Lei Fang

Associate Professor - Chemistry

Contact Information

Phone: (979) 845-3186

E-mail: fang@chem.tamu.edu

Departmental Page

Experience

  • 2019 – Present            Associate Professor / Texas A&M University Dept. of Chemistry
  • 2013 – 2019                 Assistant Professor / Texas A&M University Department of Chemistry
  • 2014 – Present            Assistant Professor / Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Affiliated Appointment)
  • 2011–2013                   Postdoctoral Scholar / Stanford University

Education

  • 2010 Ph.D., Northwestern University
  • 2006 MS, Wuhan University & Hong Kong Baptist University
  • 2003, BS. Wuhan University

Research Interests

The multi-disciplinary research programs in the Fang Group will focus on the bottom-up synthesis and processing of novel organic polymer materials — namely, ladder and coplanar polymers, as well as microporous polymer networks — for the applications on electronics and energy conversion/storage. Our thrust will be to gain profound understanding on the structure-property relationship of these materials at both the molecular and the macroscopic levels by employing the toolboxes of synthetic chemistry and device engineering. With this knowledge, we aim to establish a series of synthetically feasible, high performing, processable organic carbon-based material systems for field effect transistors, light emitting diodes, solar cells, supercapacitors, and batteries, and to be at the forefront in the enhancement of their efficiencies.

Experience

  • 2013 – Present           Assistant Professor / Texas A&M University Department of Chemistry
  • 2014 – Present           Assistant Professor / Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Affiliated Appointment)
  • 2011–2013                  Postdoctoral Scholar / Stanford University

