CHI Chunyan

CHI Chunyan

Associate Professor, Assistant Head (Graduate Programmes)

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

• Editorial Advisory Board Member, Organic Letters, 2022-present
• Editorial Board Member, Chemistry-A European Journal, 2021-present
• International Advisory Board Member, Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 2017-present
• 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.: Jiang, Q.; Wei, H.; Hou, X.; Chi, C., Circumpentacene with Open-Shell Singlet Diradical Character. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202306938. Circumacenes (CAs) are a distinctive type of benzenoid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons where an acene unit is completely enclosed by a layer of outer fused benzene rings. Despite their unique structure, the synthesis of CAs is challenging. In this study, we report the successful synthesis of a circumpentacene derivative, representing the largest CA molecule synthesized to date. Analysis shows that it exhibits a moderate open-shell diradical character with a small singlet-triplet excitation energy. Additionally, it has a small HOMO-LUMO energy gap and displays amphoteric redox behavior.

Teaching Contributions AY2023/2024

• CM3252 Polymer Chemistry 1
• CM5268 Advanced Organic Materials

Representative Publications

• 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.
• Kim, J.; Teo, H. T.; Hong, Y.; Liau, Y. C.; Yim, D.; Han, Y.; Oh, J.; Kim, H.; Chi, C.; Kim, D., Leveraging Charge-Transfer Interactions in Through-Space-Coupled Pentacene Dendritic Oligomer for Singlet Exciton Fission, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 19812-19823.
• 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.
• Dong, S.; Gopalakrishna, T. Y.; Han, Y.; Chi, C., Cyclobis(7,8-(para-quinodimethane)-4,4′-triphenylamine) and Its Cationic Species Showing Annulene-like Global (Anti) Aromaticity. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 11472.
• Dong, S.; Gopalakrishna, T. Y.; Han, Y.; Phan, H.; Tao, T.; Ni, Y.; Liu, G.; Chi, C., Extended Bis(anthraoxa)quinodimethanes with Nine and Ten Consecutively Fused Six-membered Rings: Neutral Diradicaloids and Charged Diradical Dianions/Dications. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 62.