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Cheng, Mu-Jeng

Professor

Physical Chemistry, Quantum Chemistry
Molecular&Material Simulations 
Electrochemical Catalysis, Heterogeneous Catalysis

✉ Email：mjcheng@mail.ncku.edu.tw

☎ Phone：06-2757575-65340

Education

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BS in Chemistry, National Kaohsiung Normal University (1999)

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MS in Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University (2002)

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PhD in Chemistry, California Institute of Technology (2012)

Experience

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2012-2013  California Institute of Technology, Postdoctoral Researcher

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2013-2016  The University of California, Berkeley, Postdoctoral Researcher

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2016-2016  Tsinghua University, Beijing, Assistant Professor

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2016-2019  National Cheng Kung University, Assistant Professor

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2019-2023  National Cheng Kung University, Associate Professor

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2023-Present  National Cheng Kung University, Professor

Publications

  1. Lee, H.; Sultan, S.; Wen, S. C.; Yoon, J.; Cha, S. G.; Kim, J.; ... Cheng, M. J.* & Kwon, Y.* “Dual-Element Modulation of Cu Active Sites toward Enhanced C–C Coupling in CO2 Electroreduction.” ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2026. 18(15), 22020-22032.

  2. Kwon, S.; Kwon, D.; Lin, T. J.; Lee, E.; Lee, H.; Kong, T. H.; ... Cheng, M. J.* & Kwon, Y.* “Potential-Controlled Pathway Bifurcation Governs Product Selectivity in Nickel-Catalyzed Urea Oxidation.” Appl. Catal. B: Environ, 2026. 126982.

  3. Luo, J.; Tsai, Y. C.; Wu, Y. C.; Lin, T. J.; Kwon, Y.; & Cheng, M. J.* “Dynamic Copper Dissolution Enables a Facile C–C Coupling Pathway in CO2 Electroreduction: A First-Principles Study.” J. Phys. Chem. C, 2026.

  4. Zhao, X.; Yin, L.; Yang, C. J.; Poore, A. T.; Zhang, X.; Yachuw, S. C.; ... Cheng, M. J. & Liu, W. “Enantioselective difluoromethylation of unactivated alkyl halides via a formal nickel (II/IV) cycle.” Nat. Catal. 2026, 1-10.

  5. Park, J.; Park, N.; Chen, W. S.; Park, S.; Cho, S.; Jin, E.; ... Cheng, M. J.* & Moon, H. R.* “A Structure‐Defined Cu (I) Dual‐Atom Catalyst with a Cu2N6 Motif in a Metal‐Organic Framework for CO Electroreduction.”  Angew. Chem. 2025, e22583.

  6. Huang, B. H.; Sontakke, G. S.; Cheng, Y. H.; Shen, J. S.; Weng, Y. Z.; Xiao, H. X.; ... Cheng, M. J.* & Ong, T. G.* “Frustrated Lewis Pair (FLP) Reactivity from Carbone–BPh3 Lewis Adduct.” Chem. Eur. J., 2025, e02344.

  7. Chen, C. M.; Kuo, T. C.; Reddy, J. S.; Teoh, Y. N.; Huang, J. S.; Lin, S. K.; ... Cheng, M. J.* & Hsieh, H. P.* “Noncovalent Interaction Effects on the Acyl Radical Reaction of Bicyclo [2.2. 2] octanone: Selective Formation of Rearrangement and Cyclization Products.” Organic Letters., 2025,  27 (31), 8394-8398

  8. Balakrishnan, A.; Chen, W. S.; Cheng, Y. H.; Wang, K. H.; & Cheng, M. J.*“Unveiling Electron Dynamics in the Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 to Methane on Copper." ChemPlusChem, 2025, 2500250.

  9. Ding, D.; Chen, S.; Yin, L.; Ou, W. T.; Krause, J. A.; Cheng, M. J.; & Liu, W.* “Synthesis of chiral difluoromethyl cyclopropanes through desymmetric difluoromethylation of cyclopropenes enabled by enantioselective copper catalysis.” Nat. Synth., 2025, 1-10.