Publications

  • Ma, G.; Leng, M. §; Li, S.; Cao, Z.; Cao, Y. §; Tabor, D.*; Fang, L.*; Gu, X.* “Robust Chain Aggregation of Low-Entropy Rigid Ladder Polymer in Solution” J. Mater. Chem. C. 2022, DOI: 10.1039/D2TC00761D.
  • Mu, A. U. §; Kim, Y.; Miranda, O. §; Vazquez, M.; Strzalka J.; Xu, J.; Fang, L.* “Hydrogen Bond-Promoted Planar Conformation, Crystallinity, and Charge Transport in Semiconducting Diazaisoindigo Derivatives” ACS Mater. Lett., 2022, DOI: 10.1021/acsmaterialslett.2c00179.
    • Invited Contribution to the Organic Functional Materials: Special Issue in Honor of Professor Daoben Zhu on His 80th Birthday.
  • Kang, N.; Cho, S.; Leonhardt, E; Liu, C.; Verkhoturov, S.; Woodward, W.; Eller, M.; Yuan, T.§; Fitzgibbons, T.; Borguet, Y.; Jahnke, A.; Sokolov, A.; McIntire, T.; Reinhardt, C.; Fang, L.; Schweikert, E.; Spencer, L.; Sun, G.*; Xie, G.*; Trefonas, P.*; Wooley, K.* “Topological Design of Highly Anisotropic Aligned Hole Transporting Molecular Bottlebrushes for Solution-processed OLEDs” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c00420.
  • Phillips, B.§; Abani§; Lin, H.; Wei, P.; Li, C.; Zhao, M.; Handy, J.; Banerjee, S.; Sue, H.-J.; Pentzer, E.; Al-Hashimi, M.; Zhou, H.-C.*; Fang, L.* “Inverse Emulsion-Crosslinked Cyclodextrin Polymer Nanoparticles for Selective Adsorption and Chemiresistive Sensing of BTEX”
    Mater. Today Chem. 2022, 24, 100915. DOI: 10.1016/j.mtchem.2022.100915.
    • On the “Special issue dedicated to Sir Fraser Stoddart on the occasion of his 80th birthday”
  • Bajpayee, A.; Rivera-Gonzalez, N.; Braham, E. J.; Alivio, T. E. G.; Anita; Alvi, S.; Li, C.§; Cool, N.; Al-Hashimi, M.; Fang, L.; Banerjee, S.* “Multiscale Textured Mesh Substrates that Glide Alcohol Droplets and Impede Ice Nucleation” Adv. Eng. Mater. 2022, DOI: 10.1002/adem.202101524.
  • Cao, Z.; Ma, G.; Leng, M.§; Zhang, S.; Chen, J.; Do, C.; Hong, K.; Fang, L.; Gu, X.* “Variable-Temperature Scattering and Spectroscopy Characterizations for Temperature-Dependent Solution Assembly of PffBT4T-Based Conjugated Polymers” ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2022, DOI: 10.1021/acsapm.1c01511.
  • Li, C.§; Lee, B.; Wang, C.§; Bajpayee, A.; Douglas, L.; Phillips, B.§; Rivera-Gonzalez, N.; Peng, B.-J.§; Yu, G.§; Jiang, Z.; Banerjee, S.*; Fang, L.* “Photopolymerized Superhydrophobic Hybrid Coating Enabled by Dual-purpose Tetrapodal ZnO for Liquid/liquid Separation” Mater. Horizons, 2022, 9, 452–461. DOI: 10.1039/D1MH01672E.
    • Invited contribution to the Themed Issue “Celebrating Seth Marder’s 60th Birthday”
  • Yan, X.; Che, S.§; Yang, F.*; Xu. Z.; Liu, H.; Li, C.; Yan, L.; Ta, N.; Sun, S.; Wei, Q.; Fang, L.*; Li, Y.* “Highly Efficient Water Splitting Catalyst Composed of N,P-Doped Porous Carbon Decorated with Surface P-Enriched Ni2P Nanoparticles” ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2022, 14, 20358–20367. DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c14363. Invited contribution to the Forum on “Materials and Interfaces for Energy Storage and Conversion”
  • Cao, Z.; Leng, M.§; Cao, Y.§; Gu, X.*; Fang, L.* “How Rigid are Conjugated Non-Ladder and Ladder Polymers?” J. Polym. Sci. 2022, 60, 298-310. DOI: 10.1002/pol.20210550
    • Invited contribution to the Special Issue “Semiconducting Polymers for Advanced Organic Electronics and Bioelectronics”
