Prof. Chunxi Zhang
Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Title: Artificial Mn4Ca-clusters and Its Analogues Mimicking the Oxygen-Evolving Center in Photosystem II
Abstract:
Oxygen-evolving center (OEC) of photosystem II (PSII) in plants is a unique biological catalyst that catalyzes the water-splitting reaction to release proton, electron and dioxygen. It is composed of an asymmetric Mn4Ca-cluster ligated by four water molecules, one imidazole and six carboxylate groups of amino acid residues. This natural catalyst serves as a blueprint for the development of artificial catalyst for water splitting to generate hydrogen fuel as renewable energy source. It is a great challenge to synthesize this natural catalyst in the laboratory. In 2015, we reported the first artificial Mn4Ca-cluster closely mimicked the structure and properties of the OEC in PSII (see above Figure, C. Zhang, et al. Science, 2015, 348:690-693). Here the detail synthetic mechanism of the artificial Mn4Ca-cluster and its analogues have been reported, specifically, a robust supramolecular architecture composed by the artificial Mn4Ca-cluster, which provides important clues to develop new generation catalyst for water-splitting reaction in the future.
Biography:
Prof. Chunxi Zhang received his B.E. in 1994 at the Harbin Engineering University, M.S. in 1997 with Prof. Qiutian Liu at the Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Ph.D. in 2000 with Prof. Tingyun Kuang at the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He worked as a postdoctor with Prof. Stenbjorn Styring at Lund University in Sweden from 2000 to 2002, and with Prof. A. William Rutherford at CEA Saclay in France from 2002 to 2004. He had worked as an associate professor since 2004 in the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He has become a full professor since 2016 in the same institute. His research interests involve natural and artificial photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, etc. His current project is focused on the catalytic water-splitting reaction.