Education 09/2005 − 06/2010: Ph.D. in Industrial Catalysis, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China 09/2001 − 06/2010: Bachelor in ChE, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China Professional experience 08/2017 – present: Assistant Professor, Mississippi State University 11/2016 – 07/2017: Scientist/Project Leader, NICE America Research, Inc. 12/2013 – 10/2016: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Washington State University 04/2011 – 11/2013: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Université Libre de Bruxelles 06/2010 − 03/2011: Research assistant, Zhejiang University of Technology

Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) Conversion Our research focuses on the rational design of bi-functional metal promoted zeolites catalysts for the conversion of NGLs to value added chemicals, such as, olefins, aromatics, and nitriles through dehydrogenation, aromatization, and ammoxidation. We are interested in unraveling the kinetics, mechanistic steps, and structure/performance relationships for the new or existing catalytic systems through the Transient Kinetic Analysis or Chemical Relaxation. Transient Kinetic Analysis The chemical relaxation type Transient Kinetic experiments, such as the Steady State Isotopic Transient Kinetic Analysis (SSITKA) and Chemical Transient Kinetic (CTK), are one of the most powerful techniques to obtain valuable mechanistic and kinetic information, such as the abundancy of catalyst-bound reaction intermediates at a molecular level and their reactivity “k” (rate constant). Such experiment provides quantitative information about construction of the catalytically active phase until the steady state is reached.

Chen, G.; Liang, T.; Yoo, P.; Fadaeerayeni, S.; Sarnello, E.; Li, T.; Liao, P.; Xiang, Y., Catalytic Light Alkanes Conversion through Anaerobic Ammodehydrogenation. ACS Catal. 2021, 11, 7987-7995 ​ Liang, T.; Liu, X.; He, Y.; Barbosa, R.; Chen, G.; Fan, W.; Xiang, Y., Highly selective Sn/HZSM-5 catalyst for ethane ammoxidation to acetonitrile and ethylene. Appl. Catal. A 2021, 610, 117942 ​ Fadaeerayeni, S.; Chen, G.; Toghiani, H.; Xiang, Y., Mechanism and Kinetics of Ethane Aromatization According to the Chemical Transient Analysis. Top. Catal. 2020, 63 (15-18), 1463-1473 ​ Chen, G.; Liu, H.; Fadaeerayeni, S.; Shan, J.; Xing, A.; Cheng, J.; Wang, H.; Xiang, Y., Tuning the reactivity of ethylene oligomerization by HZSM-5 framework Alf proximity. Catalysis Science & Technology 2020, 10 (12), 4019-4029 ​ Fadaeerayeni, S.; Shan, J.; Sarnello, E.; Xu, H.; Wang, H.; Cheng, J.; Li, T.; Toghiani, H.; Xiang, Y., Nickel/gallium modified HZSM-5 for ethane aromatization: Influence of metal function on reactivity and stability. Applied Catalysis A: General 2020, 601, 117629 ​ Lyu, J.; Niu, L.; Shen, F.; Wei, J.; Xiang, Y.; Yu, Z.; Zhang, G.; Ding, C.; Huang, Y.; Li, X., In Situ Hydrogen Peroxide Production for Selective Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol over a Pd@Hierarchical Titanium Silicalite Catalyst. ACS Omega 2020, doi:10.1021/acsomega.0c02065 ​ Liu, X.; Liang, T.; Barbosa, R.; Chen, G.; Toghiani, H.; Xiang, Y. Ammoxidation of Ethane to Acetonitrile and Ethylene: Reaction Transient Analysis for the Co/HZSM-5 Catalyst. ACS Omega, 2020, 10.1021/acsomega.9b03751 ​ Xiang, Y.; Kovarik, L.; Kruse, N., Rate and selectivity hysteresis during the carbon monoxide hydrogenation over promoted Co/MnOx catalysts. Nature Communications 2019, 10 (1), 3953. ​ Liang, T.; Fadaeerayeni, S.; Shan, J.; Li, T.; Wang, H.; Cheng, J.; Toghiani, H.; Xiang, Y., Ethane Aromatization over Zn-HZSM-5: Early-Stage Acidity/Performance Relationships and Deactivation Kinetics. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 2019, 58 (38), 17699-17708. ​ Zhang, Q.; Li, K.; Xiang, Y.; Zhou, Y.; Wang, Q.; Guo, L.; Ma, L.; Xu, X.; Lu, C.; Feng, F.; Lv, J.; Ni, J.; Li, X., Sulfur-doped porous carbon supported palladium catalyst for high selective o-chloro-nitrobenzene hydrogenation. Applied Catalysis A: General 2019, 581, 74-81 ​​ Lyu, J.; Wei, J.; Niu, L.; Lu, C.; Hu, Y.; Xiang, Y.; Zhang, G.; Zhang, Q.; Ding, C.; Li, X., Highly efficient hydrogen peroxide direct synthesis over a hierarchical TS-1 encapsulated subnano Pd/PdO hybrid. RSC Adv 2019, 9 (24), 13398-13402. ​ Tingyu Liang, Hossein Toghiani and Yizhi Xiang, Transient Kinetic Study of Ethane and Ethylene Aromatization over Zinc-Exchanged HZSM-5 Catalyst. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2018, 57: 15301-15309. 10.1021/acs.iecr.8b03735. ​ Yizhi Xiang, Hui Wang, Jihong Cheng, John Matsubu, Progress and Prospects in Catalytic Ethane Aromatization. Catal. Sci. Technol., 2018, 8(6): 1500-1516. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C7CY01878A ​ Jenny Voss, Yizhi Xiang, Greg Collinge, Danny Perea, Libor Kovarik, Jean-Sabin McEwen, Norbert Kruse, Characterization of CoCu- and CoMn-based catalysts for the Fischer Tropsch reaction toward chain-lengthened oxygenates. Topics in Catalysis, 2018, 61: 1016-1023.10.1007/s11244-018-0938-x ​ Xiang Y.Z., Kruse N., Cobalt-Copper Based Catalysts for Higher Terminal Alcohols Synthesis via Fischer-Tropsch Reaction. J. Energy Chem, 2016, 25 (6), 895-906. Xiang Y.Z., Kruse N., Tuning the Catalytic CO Hydrogenation to Straight- and Long-Chain Aldehydes, Terminal Alcohols and Olefins/Paraffins. Nat Commun. 2016, 7, 13058, doi: 10.1038/ncomms13058. Iablokov V., Xiang Y.Z., Meffre A., Fazzini P.-F., Chaudret B., Kruse N., Size-Dependent Activity and Selectivity of Fe/MCF-17 in the Catalytic Hydrogenation of Carbon Monoxide Using Fe(0) Nanoparticles as Precursors. ACS Catal. 2016, 6, 2496-2500 Collinge G., Xiang Y.Z., Barbosa R., McEwen J.S., Kruse N., CO-Induced Inversion of the Layer Sequence of a CoCu Model Catalyst. Surf. Sci. 2016, 648, 74-83 Xiang Y.Z., Barbosa R., Li X.N., Kruse N., Ternary Cobalt-Copper-Niobium Catalysts for the Selective CO Hydrogenation to Higher Alcohols. ACS Catal. 2015, 5, 2929-2934 Xu T.Y., Zhang Q.F., Cen J., Xiang Y.Z., Li, X.N. Selectivity tailoring of Pd/CNTs in phenol hydrogenation by surface modification: Role of C-O oxygen species, Appl. Surf. Sci. 2015, 324, 634-639