    • Highlighted by Advanced Science News: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/KufTRSqTSNRnxuLDBNksyA
  • Chen, P.; Zheng, H.; Jiang, H.*; Liu, J.; Tu, X.; Zhang, W.; Phillips, B. K.§; Fang, L.*; Zou, J.-P.* “Oxygen-Vacancy-Rich Phenanthroline/TiO2 Nanocomposite: An Integrated Adsorption, Detection and Photocatalytic Material for Complex Pollutants Remediation” Chin. Chem. Lett. 2022, 33, 907–911. DOI: 10.1016/j.cclet.2021.07.002.
  • Patra, D.; Comi, M.; Zhang, X.; Kini, G. P.; Udayakantha, M.; Kalin, A. J.§; Banerjee, S.; Fang, L.; Guo, X.; Al-Hashimi, M.* “Design, Synthesis and Characterization of Fused Bithiazole- and Dithiophene-Based Low Bandgap Thienylenevinylene Copolymers” Polym. Chem., 2021, 12, 5942–5951, DOI: 10.1039/d1py00773d.
    • Highlighted on the Front Cover.
  • Yu. K; Ji, X.§; Yuan, T.§; Li, J.; Hu, X.; Liu, Z.*; Zhou, X.*; Fang, L.* “Robust Jumping Actuator with a Shrimp-Shell Architecture” Adv. Mater. 2021, 33, 2104558. DOI: 10.1002/adma.202104558.
    • Highlighted by X-mol: https://www.x-mol.com/news/696802
  • Bhat, G. A.; Rashad, A. Z.; Ji, X.§; Quiroz, M.; Fang, L.*; Darensbourg, D. J.* “TEMPO Containing Radical Polymonothicarbonate Polymers with Regio- and Stereo-Regularities: Synthesis, Characterization, and Electrical Conductivity Studies” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 20734–20738. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202108041.
    • Chosen to be among the “Hot Papers” by the Editors.
  • Hu, C.; Zhao, M.; Li, Q.; Liu, Z.; Hao, N.; Meng, X.; Li, J.; Lin, F.; Li, C.§; Fang, L.; Dai, S. Y.; Ragauskas, A. J.; Sue, H.-J.; Yuan, J.* “Phototunable Lignin Plastics to Enable Recyclability” ChemSusChem, 2021, 14, 4260–4269. DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202101040.
  • Jiang, W.; Chen, P.*; Li, X.; Wu, G.; Zheng, H.; Li, C.; Fang, L.*; Jiang, H.* “π-Conjugation Extension and Defects Introduction into g-C3N4 by Phenanthroline Molecular Doping to Form a Metal-Free Electrochemical Sensor towards Effective 4-NP Detection” Diam. Relat. Mater., 2021, 119, 108557. DOI: 10.1016/j.diamond.2021.108557.
  • Che, S.§; Li, C.§; Wang, C.§; Zaheer, W.; Ji, X.§; Phillips, B.§; Gurbandurdyyev, G.; Glynn, J.#; Guo, Z.- H.‡; Al-Hashimi, M.; Zhou, H.-C.; Banerjee, S.*; Fang, L.* “Solution-Processable Porous Graphitic Carbon from Bottom-Up Synthesis and Low-Temperature Graphitization” Chem. Sci. 2021, 12, 8438–8444. DOI: 10.1039/d1sc01902c.
  • Zhang, W.‡; Ji, X.§; Al-Hashimi, M.; Wang, C.*; Fang, L.* Feasible Fabrication and Textile Application of Polymer Composites Featuring Dual Optical Thermoresponses, Chem. Eng. J. 2021, 419, 129553. DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2021.129553.
  • Ji. X.§; Fang, L.* “Quinoidal Conjugated Polymers with Open-Shell Characters” Polym. Chem. 2021, 12, 1347–1361. DOI: 10.1039/D0PY01298J.
    • Invited contribution to the “Polymer Chemistry Pioneering Investigator Themed Issue”.
  • Comí, M.; Ocheje, M. U; Attar, S.; Mu, A. U.§; Philips, B. K.§; Kalin, A. J.§; Kakosimos, K. E.; Fang, L.; Rondeau-Gagné, S.; Al-Hashimi, M.* “Synthesis and Photocyclization of Conjugated Diselenophene Pyrrole-2,5-Dione Based Monomers for Optoelectronics” Macromolecules, 2021, 54, 665–672. DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c02021.
    • Cover Highlight on Issue 2, 2021.
    • Highlighted by Synfact, 2021, 17, 0277.
