Dr Ma Research Group

Prof. Ma's Research Group



We are a synthetic inorganic and organic materials research group focusing on task-specific design and functionalization of advanced porous materials. The research of our group aims to engineering the nanospace of advanced porous materials including metal-organic frameworks (MOF), covalent organic framework (COF) and porous organic polymer (POP) for energy/biological/environmental-related applications.


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Recent Publications


  • Zhang, L.; Xiao, T.; Zeng, X.; You, J.; He, Ziyu; Chen, C.-X.; Wang, Q.; Nafady, A.; Al-Enizi, A.; Ma, S. "Isoreticular Contraction of Cage-like MetalOrganic Frameworks with Optimized Pore Space for Enhanced C2H2/CO2 and C2H2/C2H4 Separations" J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c12032.
  • Zhang, Y.; Guo, J.; VanNatta, P.; Jiang, Y.; Phipps, J.; Roknuzzaman, R.; Rabaa, H.; Tan, K.; Alshahrani, T.; Ma, S. "Metal-free Heterogenous Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Olefin Promoted by Chiral Frustrated Lewis Pair Framework" J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 979-987.
  • Wang, B.; Li, J.; Huang, H.; Liang, B.*; Zhang, Y.; Chen, L.; Tan, K.; Chai, Z.; Wang, S.*; Wright, J.; Meulenberg, R.; Ma, S. "Introducing Frustrated Lewis Pairs to Metal−Organic Framework for Selective Hydrogenation of N-heterocycles" ACS Cent. Sci. 2024, 10, 426-438.
  • Xu, Z.-M.; Hu, Z.; Huang, Y.i; Bao, S.-J.; Niu, Z.; Lang, J.-P.; Al-Enizi, A.; Nafady, A.; Ma, S. "Introducing Frustrated Lewis Pairs to Metal−Organic Framework for Selective Hydrogenation of N-heterocycles" J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 14994–15000.
  • Zhang, Y.; Chen, S.; Al-Enizi, A. M.; Nafady, A.; Tang, Z.; Ma, S. "Chiral Frustrated Lewis Pair@Metal-Organic Framework as a New Platform for Heterogeneous Asymmetric Hydrogenation" Angew Chem. Int. Ed., 2023, 62, e202213399.


Group News

January 10, 2024
Dr. Ma is awarded the 2024 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Physical Sciences from the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology (TAMEST). Congratulations!
 
November 30, 2023

Our work on chiral FLP@COF for metal-free heterogenous asymmetric hydrogenation of olefin is accepted for publication in JACS!

 
November 15, 2023
For the tenth year in a row, Dr. Ma has been named a 2023 Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Chemistry. Congratulations!
 
November 14, 2023

Our work on MOF as a new type of magnetothermally-triggered on-demand release carrier is accepted for publication in Small!

 
July 17, 2023

Our work on creating enzyme mimic region in chiral FLP@MOF for heterogeneous enantio- and chemo-selective hydrogenation is accepted for publication in ACS Central Science!

 
June 12, 2023

Our work on FLP@MOF for selective hydrogenation of N-heterocycles is accepted for publication in JACS!

 
May 24, 2023

Our work on in situ formation of FLP in Zr metl-organic cage for CO2 fixation ia accepted for publication in CCS Chemistry!

 
May 13, 2023

The Ma research lab held the annual group BBQ party at Lewisville Lake to celebrate the end of the Spring semester as well as the graduation of Yanpei Song and Steve Lan!

 
May 2, 2023

Two papers are accepted for publication in Angew Chem. Int. Ed. over the last week with one work on kinetic control via binding sites within the MMPFs for shape-selectivity catalysis and the other collaborative work on photoactive MTV COF for seawater uranium extraction!!

 
March 24, 2023
Yanpei Song and Steve Lan successfully defended their dissertations and will move to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft respectively for postdoctoral research this coming summer. Congratulations!
 
March 20, 2023

Our work on MOF with unique aromatic pore surfaces for C2H6/C2H4 separation is accepted for publication in Angew Chem. Int. Ed.!

 
February 14, 2023

Two papers are accepted for publication in Nature Commun. over the last two weeks with one work on unveiling the structure of protein within MOF cage and the other collaborative work on photoactive COF for seawater uranium extraction!

 

December 20, 2022

Our invited review article about advanced porous materials including MOFs, COFs, and POPs for water purification is accepted for publication in Angew Chem. Int. Ed.!

 
December 16, 2022

The Ma research lab held the annual group party to celebrate the end of the fruitful Year 2022 and farewell to two graduates Dr. Xueying Ge and Mr. Changjia Zhu as well as two postdoctoral scholars Drs. Chengxia Chen and Yingxiang Ye!

 
December 7, 2022

Our work on the natural product Narigin@MOF as a multifunctional bioplatform for antibacterial, anticancer, and immune-boosting is accepted for publication in ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces!

