KEY PUBLICATIONS:
1. Jian Liu, Nilantha P. Wickramaratne, Shi Zhang Qiao and Mietek Jaroniec*, “Molecular-based Design and Emerging Applications of Nanoporous Carbon Spheres” Nature Materials, 2015, 14, 763–774. (ESI Highly Cited Paper)
2. Yuzhu Ma#,*, Peiting Guo#, Bing Ma#, Hongjin Zhang#, Jinying Li, Linlin Duan, Wei Zhang, Shenghong Guo, Aixia Wang, Xin Pu, Jia Jia, Yan Ai, You-Liang Zhu*, Zhongyuan Lu, Xiaomin Li, Jian Liu* and Dongyuan Zhao*, “Paddle-like Self-stirring Nanoreactors with Multi-chambered Mesoporous Branches for Enhanced Dual-dynamic Cascade Reactions” Nature Nanotechnology, 2025, 20, e202317669. (Cover Paper, Corresponding author)
3. Yuzhu Ma, Haitao Li, Jian Liu* and Dongyuan Zhao*, “Understanding the Chemistry of Mesostructured Porous Nanoreactors” Nature Review Chemistry, 2024, 8, 915–931. (Cover Paper, Corresponding author)
4. Runping Ye, Jie Ding, Tomas Ramirez Reina, Melis Seher Duyar, Haitao Li, Wenhao Luo, Rongbin Zhang, Maohong Fan*, Gang Feng*, Jian Sun* and Jian Liu*, “Design of Catalysts for Selective CO2 Hydrogenation” Nature Synthesis, 2025, 4, 288–302. (Corresponding author, Highlighted in Nature Synthesis as Editorial)
6. Runping Ye#, Lixuan Ma#, Xiaoling Hong#, Tomas Ramirez Reina, Wenhao Luo, Liqun Kang, Gang Feng, Rongbin Zhang, Maohong Fan*, Riguang Zhang* and Jian Liu*, “Boosting Low-Temperature CO2 Hydrogenation over Ni-based Catalysts by Tuning Strong Metal-Support Interactions” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2024, 63, e202317669. (Corresponding author)
7. Feilong Gong, Yuheng Liu, Yang Zhao, Wei Liu, Guang Zeng, Guoqing Wang, Yonghui Zhang*, Lihua Gong* and Jian Liu*, “Universal Sub-nanoreactor Strategy for Synthesis of Yolk–shell MoS2 Supported Single-atom Electrocatalysts toward Robust Hydrogen-evolution Reaction” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2023, 62, e202308091. (Cover Paper, Corresponding author)
8. Yutong Pi, Linxia Cui, Wenhao Luo, Haitao Li, Yanfu Ma, Na Ta, Xinyao Wang, Rui Gao, Dan Wang*, Qihua Yang* and Jian Liu*, “Design of Hollow Nanoreactors for Size- and Shape-Selective Catalytic Semihydrogenation Driven by Molecular Recognition” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2023, 62, e202307096. (Cover Paper, Corresponding author)
9. Xinyao Wang, Xiaowei Yang, Chen Zhao, Yutong Pi, Xiaobo Li, Zhongfan Jia, Si Zhou, Jijun Zhao, Limin Wu* and Jian Liu*, “Ambient Preparation of Benzoxazine-based Phenolic Resins Enables Long-term Sustainable Photosynthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2023, 62, e202302829. (Corresponding author)
10. Chen Zhao, Xinyao Wang, Yanfeng Yin, Wenming Tian, Guang Zeng, Haitao Li, Sheng Ye*, Limin Wu* and Jian Liu*, “Molecular Level Modulation of Anthraquinone-containing Resorcinol-formaldehyde Resin Photocatalysts for H2O2 Production with Exceeding 1.2% Efficiency” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2023, 62, e202218318. (Hot Paper, Corresponding author)
11. Panpan Su, Wei Pei, Xiaowei Wang, Yanfu Ma, Qike Jiang, Ji Liang*, Si Zhou*, Jijun Zhao, Jian Liu* and Gao Qing (Max) Lu, “Exceptional Electrochemical HER Performance with Enhanced Electron Transfer between Ru nanoparticles and Single Atoms Dispersed on Carbon Substrate” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2021, 60, 16044–16050. (Corresponding author)
