Research Interests:

Biomass conversion, ethanol, furfural, 1,3-propanediol, hydrogenation.

Publications:

(1) Zhanwei Xu, Peifang Yan, Changhui Liang, Songyan Jia, Xiumei Liu, Z. Conrad Zhang*, Electronic and steric factors for enhanced selective synthesis of 2‐ethyl‐1‐hexanol in the Ir‐complex‐catalyzed Guerbet reaction of 1‐butanol, Chinese Journal of Catalysis 2021, 42, 1586-1592.

(2) Zhanwei Xu, Yiwen Yang, Peifang Yan, Zhi Xia, Xuebin Liu, Z. Conrad Zhang*, Mechanistic understanding of humin formation in the conversion of glucose and fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in [BMIM]Cl ionic liquid, RSC Adv., 2020, 10, 34732.

(3) Zhanwei Xu, Peifang Yan, Hong Jiang, Kairui Liu, Z. Conrad Zhang*, Iridium-Catalyzed Reductive Amination of Levulinic Acid to Pyrrolidinones under H2 in Water, Chinese Journal of Chemistry 2017, 35, 581-585.

(4) Zhanwei Xu, Peifang Yan, Kairui Liu, Lu Wan, Wenjuan Xu, Huixiang Li, Xiumei Liu, Z. Conrad Zhang*, Synthesis of Bis(hydroxylmethylfurfuryl)amine Monomers from 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural, ChemSusChem 2016, 11, 1255-1258.

(5) Zhanwei Xu, Peifang Yan, Huixiang Li, Kairui Liu, Xiumei Liu, Songyan Jia, and Z. Conrad Zhang*, Active Cp*Iridium(III) Complex with ortho-Hydroxyl Group Functionalized Bipyridine Ligand Containing an Electron-Donating Group for the Production of Diketone from 5-HMF, ACS Catalysis 2016, 6, 6, 3784-3788.

(6) Zhanwei Xu, Peifang Yan, Wenjuan Xu, Xiumei Liu, Zhi Xia, Benjamin Chung, Songyan Jia, and Z. Conrad Zhang*, Hydrogenation/Hydrolytic Ring Opening of 5-HMF by Cp*-Iridium(III) Half-Sandwich Complexes for Bioketones Synthesis, ACS Catalysis 2015, 5, 2, 788-792.