RESEARCH INTERESTS:
(1) Chiroptical materials (e.g., helical conjugated polymers). (2) Novel polymer upcycling strategies. (3) Predicting reaction pathways and materials properties via theoretical calculations.
EDUCATION AND ACADEMIC CAREER:
12/2022–present, Professor, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University (SCU)
08/2019–02/2022, Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Department of Chemistry, Columbia University (Adviser: Professor Colin Nuckolls)
09/2013–07/2019, Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, University of Minnesota (Adviser: Professor Thomas R. Hoye)
09/2009–07/2013, B.S. in Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC)
HONORS AND AWARDS:
TianFu E’Mei Project for Young Scholars, Sichuan Province 2024
Excellent Young Scientists Fund Program (Overseas) 2022
Department of Chemistry’s Award for Doctoral Thesis Excellence, UMN 2019
Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad 2018
Outstanding Graduate Award, USTC 2013
Huang Minglong Scholarship, USTC 2011
EDITORIAL BOARDS:
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
(†equal contribution; *correspondence; ‡undergraduate student)
At SCU
1) Zhang, S.; Wang, J.‡; Su, D.‡; Xiao, X.* Facile Visible-Light Upcycling of Diverse Waste Plastics Using a Single Organocatalyst with Minimal Loadings. Nat. Commun. 2025, 16, 4188. (link)
2) Bræstrup, C.†; Xiao, X.†; García-González, F.†; Brock-Nannestad, T.; Aranda, D.; Bao, S. T.; Cavlovic, D.; Jiang, H.; Ng, F.; Nuckolls, C.; Santoro, F.; Pittelkow, M. Helical Ladder Oligomers Exhibit Amplified Circularly Polarized Emission. Adv. Optical Mater. 2025, 2403061. (link)
3) Xiao, X.*; Cheng, Q.; Bao, S. T.; Jin, Z.; Sun, S.; Jiang, H.; Steigerwald, M. L.; Nuckolls, C.* Single-Handed Helicene Nanoribbons via Transfer of Chiral Information. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 20214–20220. (link)
Before SCU
4) Xiao, X.; Nuckolls, C. Helicene-Based Electron Acceptors. In Helicenes; Crassous, J., Stará, I. G., Starý, I., Eds.; Wiley-Vch: Weinheim, Germany, 2022; pp 329–371. (link)
5) Xiao, X.; Pederson, S. K.; Aranda, D.; Yang, J.; Wiscons, R. A.; Pittelkow, M.; Steigerwald, M. L.; Santoro, F.*; Schuster, N. J.*; Nuckolls, C.* Chirality Amplified: Long, Discrete Helicene Nanoribbons. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 983–991. (link)
§ ESI Highly Cited Paper 2022
6) Lee, D.; Ross, S. P.; Xiao, X.; Hoye, T. R.* Radial Hexadehydro-Diels-Alder Reactions. Chem, 2021, 7, 2527–2537. (link)
7) Aranda, D.; Schuster, N. J.; Xiao, X.; Ávila Ferrer, F. J.; Santoro, F.*; Nuckolls, C.* Origin of Chiroptic Amplification in Perylene-Diimide Helicenes. J. Phys. Chem. C 2021, 125, 2554–2564. (link)
8) Xiao, X.; Hoye, T. R.* One-pot, Three-Aryne Cascade Strategy for Naphthalene Formation from 1,3-Diynes and 1,2-Benzdiyne Equivalents. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 9813–9818. (link)
9) Shen, H.; Xiao, X.; Hoye, T. R.* Benzyne Cascade Reactions via Benzoxetenonium Ions and Their Rearrangements to o-Quinone Methides. Org. Lett. 2019, 21, 1672–1675. (link)
10) Xiao, X.; Hoye, T. R.* The Domino Hexadehydro-Diels–Alder Reaction Transforms Polyynes to Benzynes to Naphthynes to Anthracynes to Tetracynes (and Beyond?). Nat. Chem. 2018, 10, 838–844. (link)
§ Highlighted in UMN Chemistry News. (link)
§ Synfacts 2018, 14, 1035. (link)
§ and Chem 2018, 4, 2272–2274. (link)
11) Xiao, X.; Wang, T.; Xu, F.; Hoye, T. R.* CuI-Mediated Bromoalkynylation and Hydroalkynylation Reactions of Unsymmetrical Benzynes: Complementary Modes of Addition. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 16564–16568. (link)
§ Selected as 'Hot Paper' in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.
12) Xiao, X.; Woods, B. P.; Xiu, W.; Hoye, T. R.* Benzocyclobutadienes: An Unusual Mode of Access Reveals Unusual Modes of Reactivity. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 9901–9905. (link)
13) Shen, H.; Xiao, X.; Haj, M. K.; Willoughby, P. H.; Hoye, T. R.* BF3-Promoted, Carbene-like, C–H Insertion Reactions of Benzynes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 15616–15620. (link)
14) Xu, F.; Xiao, X.; Hoye, T. R.* Photochemical Hexadehydro-Diels–Alder Reaction. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 8400–8403. (link)
§ Selected as 'SYNFACT of the month', Synfacts 2017, 13, 809. (link)
15) Xu, F.; Xiao, X.; Hoye, T. R.* Reactions of HDDA-Derived Benzynes with Perylenes: Rapid Construction of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds. Org. Lett. 2016, 18, 5636–5639. (link)
16) Huang, Z.; Shang, R.; Zhang, Z.; Tan, X.; Xiao, X.; Fu, Y.* Copper-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Coupling of Alkynyl Carboxylates with 1,1-Dibromo-1-alkenes. J. Org. Chem. 2013, 78, 4551–4557. (link)
17) Shang, R.; Huang, Z.; Xiao, X.; Lu, X.; Fu, Y.*; Liu, L. β-Aryl Nitrile Construction via Palladium-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Benzylation of α-Cyano Aliphatic Carboxylate Salts. Adv. Synth. Catal. 2012, 354, 2465–2472. (link)
