China
6. 2015 Georg-Lichtenberg-Promotionsstipendien, PhD-Scholarship supported by the State of Lower Saxony, Germany
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
SCU:
12. Zhuchunguang Liu†, Ru-De Lin†, Baihan Ma, Bo Xiao, Xiao Xiao, Xiaoming Zeng*, and Zhaowen Dong*, Catalytic C(sp3)−F Bond Activation at Low-Valent Germanium and Tin Redox Platforms, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, DOI:10.1021/jacs.5c22945.
11. Zexin Qi†, Huan Mu†, Zhuchunguang Liu†, Yihan Zhou, Huan Mu, Bo Xiao, Jiliang Zhou, Xiaoming Zeng, and Zhaowen Dong*, T-Shaped Stannyliumylidene Ion: Synthesis, Reactivity, and Redox Catalysis, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2026, e7786614.
10. Huan Mu, and Zhaowen Dong*, Mechanistic Insights into E(II)-Catalyzed (E = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) C−F Activation/C−C Cross Coupling Reactions, Inorg. Chem. 2026, 65, 2060−2069.
9. Jiwei Yi, Shuaiyong Zhao, Honxiang Li, Xiaoyu Zhang, Zhaowen Dong* and Xiaoming Zeng*, Mechanistic Insights into E(II)-Catalyzed (E = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) C−F Activation/C−C Cross Coupling Reactions Cross-Electrophile Stannylation of Alkyl Triflates and Halides with Chlorostannanes Enabled by Cr(II)-phenanthroline Catalysis, Org. Chem. Front. 2026, DOI: 10.1039/d6qo00058d.
8. Zhuchunguang Liu†, Xiaojian Li†, Zhijun Wang†, Huan Mu, Bo Xiao, Weichao Xue, Jiliang Zhou, and Zhaowen Dong*, EII/EIVO (E = Ge, Sn) Catalyzed Nitrous Oxide Activation and Chemodivergent Reduction of Nitroarenes, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, e202515638.
7. Yihan Zhou†, Zhuchunguang Liu†, Huan Mu†, Hanjiao Chen, Xinran Fu, Bo Xiao, Weichao Xue, Jiliang Zhou, and Zhaowen Dong*, Germanium-Mediated Catalysis via Ge(II)/Ge(III)/Ge(IV) or Ge(II)/Ge(IV) Redox Cycling, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 36752−36762.
6. Yuankai Li†, Huan Mu†, Zhuchunguang Liu†, Zexin Qi, Jiliang Zhou, and Zhaowen Dong*, Dicationic 1-Germa and 1-Stannavinylidenes: Synthesis, Structure and Reactivity, JACS Au 2025, 5, 1289−1298.
5. Chang He†, Zhenbo Guo†, Zhijun Wang†, Yi Ji, Linrui Li, Xin Qiu, Zhuo Liu, Zhaowen Dong*, Guangjin Hou, Meng Wang, Fan Zhang, Reactant-modulated Catalytic Alcoholysis of Polylactic Acid from Real-life Biodegradable Plastic Waste, Chin. J. Catal 2025, 78, 192−201.
4. Zhuo Liu†, Cheng Li†, Rongxin Zhang, Rude Lin, Zhaowen Dong, Bo Peng*, Fan Zhang*, Guangjin Hou, Meng Wang, Fan Zhang, Ethanol-Promoted Efficient Alcohol-Aminolysis of Poly(bisphenol A carbonate), Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2025, 64, 17272−17280.
3. Zhuchunguang Liu†, Zhijun Wang†, Huan Mu, Yihan Zhou, Jiliang Zhou, Zhaowen Dong*, Synthesis and Redox Catalysis of Carbodiphosphorane Ligated Stannylene, Nat. Commun. 2024, 15, 9849.
2. Bastiaan Kooij, Zhaowen Dong, Farzaneh Fadaei-Tirani, Rosario Scopelliti, Kay Severin*, Synthesis and Reactivity of an Anionic Diazoolefin, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202308625.
1. Paul Varava, Tak Hin Wong, Zhaowen Dong, Anastasia Yu. Gitlina, Andrzej Sienkiewicz, Wolfram Feuerstein, Rosario Scopelliti, Farzaneh Fadaei-Tirani, Kay Severin*, Head-to-Tail Dimerization of N-Heterocyclic Diazoolefins, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e2023033.
Before SCU:
1. Paul Varava; Zhaowen Dong, Rosario Scopelliti, Farzaneh Fadaei-Tirani, Kay Severin*, Isolation and Characterization of Diazoolefins, Nat. Chem. 2021, 13, 1055−1060.
2. Zhaowen Dong, Jan Mathis Winkler, Marc Schmidtmann, Thomas Müller*, Three-membered Cyclic Digermylenes Stabilized by an N-heterocyclic Carbene, Chem. Sci. 2021, 12, 6287−6292. (featured on the inside cover; selected as 2021 Chemical Science HOT article; highlighted in ChemistryViews)
3. Zhaowen Dong, Lena Albers, Thomas Müller*, Trialkylsilyl-Substituted Silole and Germole D ianions as Precursors for Unusual Silicon and Germanium Compounds, Acc. Chem. Res. 2020, 53, 532−543.
4. Zhaowen Dong, Cristian Pezzato, Andrzej Sienkiewicz, Rosario Scopelliti, Farzaneh Fadaei Tirani, Kay Severin*, SET Processes in Lewis Acid–Base Reactions: The Tritylation of N-Heterocyclic Carbenes, Chem. Sci. 2020, 11, 7615−7618.
5. Zhaowen Dong, Katja Bedbur, Marc Schmidtmann, Thomas Müller*, Hafnocene-based Bicyclo[2.1.1]hexene Germylenes–Formation, Reactivity, and Structural Flexibility, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 3052−3060.
6. Zhaowen Dong, Hanna H. Cramer, Marc Schmidtmann, Lucas A. Paul, Inke Siewert, Thomas Müller*, Evidence for Single Electron Shift in a Lewis Acid Base Reaction, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 15419−15424. (featured on the supplementary cover; highlighted in Nachr. Chem.)
7. Zhaowen Dong, Oliver Janka, Jutta Koesters, Marc Schmidtmann, Thomas Müller*, A Dimeric η1, η5-Germole Dianion Bridged Titanium(III) Complex with a Multicenter Ti-Ge-Ge-Ti Bond, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 8634−8638.
8. Patrik. Tholen, Zhaowen Dong, Marc Schmidtmann, Lena Albers, Thomas. Müller*, A Neutral η5-Aminoborole Complex of Germanium(II), Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 13319–13324.
9. Zhaowen Dong, Crispin R. W. Reinhold, Marc Schmidtmann, Thomas Müller*, A Stable Silylene with a σ2, π-Butadiene Ligand, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 7117−7123.
10. Zhaowen Dong, Crispin R. W. Reinhold, Marc Schmidtmann, Thomas Müller*, A Germylene Stabilized by Homoconjugation, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 15899−15904.
11. Xu-Qiong Xiao#, Zhaowen Dong# (co-first author), Zhifang Li*, Chenting Yan, Guoqiao Lai, Mitsuo Kira*, 1,3-D iazasilabicyclo[1.1.0]butane with a Long Bridging N-N Bond, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 3758−3762.
12. Zhaowen Dong*, Andrzej Sienkiewicz, Abdusalom A. Suleymanov, Cesare Berton, Farzaneh Fadaei-Tirani, Rosario Scopelliti, Kay Severin*, A Mesoionic Diselenolene Anion and the Corresponding Radical Dianion, Chem. Eur. J. 2022, 28, e20220089.
13. Zhaowen Dong, J. Terence Blaskovits, Farzaneh Fadaei-Tirani, Rosario Scopelliti, Andrzej Sienkiewicz, Clémence Corminboeuf*, Kay Severin*, Tuning the π-Accepting Properties of Mesoionic Carbenes: A Combined Computational and Experimental Study, Chem. Eur. J. 2021, 27, 11983-11988.