 
November 16, 2022
For the ninth year in a row, Dr. Ma has been named a 2022 Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Chemistry. Congratulations!
 
November 7, 2022

Two papers were accepted today with one about Chiral FLP@MOF for heterogeneous asymmetric hydrogenation in Angew Chem. Int. Ed. and the other one about enzyme mimetic COF for hydrolysis of cellobiose in Macromolecul. Rapid Commun.!

 
November 1, 2022
Xueying Ge successfully defended her dissertation and will move to Texas A&M University/School of Engineering Medicine as a postdoctoral research associate this coming January. Congratulations!
 
June 17, 2022

Our work on manipulating the electronic-state of iron in MOF to regulate C2H2/CO2 adsorption selectivity is accepted for publication in Cell Reports Physical Science!

 
May 21, 2022

The Ma research lab held the annual group BBQ party at North Lakes Park, Denton to celebrate the end of the Spring semester as well as the graduation of Xiaoliang Wang (Dec 2021) and Junyu Ren (May 2022)!

 
April 1, 2022

Two papers are accepted in a row with the work on cationic MOF for Xe/Kr separation in Nano Researchand the collaborative work on functionalized PAF-1 for PFAF removal in Nature Commun.!

 
March 23, 2022
Junyu Ren successfully defended his dissertation and will move to National University of Singapore as a postdoctoral research associate this coming July. Congratulations!
 
February 21, 2022

Our work on large-scale synthesis of MOF-derived ORR catalysts is accepted for publication in eScience!

 
February 14, 2022

Our work on self-adjusting MOF for the capture of trace Xe and Kr is highlighted by C&EN!

 
January 12, 2022

Our work on self-adjusting MOF for the capture of trace Xe and Kr is accepted for publication in Angew Chem. Int. Ed.!

 
December 23, 2021

Our collaborative work on MOF nanoparticles for oral insulin delivery is accepted for publication in Science Advances!

 
December 16, 2021

Our work on MOF-based hydrogen-bonding nanotrap for acetylene storage and separation is accepted for publication in JACS!

 
December 12, 2021

Our review on recent development of MOF nanocomposites for biomedical applicaitons is accepted as an invited contribution for publication in Biomaterials!

 
December 9, 2021

Our perspective on porous frustrated Lewis pair catalysts is accepted as an invited contribution for publication in Chem. Cat.!

 
November 16, 2021
For the eighth year in a row, Dr. Ma has been named a 2021 Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Chemistry. Congratulations!
 
November 15, 2021

Our work on MTV Ti-MOF/COF composite for photocatalytic hydrogen production is accepted as VIP for publication in Angew Chem. Int. Ed.!

 
October 26, 2021
Xiaoliang Wang successfully defended his dissertation and will move to Northwestern University as a postdoctoral research associate this coming January. Congratulations!
 
September 29, 2021

Our collaborative work on electrocatalysis seawater uranium extraction is accepted for publication in Adv. Mater.!

 
September 7, 2021

Our work on functional porphyrinic MOF for biomimetic heterogeneous halogen bonding catalysis in Angew Chem. Int. Ed.!

 
August 27, 2021

Quite harvesting to start the Fall semester of 2021 for our research group with four papers accepted over the past week: one about second-sphere interaction promoted “turn-on” fluorescent MOF in Angew Chem. Int. Ed., the second one about in situ monitoring the protein transfer into nanoscale channels of MOF/COF in Cell Reports Physical Science, the thrid one about POP-based nanotrap featuring uranyl-specific “hooks” for selective uranium extraction from seawater in ACS Central Sci., and the forth one about the review on acetylene storage and separation as an invited contribution invited contribution in Eur. J. Inorg. Chem.!

 
August 22, 2021

The Ma research lab had the first outside group BBQ party since the COVID pandemic and also the first group party in Texas!

 
June 18, 2021
Our work on Indium-soc MOF for Stecker reaction is accepted as an invited contribution to the Forum on “Emerging Materials for Catalysis and Energy Applications--- A Special Forum in Memory of Professor Chia-Kuang (Frank) Tsung” for publication in ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces!
 
May 21, 2021
Our work on corrole-based POP is accepted for publication in Nano Res.!
 
May 13, 2021
Dr. Ma is featured on the "Author Spotlight" of CCS Chemistry!
 
April 15, 2021
Our collaborative work on 3D porous oligomer signle crystals is accepted for publication in Angew Chem. Int. Ed.!
 
April 5, 2021
Our work on porphyrin-based MOFs, MMPF-12&13 is accepted as an invited contribution to the Virtual Special Issue entitled "Coordination Polymers as Heterogeneous Catalysts for Water Splitting and CO2 Fixation" for publication in Cryst. Growth Des.!
 
March 5, 2021
Our work on window–space-directed assembly strategy for the construction of zeolitic mesoMOF with ultramicroporous apertures for selective gas adsorption is accepted for publication in Chemical Science!
 
February 26, 2021
Our work on POP-based nanotrap for perrhenate anion (ReO4-) removal from waste water is accepted for publication in Small!
 
February 24, 2021
Our work on electroreduction of CO2 by POM@MOF is accepted for publication in Small!
 
February 2, 2021
Our collaborative work on nanospace engineering of MOF for ethane/ethylene separation is accepted for publication in Angew Chem. Int. Ed.!
 
January 4, 2021
Our work on MOF-based acetylene nanotrap is accepted for publication in Angew Chem. Int. Ed., which represents our first paper accepted in the new year of 2021!
 
December 16, 2020
Our work on MOF derived ORR catalyst for PEM Fuel Cell application is accepted for publication in CCS Chemistry.
 
November 18, 2020
For the seventh year in a row, Dr. Ma has been named a 2020 Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Chemistry. Congratulations!
 
September 26, 2020
Our work on POP featuring cooperative binding sites for uranium extraction is accepted for publication in Advanced Science.
 
August 12, 2020
Our Outlook on Enzyme@MOF is accepted as an invited contribution for publication in ACS Central Science.
 
August 5, 2020
Our work on COF for selective C-H functionalization is accepted as an invited contribution to the Special Issue themed on the topic of "Emerging Crystalline Porous Materials" for publication in Small.
 
July 17, 2020
Our work on the water oxidation assisted selective photoreduction of CO2 into methane is accepted as an invited contribution to the Special Issue "Green Carbon Science – CO2 Capture and Conversion" for publication in ChemSusChem.
 
July 1, 2020
Dr. Ma has accepted the position of Welch Chair in Chemistry at the University of North Texas! The Ma Lab is moving from Florida to Texas.
 
June 29, 2020
Our work on secondary sphere effect on POP-based organocatalysts for CO2 fixation is accepted for publication in ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces.
 
May 15, 2020
Our work on POP nanotrap for palladium extraction is accepted as an invited contribution to the Special Issue on "Functional Porous Materials Chemistry" for publication in Angew Chem. Int. Ed.
 
April 8, 2020
Our work on robust sco-MOF for methane storage is accepted as an invited contribution to the Special Issue on the topic of "Future Directions of Reticular Chemistry" for publication in Nano Res.!
 
April 3, 2020
Our review on POP for water purification is accepted for publication in Acc. Chem. Res.!
 
March 25, 2020
Our former PhD graduate Dr. Wenyang Gao has been offered a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Department of Chemistry at New Mexico Tech and he will start his independent career this August. Congratulations and wish you the best, Wenyang!
 
March 5, 2020
Our work on MOF-derived ultrafine β-Mo2C nanostructures featuring O–Mo–C interfaces to promote HER is accepted for publication in Chemical Science.
 
January 24, 2020
Our work on POP for CO2 transformation is accepted as an invited contribution for publication in Catalysis Today.
 
January 8, 2020
A good start of 2020 for our research group with three papers accepted over the past week: one about the first corrole-based COF in Angew Chem. Int. Ed., the second one about the review on COF for separation applications as an invited contribution Invited contribution to the themed collection in Chem. Soc. Rev. on "New frontiers in Covalent Organic Frameworks: Design and Applications", and the thrid one about the Highlight on Prof. Hailong Jiang's work "Encapsulating Soluble Active Species into Hollow Crystalline Porous Capsules beyond Integration of Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Catalysis" in Natl. Sci. Rev.!
 
November 14, 2019
Our review on regulation of the degree of interpenetration in MOFs is accepted as an invited contribution for publication in Top. Curr. Chem., achieving a milestone of the 200th publication!
 
October 28, 2019
A highly harvesting day today with three papers accepted: one about COF for photocatalysis in Matter, the second one about the review on recent advances in MOF-based photocatalysis as an invited contribution in Inorg. Chem. Front., and the thrid one about the review on pore surface engineering of COF as an invited contribution in Nanoscale!
 
October 7, 2019
Dr. Ma is featured on the Author Profile of Angewandte Chemie!
 
October 1, 2019
Our work on studying the degree of freedom of hosted enzymes in COF is accepted for publication in Chem!
 
September 26, 2019
Dr. Ma received the Gordon Lectureship from the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at Miami University. Congratulations!
 
September 19, 2019
Our work on Ir doped COF for C-H Borylation is accepted as invited contribution to the Special Topic on "Open Framework Materials for Energy Applications" in APL Materials!
 
September 13, 2019
Our work on cyclen-based HOF is accepted as invited contribution to Crystal Growth & Design Virtual Special Issue on "Structure Property relationship in Crystalline Solids"!
 
August 19, 2019
Our work on the first corrole-based MOF is accepted for publication in JACS!
 
August 13, 2019
Our work on heterogenization of trinuclear palladium complex into MOF for semi-reduction of internal alkynes is accepted as an invited contribution to the Special Issue on the topic of "Organometallic Chemistry within Metal-Organic Frameworks" for publication in Organometallics!
 
August 4, 2019
Our work on design strategies to enhance amidoxime chelators for uranium recovery is accepted for publication in ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces!
 
August 3, 2019
Congratulations on the successfully "hooding" of Dr. Briana Aguila!
 
June 19, 2019
Our work on tunable synthesis of MOF-derived hollow metal-nitrogen-carbon capsules for ORR in PEM Fuel Cell is accepted for publication in ACS Nano!
 
June 18, 2019
Our work on the investigation of the anticancer activity of 2D Ru metalla-rectangle is accepted for publication in Molecules!
 
June 4, 2019
Our work on POP-based anion nanotraps for radionuclide sequestration of pertechnetate is highlighted by DOE!
 
May 26, 2019
Our work on the assembly of supramolecular architecture from discrete nanocages is accepted for publication in Chemical Science!
 
May 23, 2019
Briana Aguila successfully defended her dissertation and will join Francis Marion University as an Assistant Professor this coming August. Congratulations!
 
May 6, 2019
Our work on MOF pore environment engineering for ethane/ethylene separation is accepted for publication in J. Mater. Chem. A!
 
May 3, 2019
Our work on MOF-based methane nanotrap for coal-mine methane capture is accepted for publication in Angew Chem. Int. Ed.as an very important paper (VIP)!
 
April 5, 2019
A great week for our research group and we have three papers accepted with two on today: one is about reaction environment modification in COF for biomass conversion being accepted for publication in Angew Chem. Int. Ed. and the other is regarding porous metal-metalloporphyrin gel for synergistic catalysis being accepted for publication in Nature Commun.!
 
April 4, 2019
Our work on FLP@MOF for chemoselective hydrogenation is published online in Angew Chem. Int. Ed., which sets a new record for the publications in our group: it's taken just one week from submission to publication online.
 
March 20, 2019
Our work on POP-based anion nanotraps for radionuclide sequestration of pertechnetate is accepted for publication in Nature Commun.!
 
March 18, 2019
Briana received a Dissertation Completion Fellowship from the Office of Graduate Studies at USF. Congratulations, Briana! Well deserved!
 
February 20, 2019
Our work on COF design to enhance the accessibility and stability of enzyme is accepted for publication in Adv. Mater.!
 
February 12, 2019
Our review on opportunities of POPs for radionuclide sequestration is accepted an invited contribution for publication in Trends in Chemistry
 
January 26, 2019
Our work on vanadium docked COF for modified Mannich-type reaction is accepted for publication in ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.!
 
January 23, 2019
Our work on hollow capsules of doped carbon incorporating metal@metal sulfide and metal@metal oxide core-shell nanoparticles derived from MOF for ORR and OER is accepted for publication in J. Mater. Chem. A!
 
January 2, 2019
The collaborative work on MOF/optical fiber device for chemical detection is accepted for publication in ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces!
 
December 26, 2018
Our work on vanadium docked COF for Prins reaction and sulphide oxidation is accepted for publication in ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces!
 
December 13, 2018
Our Preview on Mircea Dinca's work "A Structural Mimic of Carbonic Anhydrase in a Metal-Organic Framework" appears in Chem!
 
October 9, 2018
Our review on opportunities of COFs for advanced applications is accepted as an invited contribution for publication in Advanced Science!
 
September 28, 2018
Our work on Frustrated Lewis Pair@MOF is highlighted in C&EN, previewed by Prof. Douglas Stephan, and also featured on the 2018 November Issue Cover of Chem!
 
September 10, 2018
Our work on cobalt nanoparticles incorporated in hollow carbon capsules derived from MOF for ORR is accepted for publication in Catal. Sci. Technol.!
 
September 5, 2018
Dr. Ma is selected as a 2018 Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher!
 
August 14, 2018
Our work on anchoring Lewis pair into MOF is accepted for publication in Chem!
 
August 10, 2018
Our work on visualizing structural transformation and guest binding in a flexible MOF under high pressure and room temperature is accepted for publication in ACS Central Science!
 
July 17, 2018
Our work on a facile approach to graft ionic liquid into MOF for improving the efficiency of CO2 chemical fixation is accepted for publication in ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces!
 
May 25, 2018
Our work on superhydrophobic COF for functional coating is accepted for publication in Chem!
 
May 11, 2018
Our work on lowering activation energy for catalytic reactions through host-guest cooperation within MOFs is accepted for publication in Angew Chem. Int. Ed. as an very important paper (VIP)!
 
May 4, 2018
Congratulations on the successfully "hooding" of Dr. Chavis Stackhouse!
 
April 17, 2018
Dr. Ma receives promotion to Full Professor. Congratulations!
 
April 10, 2018
The collaborative work on MOF-derived multicomponent metal nanoparticles is accepted for publication in ACS Nano!
 
April 6, 2018
Chavis Stackhouse successfully defended his dissertation. Congratulations!
 
March 28, 2018
Our work on POP-based uranium 'Nano-Trap' for uranium extraction from seawater and recovery from nuclear waste is accepted for publication in Nature Commun.! Also, the collaborative work on the first crystalline hyrogen-bonded porous peptide framework sructures is accepted for publication in JACS!
 
March 22, 2018
Dr. Ma received the Outstanding Faculty Award from USF. Congratulations!
 
February 19, 2018
The collaborative work on a stable MOF featuring local buffer environment for CO2 fixation is accepted for publication in Angew Chem. Int. Ed.!
 
February 11, 2018
Our work on COFs for radionuclide sequestration is accepted for publication in Adv. Mater.!
 
January 31, 2018
Our review on azamacrocyclic-based MOFs is accepted as an invited contribution in Polyhedron!
 
December 25, 2017
A special present on Christmas Day: our work about enzyme@COF is accepted for publication in JACS! This paper represents the 100th publication since the establishment of Ma's research lab.
 
December 8, 2017
Our work on MMPF-10 for chemical fixation of CO2 with aziridines is accepted in Chem Commun.!
 
November 10, 2017
Kia Williams successfully defended her dissertation; she also received an offer from Methrohm USA and will start her position in January 2018. Congratulations!
 
September 6, 2017
Dr. Ma is selected as a 2017 Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher!
 
September 4, 2017
Our work on thermal conductivity of Perovskite-type MOF crystal is accepted in Dalton Trans.!
 
August 10, 2017
Our work on molecular-level superhydrophobic external-surface to improve the chemical stability of Zr-based MOFs is accepted in J. Mater. Chem. A!
 
May 18, 2017
Our work on supramolecular isomers of isophthalate based MOFs for CO2 adsorption and transformation is accepted as invited contribution to the themed issue of "Metal-Organic Framework Catalysis" in CrystEngComm!
 
May 10, 2017
Our work on functionalized POP for mercury removal is accepted in Adv. Mater.!
 
April 20, 2017
Briana Aguila won the Theodore and Venette Askounes Ashford Doctoral Fellowship in Chemistry, and she will receive a plaque and a $1000 scholarship. Congratulations, Briana!
 
April 10, 2017
Our work on partially interpenetrated MOF is accepted as invited contribution to Crystal Growth & Design Virtual Special Issue on "Crystal Engineering of Nanoporous Materials for Gas Storage and Separation"!
 
March 28, 2017
Our work on functionalized PAF material for uranium adsorption is accepted in ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces!
 
March 6, 2017
Our work on studying transport phenomena of biomolecules within mesoporous MOF is accepted in ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces!
 
January 27, 2017
Two special presents on Chinese New Eve: one work on COF for mercury removal is accepted for publication in JACS and the other work on increasing the hydrophilicity of MOF to enhance the biofuel upgrade performance for Pd Nanoparticles is accepted as an invited contribution to issue of "New directions in porous crystalline materials" in Faraday Discussions!
 
January 22, 2017
Our work on bifunctional COF for cascade catalysis is accepted as an invited contribution to the themed collection of "Functional Open Framework Materials" from Materials Chemistry Frontiers!
 
December 10, 2016
Congratulations on the successfully "hooding" of Dr. Wenyang Gao! He is moving to Texas A&M to work with Prof. David Powers as a postdoctoral associate. Wish him the best!
 
November 17, 2016
Our work on cooperative catalysis in COF is accepted for publication in JACS!
 
November 4, 2016
Our work on carbon molecular sieve derived from MOF for kinetic separation of paraffins/iso-paraffins is accepted for publication in Chemical Communications!
 
October 28, 2016
Wenyang Gao successfully defended his dissertation, and became the most productive PhD graduate thus far from the Ma research group with over 40 publications. Congratulations!
 
September 27, 2016
Our review on "Metal-Organic Frameworks for CO2 Chemical Transformations" is accepted as an invited contribution in Small!
 
September 21, 2016
The collaborative work on amphiphobic MOFs is accepted for publication in Nature Communications!
 
September 16, 2016
The collaborative work on superhydrophobic porous organic polymers for catalysis is accepted for publication in Chem!
 
September 7, 2016
Dr. Ma is selected as a 2016 Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher!
 
June 14, 2016
Our work on MMPF-18 is accepted as an invited contribution to the Inorganic Chemistry Forum on "Metal-Organic Frameworks for Energy Applications"!
 
May 30, 2016
Dr. Ma is interviewed by MaterialsViewsChina&Wiley!
 
May 27, 2016
The collaborative work on "Nanoporous Carbons Derived from Metal-Organic Frameworks as Novel Matrices for Surface-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry" is highlighted by MaterialsViewsChina)!
 
May 23, 2016
Our work on MMCF-3 is accepted as an invited contribution to the Emerging Leader Issue in J. Coord. Chem.!
 
April 26, 2016
Our work on MMPF-14 is accepted as an invited contribution to the Special Issue "Coordination Polymers/MOFs: Structures, Properties and Applications" in ChemPlusChem!
 
April 1, 2016
Two papers are accepted with one as an invited contribution to the thematic issue on "Metal-Organic Frameworks-Heading Towards Application" in Eur. Inorg. Chem. Front. and the other also as an invited contribution to the themed issue of "MOFs" in Science China Chemistry!
 
March 12, 2016

Wenyang Gao received the Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad of Year 2015. Congratulations, Wenyang!

 
March 11, 2016
Our former group member Dr. Yao Chen has been offered a tenure-track Full Professor position at Nankai University in China and she will start her independent career this summer. Congratulations and wish you the best, Yao!
 
March 10, 2016
Our work on inserting CO2 into Aryl C-H Bond of MOF for direct heterogeneous C-H activation is accepted for publication in Angew Chem. Int. Ed.!
 
March 3, 2016
Our perspective on "Biomimetic Catalysis of Metal-Organic Frameworks" is accepted as an invited contribution to the themed issue on New Talent: Americas in Dalton Trans.!
 
February 22, 2016
Wenyang Gao has been selected for a Travel Award from the Division of Inorganic Chemistry (DIC) of the American Chemical Society, which will support his trip to the Spring 2016 ACS Meeting in San Diego. Congratulations, Wenyang!
 
January 4, 2016
Two papers are accepted with one as an invited contribution to the "Emerging Investigator" themed collection in Inorg. Chem. Front. and the other from the collaborative work on Ni-based MMPF-20 in Cryst. Growth Des.!
 
December 17, 2015
Our work on functionalized POP as a new type of ion-exchange material is highlighted by ChemistryViews!
 
December 13, 2015
Our work on functionalized POP as a new type of ion-exchange material is accepted for publication in Chemical Science, achieving a milestone of the 100th publication!
 