  10. Lu, Q.*; Liu, W.; Li, H. C.; Li, C.; Chen, W. S.; Zhang, H.; ... & Cheng, M. J.*“Electrochemically Promoted Activation of Light Alkanes at Ambient Conditions.”Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2025, e202507417.

  11. Kuo, Y. T.; Yao, C. Y.; Liu, Y. H.; Cheng, M. J.; & Farrell, J. M. “C–C bond-forming reactions of 2-isocyanobiphenyl·BX3 adducts: spontaneous construction of polycyclic heteroaromatics.”Dalton Trans., 2025, 54, 7189-7193

  12. Pan, M. L.; Torchon, H. S.; Tawa, H.; Wei, Z.; Ou, W. T.; Cheng, M. J.*, ... & Wu, Y. T.* “Octalenobisterphenylene and Its Diradical Dianionic Cyclodimer: Synthesis, Structural Analysis and Properties.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, e202505161.

  13. Lin, T. J.; Chen, W. S.; Li, H. C.; Chen, C. Y.; Choi, H.; Kwon, Y.; & Cheng, M. J.* "Metal-N4-Functionalized Graphene as Highly Active Catalysts for C–N Bond Formation in Electrochemical Urea Synthesis." J. Phys. Chem. C., 2025.

  14. Narode, A. S.; Barik, D.; Kuo, P. H.; Cheng, M. J.* & Liu, R. S.*“Ag (I)-Catalyzed Oxidative Cyclization of 1, 4-Diynamide-3-ols with N-Oxide for Divergent Synthesis of 2-Substituted Furan-4-carboxamide Derivatives.” J. Org. Chem., 2024, 89(21), 15924-15930.

  15. Ding, D.; Yin, L.; Poore, A. T.; Ho, Y. S.; Cheng, Y. H.; Hsieh, C. T.; Cheng, M. J.; ... & Liu, W.“Enantioconvergent copper-catalysed difluoromethylation of alkyl halides.” Nat. Catal., 2024, 7, 1372–1381.

  16. Lin, C. C.; Pan, M. L.; Li, P. L.; Ou, W. T.; Cheng, M. J. & Wu, Y. T.*“Syntheses, Structural Analyses, and Properties of Condensed Arenes with Multihelicity.” Org. Lett., 2024, 26(37), 7847-7852.

  17. Lin, W. Y.; Chen, Z. X., Wu, T. Y.; Lin, H. W.; Xiong, H.; Chen, W. S.; ... & Cheng, M. J.*“Influence of Copper Surfaces on CO2 vs. CO C‐C Coupling Efficiency.” ChemCatChem, 2024 e202400983.

  18. Anitha, M.; Chin, T. J.; Liu, G. C.; Hsieh, C. T., Wang, K. H.; Li. S. L.; ... & Cheng, M. J. “Metal-free alkyne annulation enabling π-extension of boron-doped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.” Chem. Sci., 2024, 15, 16210-16215

  19. Wu, C. T.; Pan, H. R.; Hsieh, C. T.; Tsai, Y. S.; Liao, P. J.; Cheng, M. J.*; ... & Hsu, H. F.* “Square-Planar Nickel Bis (phosphinopyridyl) Complexes for Long-Lived Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.” JACS Au 2024 4 (10), 3976-3987

  20. You, Z. J.; Lin, T. J.; Lin, M. W.; Li, H. C.; Cheng, M. J.; & Lin, J. L.“Reactions of 2-chloropropionyl chloride on Cu (100): C–Cl bond cleavage and formation of methylketene and its dimer." J. Phys. Chem. 2024, 161(6).

  21. Xu, Y.; Gao, W.; Chen, Z.-X.; Yin, Z.; Chen, Z.; Chang, X.; Cheng, M. J.*; Xu, B.* "Cation-Dependent Impact of CO2 on Cu-Catalyzed Electrochemical CO Reduction Reaction" ACS Catalysis 2024, 14, 10829.

  22. Cheng, Y. H.; Ho, Y. S.; Yang, C. J.; Chen, C. Y.; Hsieh, C. T.; Cheng, M. J.* "Electron Dynamics in Alkane C–H Activation Mediated by Transition Metal Complexes." J. Phys. Chem. A 2024, 128, 23, 4638–4650.

