CHI Chunyan

CHI Chunyan

Associate Professor, Assistant Head (Graduate Programme)

Personal Web Page

Postdoc., Univ. California at Santa Barbara, 2007; Ph.D., Max-Planck-Inst. for Polymer Res., 2004.

Contact Information:

Office: MD1-14-03G

Tel: (65)-6516-5375

Fax: (65)-6779-1691

Email: chmcc@nus.edu.sg

Research

ORCID: 0000-0003-4677-3546
ResearcherID: H-8684-2013

Recognition and Achievements

• Associate Editor, Organic Letters, 2024-present
• Editorial Board Member, Chemistry-A European Journal, 2021-present
• International Advisory Board Member, Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 2017-present
• Distinguished Woman Chemist Award 2024, SNIC-AsCA2019 Singapore Award
• Faculty Teaching Excellence Award 2023, Faculty of Science, NUS
• Distinguished Lectureship Award from Chemical Society of Japan, 2017
• Department Young Chemist Award, Department of Chemistry, NUS, 2016
• Asian Core Program Lectureship Award from Japan (2013), China (2014), Taiwan (2014), Hong Kong (2019) and and South Korea (2023)

Research Interests

We are interested in the development of novel pi-structures and synthesis of high performance conjugated materials for organic electronics and sensors.

Research Highlight

Ref.: Han, Y,; Wu, S.; Khoo, K. Y. S., Chi, C. Synthesis of fully π-conjugated, pentagon-embedded non-alternant carbon nanobelts. ChemRxiv 2024, https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-6nbfh

Synthesizing carbon nanobelts (CNBs) with more delocalized electronic structures and enhanced π-conjugation remains challenging yet fundamentally important. In this paper, we address this long-standing challenge and present the first successful synthesis and characterization of fully π-conjugated, pentagon-embedded non-alternant CNBs, meticulously designed with optimal strain and reactive site protection. Unlike all-benzenoid alternant CNBs, these new CNBs exhibit smaller band gaps, stronger red emission, and more effective π-conjugation due to the incorporation of non-alternant moieties. Notably, one of the CNBs can be oxidized into its dication with an open-shell singlet ground state, representing the first example of a CNB with this ground state. Additionally, theoretical calculations indicate that the dication exhibits global aromaticity, characterized by two weakly coupled [32]annulenes with Baird-type aromaticity along its edges. This work opens new avenues for synthesizing complex carbon nanostructures with enhanced electronic properties.

Teaching Contributions AY2024/2025

• CM3252 Polymer Chemistry and Physics
• CM5268 Advanced Organic Materials

Representative Publications

• Jiang, Q.; Han, Y.; Hou, X.; Wu, S.; Xu, T.; Orozco-Ic, M.; Merino, G.; Chi, C., Dicyclopenta[4,3,2,1-cde:4′,3′,2′,1′-pqr]-peri-tetracene: Synthesis and an Example of Annulene-within-an-Annulene Aromaticity in Different Redox States.  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2024, 63, e202416833.
• Xu, T.; Han, Y.; Ni Y.; Chi, C., Oxindolyl-based Radicals with Tunable Mechanochromic and Thermochromic Behavior. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2024, 63, e202414533.
• Ma, Y.; Han, Y.; Hou, X.; Wu, S; Chi, C.; Facile Synthesis and Global Aromaticity of Aza-Superbenzene and Aza-Supernaphthalene at Different Oxidation States. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2024, 63, e202407990.
• Xu, T.; Hou, X.; Han, Y.; Wei, H.; Li, Z.; Chi, C., Fused Indacene Dimers. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202304937.
• Jiang, Q.; Wei, H.; Hou, X.; Chi, C., Circumpentacene with Open-Shell Singlet Diradical Character. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202306938.
• Ong, A.; Tao, T.; Jiang, Q.; Han, Y.; Ou, Y.; Huang, K.-W.; Chi, C., Azulene-Fused Acenes. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e202209286.
• Xu, Y.; Han, y.; Shen, Z.; Hou, X.; Jiang, Q.; Zeng, W.; Ng, P. W.; Chi, C., Antiaromatic Dicyclopenta[b,g]/[a,f]naphthalene Isomers Showing Open-shell Singlet Ground State with Tunable Diradical Character. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 20562.
• Han, Y.; Dong, S.; Shao, J.; Fan, W.; Chi, C.,  Synthesis of a Sidewall Fragment of a (12,0) Carbon Nanotube. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 2658.
• Shen, J.-J.; Han, Y.; Dong, S.; Phan, H.; Herng, T. S.; Xu, T.; Ding, J.; Chi, C., A Stable [4,3]Peri-acene Diradicaloid: Synthesis, Structure and Electronic Properties. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 4464.
• Han, Y.; Xue, Z.; Li, G.; Gu, Y.; Ni, Y.; Dong, S.; Chi, C., Formation of Azulene-Embedded Nanographene: Naphthalene to Azulene Rearrangement During the Scholl Reaction. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 9026.