12. Chao Dong#, Qun Yu#, Run-Ping Ye, Panpan Su, Jian Liu* and Guang-Hui Wang*, “Hollow Carbon Sphere Nanoreactors Loaded with PdCu Nanoparticles: Void-Confinement Effects in Liquid-Phase Hydrogenations” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2020, 59, 18374–18379. (Cover Paper, Corresponding author)
13. Yueyu Tong, Haipeng Guo, Daolan Liu, Xiao Yan, Panpan Su, Ji Liang*, Si Zhou*, Jian Liu*, Gao Qing (Max) Lu and Shi Xue Dou, “Vacancy Engineering of Fe-doped W18O49 Nanoreactors for Low-barrier Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2020, 59, 7356–7361. (Cover Paper, Corresponding author) (ESI Highly Cited Paper)
14. Xiaomin Ren, Miao Guo, He Li, Chengbin Li, Liang Yu,* Jian Liu* and Qihua Yang*, “Microenvironment Engineering of Ru Nanoparticles Incorporated in Silica Nanoreactors for Enhanced Hydrogenations” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2019, 58, 14483–14488. (VIP Paper, Cover Paper, Corresponding author)
15. Tianyu Yang, Lijuan Wei, Lingyan Jing, Jifen Liang, Xiaoming Zhang, Min Tang, Michael J. Monteiro, Ying (Ian) Chen, Yong Wang, Sai Gu, Dongyuan Zhao, Hengquan Yang*, Jian Liu* and G. Q. Max Lu, “Dumbbell-shaped Bi-component Mesoporous Janus Solid Nanoparticles for Biphasic Interface Catalysis” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2017, 56, 8459–8463. (Corresponding author)
16. Wei Zhang, Yanyi Zhao, Victor Malgras, Qingmin Ji, Dongmei Jiang, Ruijuan Qi, Katsuhiko Ariga, Yusuke Yamauchi, Jian Liu*, Ji-Sen Jiang* and Ming Hu*, “Synthesis of Monocrystalline Nanoframes of Prussian Blue Analogues by Controlled Preferential Etching” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2016, 55, 8228–8234. (Frontispiece, Corresponding author)
17. Jing Tang, Jian Liu*, Cuiling Li, Yunqi Li, Moses O. Tade, Sheng Dai* and Yusuke Yamauchi*, “Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Mesoporous Carbon Spheres with Extra-Large Pores through Assembly of Diblock Copolymer Micelles” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2015, 54, 588–593. (Corresponding author, highlighted in Chemistry in Australia) (ESI Highly Cited Paper)
18. Yan Yang, Xiao Liu, Xiaobo Li, Jiao Zhao, Shiyang Bai, Jian Liu* and Qihua Yang*, “Yolk-Shell Nanoreactor with Basic Core and Acidic Shell for Cascade Reactions” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2012, 51, 9164–9168. (Corresponding author, Hot Paper, Highlighted in Materials views China)
19. Jian Liu, Shi Zhang Qiao*, Hao Liu, Jun Chen, Ajay Orpe, Dongyuan Zhao and Gao Qing (Max) Lu*, “Extension of Stöber Method for the Preparation of Monodisperse Resorcinol Formaldehyde Resin Polymer and Carbon Spheres” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2011, 50, 5947–5951. (VIP Paper, Cover Paper, highlighted in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2011, 50, 9023–9025; and Chemistry in Australia, 2011, 78(7), 10.) (ESI Highly Cited Paper)
20. Jian Liu, Shi Zhang Qiao*, Sandy Budi Hartono and Gao Qing (Max) Lu*, “Monodisperse Yolk-Shell Nano-Particles with Hierarchical Porous Structure as Delivery Vehicles and Nanoreactors” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2010, 49, 4981–4985. (Cover Paper, highlighted in Chemistry World, 2010, 7(7) 30; Nature Materials, 2010, 9, 534; and Chemistry in Australia, 2010, 77(9), 9, one of 25 the most frequently cited papers among those published in 2010 or 2011, the 25 papers including the papers published from Prof. Michael Gratzel, Prof. Klaus Mullen, Prof. Jurgen Caro, Prof. Shuit-Tong Lee, Prof. C. N. R. Rao) (ESI Highly Cited Paper)
21. Tianyi Liu, Lei Xie, Cameron-Alexander Hurd Price, Jian Liu,* Qiang He* and Biao Kong* “Controlled Propulsion of Micro/Nanomotors: Operational Mechanisms, Motion Manipulation and Potential Biomedical Applications” Chemical Society Reviews, 2022, 51, 10083–10119. (Corresponding author) (Review) (ESI Highly Cited Paper)
22. Yanping Chen*, Jiatong Wei, Melis S. Duyar, Vitaly V. Ordomsky*, Andrei Y. Khodakov and Jian Liu*, “Carbon-based catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis” Chemical Society Reviews, 2021, 50, 2337–2366. (Cover Paper, Corresponding author) (Review) (ESI Highly Cited Paper)
23. Yash Boyjoo, Meiwen Wang, Vishnu K. Pareek, Jian Liu* and Mietek Jaroniec*, “Synthesis and Applications of Porous Non-silica Metal Oxide Submicrospheres” Chemical Society Reviews, 2016, 45, 6013–6047. (Corresponding author) (Review)
24. Yanfu Ma#, Liwei Wang#, Wantong Zhao#, Tianyi Liu, Haitao Li, Wenhao Luo, Qike Jiang, Wei Liu, Qihua Yang, Jun Huang, Riguang Zhang, Jian Liu*, G. Q. Max Lu and Can Li* “Reactant Enrichment in Hollow Void of Pt NPs@MnOx Nanoreactors for Boosting Hydrogenation Performance” National Science Review, 2023, 10, nwad201. (Corresponding author, highlights from NSR)
25. Hao Tian, Jinhui Zhao, Xinyao Wang, Lizhuo Wang, Hao Liu, Guoxiu Wang, Jun Huang*, Jian Liu* and G. Q. (Max) Lu, “Construction of Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoreactors for Enhanced Photo-oxidations over Au-Pt Catalysts” National Science Review, 2020, 7, 1647–1655. (Corresponding author, highlights from NSR)
26. Hao Jin, Yan Zhang, Zhuwei Cao, Jian Liu* and Sheng Ye* “Atomically Dispersed Sn on Core-Shell MoS2 Nanoreactors as Mott-Schottky Phase Junctions for Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution” Advanced Materials, 2025, 37, 2502977. (Corresponding author)
27. Chengwei Ji#, Huimei Duan#, Chuanhui Wang, Guizeng Liang, Xiaojing Long, Xilin She, Rongrong Zhang, Feilong Gong, Daohao Li*, Dongjiang Yang* and Jian Liu*, “Pairing N-Vacancy and Adjacent Ni-Sites in the Local Microenvironment to Regulate the Urea Oxidation Reaction Pathway with Enhanced Kinetics” Advanced Materials, 2025, 37, 2503879. (Corresponding author)
28. Feilong Gong*, Zhilin Chen, Chaoqun Chang, Haitao Li, Yang Zhao, Lihua Gong, Yonghui Zhang, Shizhong Wei* and Jian Liu*, “Hollow Mo/MoSVn Nanoreactors with Tunable Built-in Electric Fields for Sustainable Hydrogen Production” Advanced Materials, 2025, 37, 2415269. (Corresponding author)
29. Xiaoling Hong#, Qiao Zhao#, Yanping Chen#, Zhibin Yu, Mengzhen Zhou, Yan Chen, Wenhao Luo, Chang Wang, Na Ta, Haitao Li, Runping Ye, Xiaotao Zu*, Wei Liu* and Jian Liu*, “Visualizing Phase Evolution of Co2C for Efficient Fischer-Tropsch to Olefins” Advanced Materials, 2024, 36, 2404046. (Corresponding author)
30. Xiangyu Meng#, Yuzhao Liu#, Yanfu Ma#, Yash Boyjoo, Jian Liu*, Jieshan Qiu and Zhiyu Wang*, “Diagnosing and correcting the failure of solid-state polymer electrolyte for enhancing solid-state lithium-sulfur battery” Advanced Materials, 2023, 35, 2212039. (Corresponding author)
31. Yutong Pi, Yanfu Ma, Xinyao Wang, Cameron-Alexander Hurd Price, Haitao Li, Qinglong Liu, Liwei Wang, Hongyu Chen, Guangjin Hou, Bao-Lian Su* and Jian Liu*, “Multilevel Hollow Phenolic Resin Nanoreactors with Precise Metal Nanoparticles Spatial Location towards Promising Heterogeneous Hydrogenations” Advanced Materials, 2022, 34, 2205153. (Cover Paper, Corresponding author)
32. Xiaowei Wang, Siyao Qiu, Jianmin Feng, Yueyu Tong, Fengling Zhou, Qinye Li, Li Song, Shuangming Chen, Kuang-Hsu Wu, Panpan Su, Sheng Ye, Feng Hou, Shi Xue Dou, Hua Kun Liu, Gao Qing (Max) Lu, Chenghua Sun*, Jian Liu* and Ji Liang*, “Confined Fe-Cu Clusters as Subnanometer Reactors for Efficiently Regulating Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction Reaction” Advanced Materials, 2020, 32, 2004382. (Cover Paper, Corresponding author)
33. Hao Tian, Ji Liang and Jian Liu*, "Nanoengineering Carbon Spheres as Nanoreactors for Sustainable Energy Applications" Advanced Materials, 2019, 31, 1903886. (Corresponding author) (ESI Highly Cited Paper)
34. Runping Ye#, Lixuan Ma#, Jianing Mao#, Xinyao Wang, Xiaoling Hong, Alessandro Gallo, Yanfu Ma, Wenhao Luo, Baojun Wang, Riguang Zhang*, Melis Seher Duyar*, Zheng Jiang* and Jian Liu*, “A Ce-CuZn catalyst with abundant Cu/Zn-OV-Ce active sites for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol” Nature Communications, 2024, 15, 2159 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46513-3. (Corresponding author)
35. Yanping Chen#, Yu Yao#, Wantong Zhao, Lifeng Wang, Haitao Li, Jiangwei Zhang, Baojun Wang, Yi Jia, Riguang Zhang*, Yan Yu* and Jian Liu*, “Precise solid-phase synthesis of CoFe@FeOx nanoparticles for efficient polysulfide regulation in lithium/sodium-sulfur batteries” Nature Communications, 2023, 14, 7487 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42941-9. (Corresponding author)
36. Hao Tian, Huajun Tian, Shijian Wang, Shuangming Chen, Fan Zhang, Li Song*, Hao Liu*, Jian Liu* and Guoxiu Wang*, “High-power Lithium-selenium Batteries Enabled by Atomic Cobalt Electrocatalyst Incorporated in Hollow Carbon Cathode” Nature Communications, 2020, 11, 5025 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18820-y. (Corresponding author)
37. Jian Liu*, Tianyu Yang, Da-Wei Wang, Gao Qing (Max) Lu, Dongyuan Zhao and Shi Zhang Qiao*, “A Facile Soft-template Synthesis of Mesoporous Polymeric and Carbonaceous Nanospheres” Nature Communications, 2013, 4, 2798; doi: 10.1038/ncomms3798, Published 17 Dec 2013 (Corresponding author, Nature Communications is ranked #3 in the multidisciplinary sciences category behind Nature and Science, highlighted in Chemistry in Australia, 2014, March, 12; Chemical Engineering in Australia, 2014, 39, 1; Energising WA, 2014, March, 8) (ESI Highly Cited Paper)
38. Yash Boyjoo, Haodong Shi, Qiang Tian, Shaomin Liu, Ji Liang*, Zhong-Shuai Wu*, Mietek Jaroniec and Jian Liu*, “Engineering Nanoreactors for Metal-Chalcogen Batteries” Energy & Environmental Science, 2021, 14, 540–575. (Cover Paper, Corresponding author)