  23. Li, C.; Zhang, H.; Liu, W.; Sheng, L.; Cheng, M. J.; Xu, B.; Luo, G. S.;* Lu, Q.* "Efficient conversion of propane in a microchannel reactor at ambient conditions" Nature Commun. 2024, 15, 884.

  24. Barik, D.; Maitra, C.; Hsieh, C.-T.; Cheng, M. J.;* Liu, R.-S..* "Two Distinct Gold-Catalyzed Oxidative Annulations of 1,5-Allenynes with Nitrones to Yield 1-Naphthol Derivatives Bearing 2,3- versus 3,4-Fused Nitroxy Rings" ACS Catalysis  2024, 14, 1525.

  25. Li, H.-C.;† Ho, Y.-S.;† Yang, G.-L.;† Li, R.-H.; Kuo, T.-C.; Hsieh, C.-T.; Kwon, Y.; Cheng, M. J.* "Linking CO to Urea Production from CO2 and NO3–/NO2– Co-Electrolysis on Transition Metals" J. Phys. Chem. C 2024, 128, 3, 1058–1067.

  26. Yan, W.; Carter, S.; Hsieh, C.-T.; Krause, J. A.; Cheng, M. J.; Zhang, S.;* Liu, W.* "Copper–Carbon Homolysis Competes with Reductive Elimination in Well-Defined Copper(III) Complexes " J. Am. Chem. Soc.  2023, 145, 26152.

  27. Lin, M.-W.; Lin, H.-P.; Ho, Y.-W.; Li, R.-H.; Cheng, M. J.; Lin, J.-L.* “Reaction Pathways of Propenoyl Chloride (CH2=CH–C(=O)Cl) on Cu(100) and O/Cu(100)” J. Phys. Chem. C 2023, 127, 20301.

  28. Cheng, C.-M.; Lin, S.-K.; Lin, S.-K.; Hsieh, C.-T.; Reddy, J. S.; Teoh, Y. N.; Cheng, M. J.;* Hsieh, H.-P.* "Influence of Ring Strain on the Formation of Rearrangement vs Cyclization Isotwistane Products in the Acyl Radical Reaction of Bicyclo[2.2.2]octanone" Org. Lett. 2023, 25, 7757.

  29. Kang, H.-W.; Liu, Y.-C.; Shao, W.-K.; Wei, Y.-C.; Hsieh, Y.-C.; Chen, B.-H.; Lu, C.-H.; Yang, S.-D.; Cheng, M. J.; Chou, P.-T.; Chiang, M.-H.; Wu, Y.-T.* "Synthesis, Structural Analysis, and Properties of Highly Twisted Alkenes 13,13'-Bis(dibenzo[a,i]fluorenylidene) and Its Derivatives" Nature Commun. 2023, 14, 5248.

  30. Lin, W.-Y.; Chen, Z.-X.; Xiong, H; Li, H.-C.; Ho, Y.-S.; Hsieh, C.-T.; Lu, Q.*; Cheng, M. J.* "Identification of CO2 as a Reactive Reagent for C-C Bond Formation via Copper-Catalyzed Electrochemical Reduction"ACS Catalysis 2023, 13,  17, 11697–11710.

  31. Zhang, H.; Li, C.; Liu, W.; Li, C.; Luo, G.; Goddard, W.; Cheng, M. J.; Xu, B.;* Lu, Q.* "Activation of light alkanes at room temperature and ambient pressure"Nature Catalysis 2023, 6, 6666.

  32. Hsieh, C.-T.; Tang, Y.-T.; Ho, Y.-S.; Shao, W.-K.; Cheng, M. J.* "Methane to Methanol Conversion over N-Doped Graphene Facilitated by Electrochemical Oxygen Evolution: A First-Principles Study"J. Phys. Chem. C​ 2023, 127, 1, 308.

  33. Yang, G.L.; Hsieh, C.T.; Ho, Y.S.; Kuo, T.C.; Kwon, Y.; Lu, Q.; Cheng, M. J.* "Gaseous CO2 Couplings with N-Containing Intermediates for Key C-N Bond Formation during Urea Production from Co-Electrolysis over Cu"ACS Catalysis 2022, 12, 11494.​

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