Dr. Yitao Dai
Professor Yitao Dai, born in Miluo City, Hunan Province in September 1989. He finished the bachelor (Fine Chemical Engineering) and master (Applied Chemistry, Prof. Zhongkui Zhao as supervisor) study in the Dalian University of Technology in 2011 and 2014, respectively. With Prof. Flemming Besenbacher as the main supervisor, he obtained a Ph.D. degree from Aarhus University (Denmark) in April 2018. During his Ph.D. study, he has also stayed in SynCat@Beijing (Prof. Dr. J W (Hans) Niemantsverdriet and Prof. Jian Xu as the directors), Synfuels China Technology Co. Ltd. (Prof. Yongwang Li as CEO) for the project collaboration as a guest Ph.D. student with Prof. Ren Su and Prof. Xiaodong Wen as the project leaders. Later, from May 2018 to May 2021, he conducted postdoctoral research at the Department of Heterogenous Catalysis (Prof. Ferdi Schüth as the director) in Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung (Germany) with Priv.-Doz. Dr. Harun Tüysüz as the host supervisor. He has been awarded Alexander von Humboldt Fellow in June 2019. From August 2021 until the present, he joined the Suzhou Institute for Advanced Research and School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China.
As the first/co-first author, he has published 1 paper in Nature Communications, 1 paper in Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2 papers in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 1 in Solar RRL, 1 in ChemSusChem, and 1 in Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. So far, he has published 28 high-level scientific papers with citations of more than 1000 and an H-index of 19 (google scholar). He has given a Keynote talk in the 4th UK catalysis conference in Jan. 2018. As the invited speaker, he has given talks in the 11th international mesostructured materials symposium and the annual meeting of the chemical industry and engineering society of China in Sep. 2021.
Email：yitaodai@ustc.edu.cn
Address: Office 503-6, Sixian building, Ren Ai Road No. 188, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, 215000, P.R. China
Research Fields
Heterogeneous catalysis (thermal-, photo-, electro-, mechano-catalysis, etc.): focusing on the design and preparation of highly efficient Nano-catalysts, developing the green, eco-friendly and economical synthesis strategies of fine chemicals, depolymerizing polymer feedstocks (such as plastic wastes, used tires, lignin, and cellulose) to produce value-added chemicals. Through operando spectroscopic analysis and ultrafast time-resolved characterization techniques, we can deeply investigate the catalytic reaction mechanism behind heterogeneous catalytic systems. After the design and fabrication of effective Nano-catalysts, multiple energies (thermal-, photo-, electro-, mechano-energy, etc.) can be efficiently and selectively converted to chemical energy (valuable chemical products).
1. Heterogeneous photocatalysis for organic synthesis, which can be used to produce the precursors or intermediates of fine chemicals including dyes, deuterated drugs, and polymers.
2. Heterogeneous thermal-catalysis for the dehydrogenation of alkanes/aromatics.
3. Heterogeneous mechano-catalysis for the depolymerization of polymer feedstocks (such as PE/PP and lignocellulose), helping to solve the white pollution.
Honors and Awards
1. Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, 2019, Germany
2. Hou Yu Fen scholarship in the Dalian University of Technology, 2015, China
3. Excellent master thesis in the Dalian University of Technology, 2014, China
4. National Endeavor Scholarship, 2008-2009, China
Publications
1. Dai, Y., Li, C., Shen, Y., Lim, T., Xu, J., Niemantsverdriet, J. W. H., Li, Y., Besenbacher, F., Lock, N.* & Su, R*. Light-tuned selective photosynthesis of azo-/azoxy-aromatics using graphitic C3N4. Nat. Commun. 2018, 9, 60, 1-7
2. Dai, Y., Li, C., Shen, Y., Zhu, S., Wu, L., Xu, J., Skibsted, J., Li, Y., Niemantsverdriet, J. W. H., Besenbacher, F., Lock, N. & Su, R*. Efficient Solar-driven Hydrogen Transfer by Bismuth Based Photocatalyst with Engineered Basic Sites. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2018, 140 (48), 16711-16719