39. Yao Zheng, Jian Liu, Ji Liang, Mietek Jaroniec and Shi Zhang Qiao*, “Graphitic Carbon Nitride Materials: Controllable Synthesis and Applications in Fuel Cells and Photocatalysis” Energy & Environmental Science, 2012, 5, 6717–6731. (Yao Zheng and Jian Liu are contributed equally to this work) (Invited Perspective) (ESI Highly Cited Paper)
40. Yanxia Liu#, Lulu Wang#, Haitao Li#, Lin Zhao, Yanfu Ma, Yagang Zhang*, Jian Liu* and Yen Wei*, “Rigorous recognition mode analysis of molecularly imprinted polymers — rational design, challenges, and opportunities” Progress in Polymer Science, 2024, 150, 101790. (Corresponding author)
41. Zhikai Chen, Xiaoli Jiang, Yash Boyjoo, Lan Zhang, Wei Li, Lin Zhao, Yanxia Liu, Yagang Zhang*, Jian Liu* and Xifei Li*, “Nanoporous Carbon Materials Derived from Biomass precursors: Sustainable Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage” Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2024, 7, 26. (Corresponding author)
42. Haitao Li#, Jianchuan Liu#, Yujie Wang*, Chunsheng Guo, Yutong Pi, Qianrong Fang* and Jian Liu*, “Hollow covalent organic framework (COF) nanoreactors for sustainable photo/electrochemical catalysis” Coordination Chemistry Reviews, 2025, 523, 216240. (Corresponding author)
43. Zexin Wei, Min Song*, Huanxin Wang, Yonghui Zhang, Guang Zeng, Min Kong, Feilong Gong*, Jian Liu* and Shizhong Wei*, “Rare Earth Single Atoms Steering Hydrogen Spillover over Pd/WO3 toward High Efficiency Room Temperature H2 Sensor” Advanced Energy Materials, 2025, 15, 2501365. (Corresponding author)
44. Chaoqun Chang, Xiaodong Li, Shizhong Wei*, Yang Zhao, Lihua Gong, Yonghui Zhang, Jian Liu* and Feilong Gong*, “Cross-Scale Process Intensification of Spindle CuO Supported Tungsten Single Atom Catalysts toward Enhanced Electrochemical Hydrogen Production” Advanced Energy Materials, 2025, 15, 2402825. (Corresponding author) (ESI Highly Cited Paper)
45. Chuangwei Liu, Derek Hao, Jin Ye, Sheng Ye, Fengling Zhou, Hongbo Xie, Gaowu Qin, Jiating Xu,* Jian Liu,* Song Li* and Chenghua Sun* “Knowledge-Driven Design and Lab-based Evaluation of B-doped TiO2 Photocatalysts for Ammonia Synthesis” Advanced Energy Materials, 2023, 13, 2204126. (Corresponding author)
46. Yash Boyjoo, Haodong Shi, Emilia Olsson, Qiong Cai, Zhong-Shuai Wu*, Jian Liu* and Gao Qing (Max) Lu, “Molecular-Level Design of Pyrrhotite Electrocatalyst Decorated Hierarchical Porous Carbon Spheres as Nanoreactors for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries” Advanced Energy Materials, 2020, 10, 2000651. (Corresponding author) (ESI Highly Cited Paper)
47. Yanping Chen, Melis S. Duyar, Rongrong Han, Fagui He, Xiang Sun, Yan Chen, Wei Liu* and Jian Liu*, “Construction of Complex Metal Nanoparticles via Solid-phase Ion Diffusion for Catalysis” Materials Today, 2024, 75, 259–284. (Corresponding author)
48. Zhengbin Tian, Chao Dong, Qun Yu, Run-Ping Ye, Melis S. Duyar, Jian Liu*, Heqing Jiang* and Guang-Hui Wang*, “A Universal Nanoreactor Strategy for Scalable Supported Ultrafine Bimetallic Nanoparticles Synthesis” Materials Today, 2020, 40, 72–81. (Cover Paper, Corresponding author)
49. Lin Huang, Deepanjali D. Gurav, Shu Wu, Wei Xu, Vadanasundari Vedarethinam, Jing Yang, Haiyang Su, Xinze Wan, Yuan Fang, Baiyong Shen, Cameron-Alexander Hurd Price, Eirini Velliou, Jian Liu* and Kun Qian*, “A Multifunctional Platinum Nanoreactor for Point-of-care Metabolic Analysis” Matter, 2019, 1, 1669–1680. (Corresponding author)