  • Cao, Y.§; Zhu, C.§*; Barlog, M.; Barker, K. P.#; Kalin, A. J.§; Al-Hashimi, M.*; Fang, L.* “Electron-Deficient Polycyclic π-System Fused with Multiple B←N Coordinate Bonds” J. Org. Chem. 2021, 86, 2100–2106. DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.0c02052.
  • Wu, B.; Wu, H.; Zhou, Y.; Zheng, D.; Jia, X.; Fang, L.; Zhu, L.* “Controlling Ultra-Large Optical Asymmetry in Amorphous Molecular Aggregations” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 3672–3678. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202012224.
  • Ji. X.§; Leng, M.§; Xie, H.; Wang, C.§; Dunbar, K. R.; Zou, Y.‡*; Fang, L.* “Extraordinary Electrochemical Stability and Extended Polaron Delocalization of Ladder-Type Polyaniline-Analogous Polymers” Chem. Sci. 2020, 11, 12737–12745. DOI: 10.1039/D0SC03348K.
    • Invited contribution to the Chemical Science 10th anniversary issue.
  • Yu, C.-H.; Zhu, C.§; Ji, X.§; Hu, W.; Xie, H.; Bhuvanesh, N.; Fang, L.*; Ozerov, O.* “Palladium Bis-Pincer Complexes with Controlled Rigidity and Inter-Metal Distance” Inorg. Chem. Front. 2020, 7, 4357–4366. DOI: 10.1039/d0qi01111h.
  • Phillips, B. K. §; Wang, C. §; Tu, X.*; Chang, C.-H. §; Banerjee, S.; Al-Hashimi, M.; Hu, W.*; Fang, L.* “Cyclodextrin-Derived Polymer Networks for Selective Molecular Adsorption”
    Chem. Commun. 2020, 56,11783–11786. DOI: 10.1039/D0CC04784H.
    ● Part of the themed collection “2020 Emerging Investigators”
  • Che, S. §; Fang, L.* “Porous Ladder Polymer Networks” Chem, 2020, 6, 2558–2590. DOI: 10.1016/j.chempr.2020.08.002.
  • Lyu, J.; Liu, Y.; McCabe, J.; Schrecke, S.; Fang, L.; Russell, D.; Laganowsky, A.* “Discovery of Potent Charge-Reducing Molecules for Native Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry Studies.”
    Anal. Chem. 2020, 92, 11242–11249. DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c01826.
  • Phillips, B. K. §; Banerjee, S.; Tu, X.*; Fang, L.* “Electrical Vapor Sensing with Macrocyclic Molecular Receptors” Supramol. Chem. 2020, 32, 165–177. DOI: 10.1080/10610278.2020.1726916.
  • Zheng, K.; He, C.; Nour, H. F.; Zhang, Z.; Yuan, T. §; Traboulsi, H.; Mazher, J. Trabolsi, A.; Fang, L.; Olson, M. A.* “Augmented Polyhydrazone Formation in Water by Template-Assisted Polymerization using Dual-Purpose Supramolecular Templates” Polym. Chem. 2020, 11, 1806–1819. DOI: 10.1039/c9py01476d.
  • Kalin, A. J. §; Che, S. §; Wang, C. §; Mu, A. U. §; Duka, E.#; Fang, L.* “Solution-Processable Porous Nanoparticles of a Conjugated Ladder Polymer Network” Macromolecules, 2020, 53, 922–928. DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b02635.
  • Ji, X. §; Xie, H.; Zhu, C. §; Zou, Y.‡; Mu, A. U. §; Al-Hashimi, M.; Dunbar, K. R.; Fang, L.* “Pauli Paramagnetism of Stable Analogues of Pernigraniline Salt Featuring Ladder-Type Constitution” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 641–648. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b12626.
    ● Highlighted in Synfacts, 2020, 16, 0286. DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1690373.
    ● Highlighted by X-mol, https://www.x-mol.com/news/158555
  • Che, S. §; Pang, J.; Kalin, A. J. §; Wang, C. §; Ji, X. §; Lee, J. §; Li, J.; Tu, X.; Zhang, Q.; Zhou, H.-C.; Fang, L.* “Rigid Ladder-Type Porous Polymer Networks for Entropically Favorable Gas Adsorption” ACS Materials Lett. 2020, 2, 49–54. DOI: 10.1021/acsmaterialslett.9b00434.