3. Dai, Y+., Ren, P.+, Li, Y., Lv, D., Shen, Y., Li, Y., Niemantsverdriet, J. W. H., Besenbacher, F., Xiang, H., Hao, W., Lock, N., Wen, X. & Su, R*. Solid Base Bi24O31Br10(OH)δ with Active Lattice Oxygen for the Efficient Photo-Oxidation of Primary Alcohols to Aldehydes. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2019, 58 (19), 6265-6270
4. Dai, Y., Poidevin, C., Ochoa-Hernández, C., A. Auer, A. & Tüysüz, H*. A Supported Bismuth Halide Perovskite Photocatalyst for Selective Aliphatic and Aromatic C-H Bond Activation. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 5788
5. Dai, Y., Tüysüz, H*. Lead-Free Cs3Bi2Br9 Perovskite as Photocatalyst for Ring-Opening Reactions of Epoxides. ChemSusChem, 2019, 12, 2587–2592
6. Dai, Y., Tüysüz, H*. Rapid Acidic Media Growth of Cs3Bi2Br9 Halide Perovskite Platelets for Photocatalytic Toluene Oxidation. Sol. RRL, 2021, 2100265
7. Dai, Y., Bu, Q., Sooriyagoda, R., Pavlic, O., Lim, T., Shen, Y., Mamakhel, A., Wang, X., Li, Y., Niemantsverdriet, H., Iversen, B. B., Besenbacher, F., Xie, T., Leiw, J. P., Bristow, A. D., Lock, N. & Su, R*. Boosting Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production by Modulating Recombination Modes and Proton Adsorption Energy. J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2019, 10 (18), 5381-5386
8. Zhao, Z.*, Dai, Y. Ge, G., Guo, X. & Wang, G. Facile simultaneous defect production and O,N-doping of carbon nanotubes with unexpectedcatalytic performance for clean and energy-saving production of styrene. Green Chem., 2015, 17, 3723-3727. (frontispiece)
9. Zhao, Z.*, Dai, Y., Ge, G. & Wang, G. Explosive Decomposition of a Melamine-Cyanuric Acid Supramolecular Assembly for Fabricating Defect-Rich Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotubes with Significantly Promoted Catalysis. Chem. Eur. J. 2015, 21, 8004- 8009. (back cover)
10. Zhao, Z.*, Dai, Y., Ge, G., Guo, X. & Wang, G. Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube by a facile two-step approach as an efficient catalyst for ethylbenzene direct dehydrogenation. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2015, 18895-18899. (back cover)
11. Zhao, Z.*, Dai, Y., Ge, G. & Wang, G. Efficient Tuning of Microstructure and Surface Chemistry of Nanocarbon Catalysts for Ethylbenzene Direct Dehydrogenation. AIChE Journal, 2015, 2543-2561
12. Zhao, Z.*, Dai, Y., Ge, G., Guo, X. & Wang, G. Increased active sites and their accessibility of N-doped carbon nanotube carbocatalyst with remarkably enhanced catalytic performance in direct dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene. RSC Adv., 2015, 53095-53099.
13. Zhao, Z.*, Dai, Y., A Facile Approach to Fabricate N-Doped Mesoporous Graphene/Nanodiamond Hybrid Nanocomposite with Synergistically Enhanced Catalysis. ChemCatChem, 2015, 1070-1077. (inside cover)
14. Zhao, Z.*, Dai, Y., Ge, G. & Wang, G. Guanidine Nitrate Enhanced Catalysis of Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube for Metal-Free Styrene Production via Direct Dehydrogenation. ChemCatChem, 2015, 1135-1144.
15. Zhao, Z.*, Dai, Y. & Ge, G. Nitrogen-doped nanotubes-decorated activated carbon-based hybrid nanoarchitecture as superior catalyst for direct dehydrogenation. Catal. Sci. Technol., 2015, 1548-1557.
16. Zhao, Z.*, Dai, Y., Lin, J. & Wang, G. Highly-Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Nitride with Ultrahigh Surface Area and Pore Volume as a Superior Dehydrogenation Catalyst. Chem. Mater., 2014, 26 (10), 3151-3161.
17. Zhao, Z.* & Dai, Y. Nanodiamond/carbon nitride hybrid nanoarchitecture as an efficient metal-free catalyst for oxidant- and steam-free dehydrogenation. J. Mater. Chem. A, 2014, 2, 13442-13451.
18. Zhao, Z.*, Dai, Y., Bao, T., Li, R. & Wang, G. Direct alkenylation of aromatics with phenylacetylene over supported H3PW12O40 catalysts as a clean and highly efficient approach to producing α-arylstyrenes. J. Catal., 2012, 288, 44-53.
