Title: Heterogeneous Carbon Nitride Photocatalysis for Synthesis of ValueAdded Organic Molecules

Speaker: Prof. Oleksandr Savatieiev (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Invited by: Researcher Xia Xuefeng

Time: July 17, 2026 (Friday), 09:30 AM11:00 AM

Venue: Meeting Room 105 of the Shaw Engineering Building, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Organizer: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Abstract:

  The society depends on various organicmolecules, which are used as medical drugs, fuels, functional materials, etc.Synthesis of such organic molecules is often energy intensive and laborious.Photocatalysis enables thermodynamically challenging reactions by using energyof electromagnetic radiation in the UV-visible range of the electromagneticspectrum. In 2010s, graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN), a 200-year-old material,was proved to be an effective photocatalyst to liberate hydrogen from aqueoussolutions of electron donors. The motivation for launch of my own researchgroup and establishing the area of research “carbon nitride organicphotocatalysis” was: 1) a sincere curiosity to investigate thoroughly g-CN as aphotocatalyst in organic synthesis, on the one hand, and 2) the need to createmore sustainable methods in organic synthesis on the other. In the past 8years, the group developed a dozen of organic chemical reactions, which aredriven by g-CN photocatalyst upon excitation with UV-vis light. The scope ofreactions includes using elemental sulfur as a nearly 100%-atom efficientsulfurating agent, and C–H functionalization of hydrocarbons, among others.Based on these findings, a roadmap was created, which allows designing novelorganic chemical reactions that afford target functional molecules.

Biography:

 OleksandrSavateev was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine. He received the PhD degree inorganic chemistry from the Institute of Organic Chemistry of the NationalAcademy of Science of Ukraine. In 2015, he joined the Max Planck Institute ofColloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, Germany, where he worked as a postdoctoralresearcher. In 2017, at the same institute, he started his group “InnovativeHeterogeneous Photocatalysis”. In 2023, he took a position of AssociateProfessor (Vice-Chancellor Early Career Professorship Scheme) at the ChineseUniversity of Hong Kong. His current research interests include organicsynthesis mediated by heterogeneous photocatalysts, application of photochargedsemiconductors in organic synthesis and data-driven research. In 2024, hecompleted his Habilitation in Organic Chemistry at the University of Potsdam,Germany. As an educator, he is interested in gamification of teaching andstudying. He is a creator of ChemChallenge – the first video game for teachingand studying physical chemistry.

Announced by School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering