ResearchInterests and Achievements

Prof. Can Li has been working on both fundamental and appliedresearch in catalysis and making efforts to reveal the essential relationship betweencatalytic performance and catalyst structure, and try to understand catalysisat various levels including atomic, molecular as well as nanometer scales and toapply these understandings to the designs and the development of practicalapplications in energy (solar fuels), fine chemicals (chiral synthesis) andenvironmental sciences (ultra-deep desulfurization of fuels). In particular tounderstand the fundamental of catalysis by developing in situ spectroscopy(e.g., UV Raman, Time resolved vibrational and electronic spectroscopy) tocharacterize the catalyst structure, and catalytic reactions.

Prof. Can Li has been the Director of the State Key Laboratory,Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences since 1998,and the former Chairman of the Catalysis Society of China (2005-2012), and theformer President of International Association of Catalysis Societies(2008-2012), and current President of The Asia-Pacific Association of CatalysisSocieties. Can Li was elected a Member of the Chinese Academy of Science in2003, a Member of The Academy of Science for Developing Countries (TWAS) in2005, and a Foreign Member of Academia Europea in 2008, a Fellow of the RoyalSociety of Chemistry in 2008.

Prof. Can Li has received numerous awards and honors for hiscontributions to the advancement of the catalysis sciences and technology.Among the prestigious ones include the International Catalysis Award for hisoutstanding contributions to catalysis in micro- and mesoporous in general, andof UV Raman identification of active sites and confinement effects in chiralsynthesis in particular; National Natural Science Prize for his contribution tothe UV Resonance Raman Spectroscopy for characterizing catalysts particularlyof semiconductor based photocatalysts and transition metal containing zeolitesfor selective oxidations; Ho Leung Ho Lee Prize (HLHL Foundation from HongKong) for his contribution to the development of chiral synthesis innanoreators by bridging the heterogeneous and homogenous catalysis, andNational Petrochemical Prize for his contribution to the development and commercializationof ultra deep desulfurization with emulsion catalysis and layered bulkcatalysts in China. In the last decade, Can Li has made significantcontribution to the solar fuels production via photocatalytic andphotoelectrocatalytic water splitting and CO₂ reduction bydeveloping new concepts in photocatalysis (such as photogenerated chargeseparation with phase junction, between different facets, and dual co-catalystsstrategy). Can Li has ~ 600 publications, ~ 13000 citations, an H-index ~ 60, ~60 granted patents and over 70 plenary and keynote lectures at internationalconferences.