Lai-Sheng Wang

About

Lai-Sheng Wang is the Jesse H. and Louisa D. Sharpe Metcalf Professor of Chemistry at Brown University. His research focuses on experimental physical chemistry, particularly the study of nanoclusters and nanomaterials, using techniques such as photoelectron spectroscopy and photoelectron imaging. His laboratory creates and investigates new forms of matter called nanoclusters, which are aggregates of atoms that can be formed from various metals and nonmetals in pure or mixed forms. These clusters are studied for their size-dependent structural and electronic properties, which form the foundation of nanoscience. Wang's work includes exploring boron and transition metal clusters, as well as clusters of actinide-containing species, with an emphasis on synthesizing cluster-based nanostructures and nanomaterials. His research also probes solution chemistry in the gas phase, involving electrospray ionization and cryogenic ion traps to study anions from solutions, including multiply-charged and solvated anions, as well as those with diffused electronic excited states. His work extends to inorganic metal complexes, redox species, biologically relevant molecules, and the solvation and stabilization of complex anions. Wang has made significant contributions to understanding the structures, bonding, and electronic properties of various clusters and molecules, advancing the field of nanoscience and molecular spectroscopy.

Research topics

• Chemistry
• Organic chemistry
• Astrobiology
• Combinatorial chemistry
• Computational chemistry
• Inorganic chemistry
• Photochemistry
• Crystallography
• Materials science
• Physics

Selected publications

• A Heteroleptic Gold Hydride Nanocluster for Efficient and Selective Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO₂ to CO

  Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2022 · 201 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  . Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that the hydride coordinated Au sites are the active centers, which facilitate the formation of the key *COOH intermediate.

  PublisherDOI

• B₄₈⁻: a bilayer boron cluster

  Nanoscale · 2021 · 75 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  clusters are found to be highly stable with strong interlayer covalent bonding, revealing a new structural type for size-selected boron clusters. The current study shows the structural diversity of boron nanoclusters and provides experimental evidence for the viability of bilayer borophenes.

  DOI

• Selective Semihydrogenation of Polarized Alkynes by a Gold Hydride Nanocluster

  Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2022 · 49 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  -alkenes under acidic conditions. All key reaction intermediates are isolated and characterized, providing atomic-level insights into the active sites and mechanisms of semihydrogenation reactions catalyzed by gold-based nanomaterials. The hydridic hydrogen in the undecagold cluster is found to be the key to prevent over hydrogenation of alkenes to alkanes. The current study provides fundamental insights into hydrogenation chemistry enabled by gold-based nanomaterials and may lead to the develop…

  DOI

• Borozenes: Benzene-Like Planar Aromatic Boron Clusters

  Accounts of Chemical Research · 2024-08-03 · 31 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  ConspectusWith three valence electrons and four valence orbitals, boron (2s22p1) is an electron-deficient element, resulting in interesting chemical bonding and structures in both borane molecules and bulk boron materials. The electron deficiency leads to electron sharing and delocalization in borane compounds and bulk boron allotropes, characterized by polyhedral cages, in particular, the ubiquitous B12 icosahedral cage. During the past two decades, the structures and bonding of size-selected b…

  PublisherDOI

• Probing the Structures and Lanthanum–Lanthanum Bonding in La₂B_<i>n</i>^– (<i>n</i> = 4–6) Clusters

  Inorganic Chemistry · 2024-09-04 · 16 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  We report an investigation on the structures and chemical bonding in a series of di-lanthanum boron clusters, La2Bn– (n = 4–6), using photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. Well-resolved photoelectron spectra are obtained and used to verify the global minima of the lanthanide boron clusters. The structures of La2B4– and La2B5– are found to consist of open B4 and B5 rings, respectively, around the La2 dimer equatorially. Theoretical evidence of La–La σ bonding is obtained in La2…

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Investigation of Boron and Boride Nanoclusters: Laying the Foundation for New Boron Nanostructures

  NSF · $1.0M · 2013–2018

• Investigation of Boron and Boride Nanoclusters: Laying the Foundation for New Boron Nanostructures and Nanomaterials

  NSF · $600k · 2018–2021

• Probing the Electronic and Atomic Structures of Metal Clusters and Solution-Phase Species in the Gas Phase

  NSF · $335k · 2008–2010

Frequent coauthors

• Xue‐Bin Wang

  Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

  1053 shared

• Hua‐Jin Zhai

  900 shared

• Alexander I. Boldyrev

  Utah State University

  534 shared

• Jun Li

  484 shared

• Xin Yang

  West China Hospital of Sichuan University

  403 shared

• Wei‐Li Li

  Jiangsu University of Science and Technology

  256 shared

• Xi Li

  Xidian University

  241 shared

• Xin Huang

  Anhui University

  232 shared

Labs

• Lai-Sheng Wang GroupPI

Education

• Ph.D. in Chemical Physics, Chemistry

  University of California Berkeley

  1990

• BS in Chemistry, Chemistry

  Wuhan University

  1982

Awards & honors

• Earle K.. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy Dynamics,…
• Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science…
• Humboldt Senior Research Award (2006)
• John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship (2005)
• Fellow, American Physical Society (2003)

Similar researchers at Brown University

• Shouheng Sunh-193
• Ming Xianh-70
• Peter M. Weberh-54