    ● Highlighted by X-mol, https://www.x-mol.com/news/118597
  • Wang, C. §; Rutledge, E. R. C.#; Che, S. §; Li, C. §; Lee, J. §; Kalin, A. J. §; Zhang, C.; Zhou, H.-C.; Guo, Z.-H.*; Fang, L.* “Aromatic Porous Polymer Network Membranes for Organic Solvent Nanofiltration under Extreme Conditions” J. Mater. Chem. A., 2020, 8, 15891–15899. DOI: 10.1039/C9TA10190J.
    ● Among the “2020 Emerging Investigators Themed Issue” for Journal of Materials Chemistry A.
    ● Featured in “Journal of Materials Chemistry A Lunar New Year Collection 2021” among the top 50 most popular articles published in 2020.
  • Zhang, W.‡; Ji, X. §; Peng, B.-J. §; Che, S. §; Ge, F.; Liu, W.; Al-Hashimi, M.; Wang, C.*; Fang, L.* “High-Performance Thermoresponsive Dual-Output Dye System for Smart Textile Application” Adv. Funct. Mater., 2020, 30, 1906463. DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201906463.
    ● Highlighted by Materials Views China.
  • Barłóg, M.; Zhang, X.; Kulai, I.; Yang, D. S.; Sredojevic, D.; Sil, A.; Ji, X. §; Salih, K.; Bazzi, H. S.; Bronstein, H.; Fang, L.; Kim, J.; Marks, T.; Guo, X.; Al-Hashimi, M.* “Indacenodithiazole Ladder Type Bridged Di(thiophene)-Difluoro-Benzothiadiazole Conjugated Copolymers as Ambipolar Organic Field Effect Transistors” Chem. Mater., 2019, 31, 9488–9496. DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.9b03525.
  • Li, X.-S.; Han, J.; Sun, M.; Wu, J.-R.; Lei, L.; Li, J.; Fang, L.*; Yang, Y.-W.* “Mesoporous Silica Nanobeans Dual-Functionalized with AIEgens and Leaning Pillar [6] Arene-Based Supramolecular Switches for Imaging and Stimuli-Responsive Drug Release," Chem. Commun., 2019, 55, 14099–14102. DOI: 10.1039/C9CC07115F.
    ● Front Cover of Number 94 in 2019.
    ● Part of the themed collection: “Cucurbiturils and Related Cavitands”.
  • Zhang, Z.; Liu, Q.; Sun, Z.; Phillips, B. §; Wang, Z.; Al-Hashimi, M.; Fang, L.; Olson, M. A.* “Processing Poly-Lipoic Ester-Based Coacervates for the Efficient Removal of Organic Micropollutants from Water and Increased Point-of-Use Versatility” Chem. Mater., 2019, 31, 4405–4417. DOI: 10.1021/ acs.chemmater.9b00725.
  • Zhu, C. §; Kalin, A. J. §; Fang, L.* “Covalent and Noncovalent Approaches to Rigid Coplanar π‐Conjugated Molecules and Macromolecules” Acc. Chem. Res., 2019, 52, 1089–1100. DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.9b00022.
  • Barłóg, M.; Kulai, I.; Ji, X. §; Bhuvanesh, N.; Dey, S.; Sliwinski, E. P.; Bazzi, H. S.; Fang, L.; Al-Hashimi, M.* “Synthesis, Characterization and Crystal Structures of Novel Fluorinated Di(thiazolyl)benzene Derivatives” Org. Chem. Front., 2019, 6, 780–790. DOI: 10.1039/c9qo00044e.
  • Zhu, C. §; Ji, X. §; You, D.; Chen, T. L.; Mu, A. U. §; Baker, K. P.#; Klivansky, L. M.; Liu, Y.; Fang, L.* “Extraordinary Redox Activities in Ladder-Type Conjugated Molecules Enabled by B←N Coordination-Promoted Delocalization and Hyperconjugation” J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2018, 140, 18173–18182. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b11337.
    ● Highlighted on X-mol: https://www.x-mol.com/news/15713
  • Liu, Y.; Philips, B. §; Li, W.; Zhang, Z.; Wang, L.; Fang, L.*; Qiu, J.; Wang, S*. “Fullerene Tailored Graphene Oxide Interlayer Spacing for Efficient Water Desalination” ACS Appl. Nano Mater., 2018, 1, 6168–6175. DOI: 10.1021/acsanm.8b01375.
  • Wang, L.; Zhang, Z.; Liu, Y.; Wang, B.; Fang, L.; Qiu, J.; Zhang, K.; Wang, S. “Exceptional Thermoelectric Properties of Flexible Organic-Inorganic Hybrids with Monodispersed and Periodic Nanophase” Nature Commun., 2018, 9, 3817. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06251-9.
  • Xu, Y.; Yuan, T. §; Nour, H. F.; Fang, L.*; Olson, M. A.* “Bis-Bipyridinium Gemini Surfactant-Based Supramolecular Helical Fibers and Solid State Thermochromism” Chem. Eur. J., 2018, 24, 16558–16569. DOI: 10.1002/chem.201803496.
    ● Selected as “Very Important Paper”
    ● Second of a back-to-back contribution.
  • Yuan, T. §; Sun, Z.; Mu, A. U. §; Zeng, M.; Kalin, A. J. §; Cheng, Z.; Olson, M. A.*; Fang, L.* “Assembly and Chiral Memory Effect of Dynamic Macroscopic Supramolecular Helices”
    Chem. Eur. J., 2018, 24, 16553–16557. DOI: 10.1002/chem.201803005.
    ● Selected as “Hot Paper”
    ● Featured on inside front cover.
    ● First of a back-to-back contribution.
  • Patra, D.; Lee, J. §; Dey, S.; Lee, J.; Kalin, A. §; Putta, A.; Fei, Z.; McCarthy-Ward, T.; Bazzi, H.; Fang, L.; Heeney, M.; Yoon, M.-H.; Al-Hashimi, M. “Chalcogen Bridged Thieno-, Selenopheno-[2,3-d:5,4-d']bisthiazole and their Diketopyrrolopyrrole Based Low Band Gap Copolymers” Macromolecules, 2018, 51, 6076–6084. DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.8b00826.
  • Zhu, C. §; Mu, A. §; Wang, C. §; Ji, X. §; Fang, L.* “Synthesis and Solution Processing of a Rigid Polymer Enabled by Active Manipulation of Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonds” ACS Macro Lett., 2018, 7, 801–806. DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.8b00388.
  • Wu, J.-R.; Mu, A. §; Li, B.; Wang, C.-Y.; Fang, L.; Yang, Y.-W.* “Desymmetrized Leaning Pillar[6]arene” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2018, 57, 9853–9858. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201805980.
    ● Highlighted on Synfacts 2018, 14, 0815, by T. M. Swager et al.
  • Wang, L.; Zhang, Z.; Geng, L.; Yuan, T. §; Liu, Y.; Guo, J.; Fang, L.; Qiu, J.; Wang, S.* “Solution-Printable Fullerene/TiS2 Organic/Inorganic Hybrids for High-Performance Flexible N-Type Thermoelectrics” Energy Environ. Sci., 2018, 11, 1307–1317. DOI: 10.1039/c7ee03617e.
  • Kalin, A. J. §; Lee, J. §; Fang, L.* “Annulation Reactions for Conjugated Ladder-Type Oligomers” Synlett, 2018, 29, 993–998. DOI: 10.1055/s-0036-1591945.
    ● Invited “Synpact” Essay.
    ● Highlighted on the Front Cover of Issue 8, 2018.
  • Lee, J. §; Kalin, A. J. §; Wang, C. §; Early, J. T.#; Al-Hashimi, M.; Fang, L.* “Donor-Acceptor Conjugated Ladder Polymer via Aromatization-Driven Thermodynamic Annulation”
    Polym. Chem., 2018, 9, 1603–1609. DOI: 10.1039/c7py02059g.
    ● Invited Contribution to the Polymer Chemistry Emerging Investigators 2018 Themed Issue.
  • Guo, Z.-H.‡; Wang, C. §; Zhang, Q.; Che, S. §; Zhou, H.-C.; Fang, L.* “Cost Effective Synthesis and Solution Processing of Porous Polymer Networks through Methanesulfonic Acid Mediated Aldol Triple Condensation” Mater. Chem. Front., 2018, 2, 396–401. DOI: 10.1039/C7QM00485K.
  • Zhu, C. §; Fang, L.* “Locking the Coplanar Conformation of π-Conjugated Molecules Using Dynamic Non-Covalent Bonds” Macromol. Rapid Commun., 2018, 38, 1700241. DOI: 10.1002/marc.201700241.
    ● Invited Feature Article.
    ● Highlighted on Advanced Science News https://www.advancedsciencenews.com/dynamicconformation- control/