On January 4, the Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Innovation Conference was held, during which theDecision of the Hubei Provincial People’s Government on the 2025 Hubei Science and Technology Awardswas announced. The research team led by Professor Zhang Zehui from the School of Chemistry and Materials Science at our University was honored with the 2025 Hubei Provincial Natural Science Award (Second Prize).
In response to the complex composition and structure of biomass, the difficulty of activating and restructuring C-C/C-O bonds, and the critical scientific and technical challenges of low efficiency and poor selectivity in biomass utilization, Professor Zhang Zehui’s team, through their project “Efficient Catalytic Conversion of Biomass into Chemicals”, established a novel method for ionic liquid-mediated biomass component separation and conversion to prepare furandicarboxylic acid. Building on this foundation, the team revealed a new mechanism for the selective construction of C=N bonds regulated by interfacial effects, and further proposed a novel strategy for Lewis acid-induced C-O bond activation to promote C-C bond oxidative cleavage for the construction of C≡N bonds. The project has resulted in the publication of 64 papers in journals includingNature Communications, Science Advances, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Chem, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, and Chemical Society Reviews. It has also been granted 30 patents and produced one academic monograph. The implementation of these achievements has laid an important scientific foundation for the high-value utilization of biomass resources, holding significant strategic importance for advancing China’s position as an international leader in the field of efficient biomass utilization technologies.
Award Certificate. (Photo by Zhang Zehui)
A representative from the University’s Office of Scientific Research and Development stated that the University will further strengthen organized scientific research, adhering to the principle of forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation as the main theme. Closely aligning with national strategies and major regional development needs, the University will enhance original and leading scientific research, promote the efficient transformation and demonstration application of scientific achievements, and focus on cultivating landmark outcomes with core technologies and significant influence, continuously improving the Universit’s level of research innovation and its capacity to serve society.