14. Zhaowen Dong, Marc Schmidtmann, Thomas Müller*, Potassium Salts of 2,5‐Bis(trimethylsily l)‐Germolide: Switching between Aromatic and Non‐Aromatic States, Chem. Eur. J. 2019, 25, 10858−10865. (selected as hot paper and featured on the front cover)
15. Zhaowen Dong, Lena Albers, Marc Schmidtmann, Thomas Müller*, A Germacalicene: Synthesis, Structure, and Reactivity, Chem. Eur. J. 2019, 25, 1098−1105. (selected as hot paper)
16. Zhaowen Dong, Crispin R. W. Reinhold, Marc Schmidtmann, Thomas Müller*, Trialkylsilyl-Substituted Silole and Germole Dianions, Organometallics 2018, 37, 4736−4743.
17. Zhaowen Dong, Zhifang Li*, Xupeng Liu, Chenting Yan, Ningka Wei, Mitsuo Kira*, Thomas Müller*, Dihydrogen Splitting Using Dialkylsilylene-Based Frustrated Lewis Pairs, Chem. Asian J. 2017, 12, 1204−1207.
18. Zhaowen Dong, Marc Schmidtmann, Thomas Müller*, Reactivity of a Bicyclo[2.1.1]hexene Germylene towards Elemental Chalcogens, Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 2018, 644, 1041–1046.
19. Zhaowen Dong, Xuqiong Xiao, Zhifang Li*, Qiong Lu, Guoqiao Lai, Mitsuo Kira*, Elusive 2H-1,2-Oxasiletes Through Reactions of an Isolable Dialkylsilylene with Diazocarbonyl Compounds, Org. Biomol. Chem. 2015, 13, 9471−9476.
20. Bastiaan Kooij, Zhaowen Dong, Paul Varava, Farzaneh Fadaei-Tirani, Rosario Scopelliti, Laura Piveteau and Kay Severin*, Vanadium Complexes with N-Heterocyclic Vinylidene Ligands, Chem. Commun. 2022, 58, 4204–4207.
21. Hong Zhang, Felix Thomas Eickemeyer, ……. Zhaowen Dong, Jovana V. Milić*, Michael Grätzel*, Multimodal Host–Guest Complexation for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Photovoltaics, Nat. Commun. 2021, 12, 3383–3393.
22. Shaofeng Pang,* Fangfang Liu, Yujing Zhang, Zhaowen Dong, Qiong Su, Wenfang Wang, Zhenhua Li, Feng Zhou, and Yanbin Wang*, Construction of Functional Superhydrophobic Biochars as Hydrogen Transfer Catalysts for Dehydrogenation of N-Heterocycles, ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2021, 9, 9062–9077.
23. Abdusalom A. Suleymanov, Eliott Le Du, Zhaowen Dong, Bastian Muriel, Rosario Scopelliti, Farzaneh Fadaei-Tirani, Jeróme Waser,* and Kay Severin*, Triazene-Activated Donor–Acceptor Cyclopropanes: Ring-Opening and (3+2) Annulation Reactions, Org. Lett. 2020, 11, 4517−4522.
24. Crispin R. W. Reinhold, Zhaowen Dong, Jan M. Winkler, Henning Steinert, Marc Schmidtmann, and Thomas Meller*, A One-Step Germole to Silole Transformation and a Stable Isomer of a Disilabenzene, Chem. Eur. J. 2018, 24, 848−854.
25. Xupeng Liu, Xuqiong Xiao, Zheng Xu, Xiuming Yang, Zhifang Li*, Zhaowen Dong, Chengting Yan, Guoqiao Lai, Mitsuo Kira*, Reactions of an Isolable Dialkylsilylene with Carbon Dioxide and Related Heterocumulenes, Organometallics 2014, 33, 5434−5439.
