Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry continues to be recognised for research excellence. Our faculty members received numerous international and national accolades, including the Singapore National Academy of Science (SNAS) Young Scientist Award and the Young Researcher Award, among others. We have been one of the top 10 chemistry programmes worldwide for eight years in a row.

We secured over $15 million in research funding and published over 400 papers in reputable journals. We are now collaborating with various research and corporate organisations in Singapore to develop decarbonisation solutions that support Singapore’s net zero carbon emissions goal as well as on discoveries in other subfields of chemistry.

  Shaping
Future Talent

Undergraduate enrolment numbers have grown progressively since the launch of the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) in 2020. We introduced new interdisciplinary courses (IDCs) which focus on connecting insights across multiple disciplines at a higher level. These include HS2902 ‘Do Play Play’: The Importance of Play, HS2904 Driving Towards the Future: Battery Electric Vehicles and HS2917 The Meaning of Colour.

The generosity of our benefactors enables our students to fully benefit from the educational opportunities we offer. Alumna (1983) Dr CHONG Yoke Sin established the STEM Inspire Bursary to support financially disadvantaged female students and enable them to excel in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines, where women are underrepresented.

The inaugural cohort from the Master of Science (MSc) in Chemical Sciences graduated in 2022. The programme provides graduates advanced knowledge and competencies in chemical science for careers in the chemical and other industries.

  Shaping
Future Solutions

We continue to advance fundamental knowledge in chemical sciences, while also exploring emerging areas such as catalysis and synthesis, and sustainable chemistry.

First triply twisted Möbius carbon nanobelt

Atomically precise synthesis of topological molecular carbons such as Möbius carbon nanobelts is a challenge in synthetic organic chemistry because it requires careful control of both twist and strain. Prof WU Jishan and research fellow Dr FAN Wei recently reported the first triply twisted Möbius carbon nanobelt. The Möbius band-like structure was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. They also succeeded in isolating the chiral isomers and attained impressive chiroptical properties. This study was published in Nature Synthesis (May 2023).

Polarised nickel electrocatalysts for sustainable fuel

The electroreduction of carbon dioxide, driven by renewable electricity, can be used to form chemicals and fuels. So far, only copper-based materials have been used to catalyse the formation of multicarbon products, albeit limited to molecules containing one to three carbon atoms. Assoc Prof Jason YEO and his collaborators report, for the first time, that polarised nickel materials can electrocatalyse the formation of hydrocarbons containing up to six carbon atoms. This study was published in Nature Catalysis (June 2022) and is an important step towards the sustainable production of synthetic fuels using carbon dioxide and water.  

One of our students received the Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Prize (OURP) in recognition of her work.

Another student and his mentor received the CRISP award for their work.

Some of our postgraduate students have gone on to translate their innovations into solutions to address real-world problems.

Prof CHEN Wei was appointed as a Provost Chair Professor for his work in interface engineering for two-dimensional (2D) materials-based electronic and optoelectronic devices, which is internationally recognised.

Assoc Prof LU Jiong (left) and Assoc Prof WU Jie (right) were appointed as Dean’s Chair Professors in 2023 for their work on atomic-scale materials design and large-scale synthesis of new-generation nanocatalysts, and novel technology for end-to-end automated synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients, respectively.

  Shaping
Future Society

Our students and alumni serve the community in many different ways.

The Singapore team mentored by Dr ZHANG Sheng and Dr TAN Wee Boon achieved a historic first, winning four gold medals in the 55th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) (2023) held in Switzerland in July. This places Singapore in joint first position among 89 participating countries.