November 12, 2015
The collaborative work on controlled assembly of 0D supramolecular nanocages into 2D/3D frameworks is accepted for publication in JACS!
September 8, 2015
Dr. Ma is selected as the 2015 Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher!
August 21&22, 2015
The Ma group organized the International Colloquium on Porous Materials at the USF-SMMARTT Center.
August 15-18, 2015
Dr. Ma attended the 250th ACS National Meeting in Boston and delivered an invited talk.
August 9-14, 2015
Dr. Ma attended the 2015 IUPAC World Conference in Busan, Korea and visited Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology and delivered invited talks.
July 29, 2015
Dr. Baiyan Li finished his postdoctoral work at USF and left for Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey to work with Prof. Jing Li as a postdoctoral associate. We appreciate his fantastic work and great contribution to our group, and wish him futheristic success in the future!
July 22, 2015
Dr. Ma received the Faculty Outstanding Research Achievement Award from USF. Congratulations!
July 15, 2015
Kia Williams received the McKnight Dissertation Fellowship from Florida Education Fund, which will support her PhD studies during 2015-2016. Congratulations, Kia!
June 14-18, 2015
Dr. Ma attended the TSRC Workshop "Metal-organic Frameworks: Experiments and Simulations" in Telluride, Colorado and delivered an invited talk.
June 5, 2015
Dr. Ma is granted tenure and receives promotion to Associate Professor. Congratulations!
May 21-June 6, 2015
Dr. Ma delivered the invited lectures at Fujian Normal University, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Fuzhou University, University of Science and Technology China, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University as well as attended the 2nd SYSU International Symposium on MOF and Related Open Framework Materials at Sun Yat-Sen University, the 1st International Conference on Microstructure and Property of Materials at Zhejiang University, and the 6th North America-Greece-Cyprus Workshop on Paramagnetic Materials (NAGC 2015) in Athens.
May 14, 2015
Our review article "Applications of Metal-Organic Frameworks Featuring multi-Functional Sites" is accepted for publication in Coord. Chem. Rev. as an invited contribution to the themed issue on metal-organic framework materials!
May 6, 2015
Our work on CO2 adsorption in rht-MOF is accepted for publication in Chem. Commun.!
April 20, 2015
Our work on MOF as highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for fixed bed reactionsis is highlighted by Canadian Light Source and is also covered by Cantech and Science X network.
April 16, 2015
Our work on creating extra pores in microporous carbon via a template strategy is accepted for publication in Chem. Commun.!
March 30, 2015
Dr. Ma received the "Young Chemist Travel Award" from IUPAC, and will deliver an invited lecture at the IUPAC-2015 World Chemistry Congress in Busan, Korea in August.
March 15, 2015
Our work on MOF as highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for fixed bed reactionsis is accepted for publication in JACS!
March 4, 2015
Our work on remote stabilization of copper paddlewheels in MOFs is accepted for publication in Chem. Mater.!
March 2, 2015
Dr. Ma delivered the invited seminar lecture at University of South Dakoda.
February 10, 2015
Our work on investigating prototypal MOFs as Lewis-acid catalysts for quinoline synthesis is accepted for publication in Chem. Commun.!
January 23, 2015
Our work on Cobalt Trigonal Prism-based MOF is accepted for publication in Inorg. Chem. Front. as an invited contribution to the themed collection Crystal engineering for molecular materials!
January 3, 2015
Our work on Ag(I) functionalized MOF for highly selective adsorption of ethylene over ethane is accepted for publication in Chem. Commun.!
December 15-19, 2014
Dr. Ma visited KAUST and delivered an invited lecture.
December 8, 2014
Our mercury "nano-trap" work is highlighted in C&EN.
November 12-14, 2014
Dr. Ma delivered invited seminar lectures at Texas A&M University, University of Texas-Austin, and University of Texas-San Antonio.
October 14&15, 2014
Dr. Ma delivered invited seminar lectures at Ohio State University and West Virginia University.
October 10, 2014
Our work on mercury "nano-trap" for mercury(II) removal from aqueous solution is accepted for publication in Nat. Commun.
October 2-4, 2014
Dr. Ma visited Prof. Donglin Jiang's research lab and delivered an invited lecture at the Institute for Molecular Science in Japan.
September 25-October 1, 2014
Dr. Ma delivered invited talks at the 2nd MOF Young Investigators Symposium in Kyoto and the pre-conference of MOF2014 in Osaka, and participated in the MOF2014 Conference in Kobe.
September 15, 2014
Our work on unveiling the interactions between enzyme molecule and MOF is accepted for publication in Inorg. Chem.
September 6, 2014
Our highlight article "Heat-Treatment of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Green Energy Applications" is accepted for publication in CrystEngComm as an invited contribution.
August 19, 2014
Being on Thomson Reuters' 2014 list of The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds, Dr. Ma is mentioned in the Florida local news.
August 18, 2014
Our review article "Beyond Custom Design of Organic Ligands: An Integrative Strategy for Metal-Organic Frameworks Design" is accepted for publication in Comment. Inorg. Chem. as an invited contribution.
August 9, 2014
Congratulations on the successfully "hooding" of Dr. Yao Chen! She is moving to UCSD to work with Prof. Seth Cohen as a postdoctoral associate. Wish her the best!
July 25, 2014
Dr. Ma delivered an invited lecture in the School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering at Sun Yat-Sen University.
July 22, 2014
Dr. Ma delivered an invited talk for the Symposium "Emerging Investigators inMetal-Organic Frameworks" at the 41st International Conference on Coordination Chemistry (ICCC-41) in Singapore.
July 7, 2014
Dr. Ma delivered an invited talk for the TSRC Workshop "Metal-organic Frameworks: Experiments and Simulations" in Telluride, Colorado.
July 3, 2014
Yao Chen successfully defended her dissertation, and became the first PhD graduate from the Ma Research group. Congratulations!
June 3-30, 2014
Dr. Ma delivered the invited lectures at Academia Sinica, Chung Yuan Christian University, National Chung Hsing University, National Taiwan University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Jilin University, Bohai University, Zhejiang University, Beijing University of Technology, and Nankai University.
June 18, 2014
Dr. Ma is selected as the 2014 Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher!
June 11, 2014
Our work on dual functionalization of POP for heterogeneous cascade catalysis is accepted for publication in Chem. Commun.
May 23, 2014
Our work on introduction of pi-complexation into POP for highly selective adsorption of ethylene over ethane is accepted for publication in JACS!
April 24, 2014
Dr. Ma delivered an invited talk for the Symposium "Materials for Carbon Capture" at the MRS Meeting in San Francisco.
April 24, 2014
Matthew Chrzanowski won the Theodore and Venette Askounes Ashford Doctoral Fellowship in Chemistry, and he will receive a plaque and a $1000 scholarship. Congratulations, Matt!
April 2, 2014
Yao Chen received the Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad of Year 2013. Congratulations, Yao!
February 10, 2014
Our review article "Metal-Metalloporphyrin Frameworks: Resurging Class of Functional Materials" is accepted for publication in Chem. Soc. Rev. as an invited contribution to the 2014 Chemical Society Reviews MOF Themed Issue!
February 3, 2014
Our work on CHF-1 as biomimetic oxidation catalyst is accepted for publication in Chem. Mater.!
January 31, 2014
Dr. Ma received the NSF CAREER Award! Congratulations!
January 15, 2014
Our work on metal-cation-directed de novo assembly of functionalized guest molecule into the nanospace of MOF is accepted for publication in JACS!
January 10, 2014
Our work on MMCF-2 for chemical fixation of CO2 is accepted for publication in Angew Chem. Int. Ed.!
November 27, 2013
Our work on MMPF-9 for chemical fixation of CO2 is published in Chem. Commun. as part of themed collection: 2014 Emerging Investigators!
September 17, 2013
Our work on the rare (6,9)-connected MOF, MTAF-4 is accepted for publication in Chem. Commun.!
September 10, 2013
Dr. Ma delivered an invited talk for the Symposium "Nanotechnology Application in Energy" at the 246th ACS National Meeting in Indianapolis.
September 5, 2013
Our work on the new microporous carbon material is accepted for publication in Chem. Commun.!
August 8, 2013
Dr. Ma delivered the invited seminar talk "Nanospace Engineering of Porous Metal-Organic Frameworks for Energy-related Applications" in the Chemical Science Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
July 10, 2013
Our work on Indium-based MMPF-7/8 is accepted for publication in CrystEngComm as an invited contribution to the themed issue of Structural Design of Coordination Polymers!
April 25, 2013
Wenyang Gao won the Theodore and Venette Askounes Ashford Doctoral Fellowship in Chemistry, and he will receive a plaque and a $1500 scholarship. Congratulations, Wenyang!
April 9-11, 2013
Dr. Ma delivered three invited talks at the 245th ACS National Meeting in New Orleans.
February 27, 2013
The collaborative work on CO2 capture in MOMs led by Prof. Zaworotko and Prof. Eddaoudi is published in Nature!
January 9, 2013
Our work on post-synthetic metal-ion exchange of MMPF-5 for creating metalloporphyrin-based nanoreactor, is accepted for publication in Chem. Eur. J.!
January 2, 2013
Our work on the porous covalent porphyrin framework, PCPF-1 for oil spill cleanup, is accepted for publication in Chem. Commun.!
November 16, 2012
Our work on biomimetic catalysis of the Fe-based porphyrin MOF MMPF-6 is accepted for publication in Inorg. Chem.!
October 26, 2012
Dr. Ma delivered the invited seminar talk "Functional Porous Metal-Organic Frameworks: Nanospace Engineering to Target Functionality" in the Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering at USF.
September 21, 2012
Dr. Ma delivered the invited seminar talk "Nanospace Engineering of Porous Metal-Organic Frameworks" in the Department of Chemistry at University of North Florida.
September 17, 2012
Our Angew paper regarding MMPF-3 for catalytic epoxidation is selected as "Hot Paper"!
August 15, 2012
Our work on MMPF-3 for catalytic epoxidation is accepted for publication in Angew Chem. Int. Ed.!
August 8, 2012
Our work on size-selective biocatalysis of myoglobin@mesoMOF is accepted for publication in Inorg. Chem.!
August 3, 2012
Our work on protein translocation into MOF is published in JACS!
July 23, 2012
Our work on MTAF-3, which exhibits remarkable enhancement of CO2 uptake compared with the pillared MOF, MOF-508, is published in Chem. Commun.!
June 20, 2012
Our work on MMPF-4/5, which are based upon a high symmetry supermolecular building block via vertex-directed self-assembly, is accepted for publication in Chem. Sci.!
June 18, 2012
Kia Williams received the LSAMP Fellowship of Bridge to the Doctorate from NSF, which will support her PhD studies during next three years. Congratulations, Kia!
June 12, 2012
Dr. Ma delivered the invited talk "Metal-MetalloPorphyrin Frameworks (MMPFs) as Functional Porous Materials: Challenges and Opportunities" at the 2012 Gordon Research Conference on Crystal Engineering.
June 5, 2012
Sinhye Lee is featured on the cover of USF Magazine. Congratulations, Sinhye!
June 4, 2012
Our invited review article "Microporous Lanthanide Metal-Organic Frameworks" is accepted for publication in Reviews in Inorganic Chemistry!
May 24, 2012
Our work on MMPF-2, which possesses the highest surface area among porphyrin-based MOFs reported thus far, is published in Chem. Commun.!
April 26, 2012
Yao Chen won the Barbara Bursa Martin Fellowship, and she will receive a plaque and a $1000 scholarship. Congratulations, Yao!
April 26, 2012
Our work on Metal-Macrocyclic Framework, MMCF-1, is published in CrystEngComm as an invited contribution to the New Talent Americas themed issue!
March 27, 2012
Dr. Ma delivered the invited talk "Porous metal-metalloporphyrin frameworks (MMPFs) as platform for CO2 capture" at the 243rd ACS National Meeting.
March 26, 2012
Our work on Metal-Triazolate Framework, MTAF-1, is published in Inorg. Chem.!

January 25, 2012

Matthew Chrzanowski won the Jay Worrell Memorial Scholarship, and he will receive a plaque and a $250 scholarship at the 25th Annual Scholarship & Alumni Celebration of the Department of Chemistry on Feb. 21, 2012. Congratulations, Matt!

November 16, 2011

A porphyrin MOF structure, MMPF-1 created by the Ma group was chosen as "Structure of the Week - # 29 November 16, 2011". See the structure here.

September 28, 2011

Our communication on porphyrin MOF structure is published in JACS!

June 17, 2011

Our communication on enzymatic catalysis of MOF is published in JACS!

May 4, 2011

Ma's group moved to the new lab in IDRB.

August 2010

Dr. Ma started his research group at USF.