Janusz Lewiński

 The research of the Lewinski Group is centred at the interface between design and synthesis of molecular precursors, self-assembly processes and macroscopic properties of the materials. Basing on the strong background from fundamental inorganic and organometallic chemistry, we rationally design the suitable precursors for the bottom-up synthesis of functional materials. e.g. compounds of high luminescence, non-covalent porous materials (NPMs) and porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), semiconducting nanoparticles for biomedical and solar cell applications, and perovskite materials for photovoltaic applications.
The Lewinski Group entered the field of mechanochemistry as early as in 2001 when a unique transformation of a dinuclear organoaluminum antranilate compound to a tetra-aluminum macrocycle was encountered upon hand grinding with a glass road. More recently, unprecedented slow-chemistry and mechanical-force-triggered radical transformations involving homoleptic organozinc compounds and free stable nitroxyl radical were reported, opening a new horizon in molecular solid-state radical transformations. Mechanochemical transformations on molecular level were extended by the preparation of chiral coordination polymers and microporous metal- organic frameworks and finally by the development of new efficient methods for synthesis of hybrid inorganic-organic semiconductor nanomaterials and their surface engineering. Since 2015, the Group’s portfolio has been enriched by developing efficient and reproducible solid-state synthetic procedures for a wide range of high- purity metal halide mechanoperovskites and their applications in the vital area of perovskite photovoltaics.

1. Prochowicz, M. Saski, P. Yadav, M. Grätzel, J. Lewiński, Mechanoperovskites for Photovoltaic Applications: Preparation, Characterization, and Device Fabrication Acc. Chem. Res., 2019, 52, 3233-3243, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.accounts.9b00454.
2. Budny, I. Justyniak, M.K. Leszczyński, J. Lewiński, Mechanochemical and slow- chemistry radical transformations: A case of diorganozinc compounds and TEMPO, Chem. Sci., 2019, 10, 7149-7155, https://doi.org/10.1039/C9SC01396B.
3. Prochowicz, P. Yadav, M. Saliba, D.J. Kubicki, M.M. Tavakoli, S.M. Zakeeruddin, J. Lewiński, L. Emsley, M. Grätzel, One-step Mechanochemical Incorporation of an Insoluble Cesium Additive for High Performance Planar Heterojunction Solar Cells, Nano Energy, 2018, 49, 523–528, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2018.05.010.
4. Krupiński, A. Kornowicz, K. Sokołowski, A. M. Cieślak, J. Lewiński, Applying mechanochemistry for bottom-up synthesis and host-guest surface modification of semiconducting nanocrystals: A case of water-soluble β-cyclodextrin-coated zinc oxide, Chem. Eur. J., 2016, 22, 7817–7823, https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201600182.
5. Prochowicz, K. Sokołowski, I. Justyniak, A. Kornowicz, D. Fairen-Jimenez, T. Friščić, J. Lewiński, A mechanochemical strategy for IRMOFs ’assembly based on predesigned oxo-zinc precursors, Chem. Commun., 2015, 51, 4032-4035, https://doi.org/10.1039/C4CC09917F.

1. D. Lee, M. Wolska‐Pietkiewicz, S. Badoni, A. Grala, J. Lewiński, G. De Paëpe, Disclosing Interfaces of ZnO Nanocrystals Using Dynamic Nuclear Polarization: Sol‐Gel versus Organometallic Approach, Angew. Chem. Intl. Ed., 2019, 58, 17163, https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201906726.
2. T. Pietrzak, I. Justyniak, M. Kubisiak, E. Bojarski, J. Lewiński, An in-depth look at non-redox-metal alkylperoxides ’reactivity, Angew. Chem. Intl. Ed., 2019, 58, 8526, https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201904380.
3. D. Prochowicz, A. Kornowicz, J. Lewiński, Interactions of native cyclodextrins with metal ions and inorganic nanoparticles: Fertile landscape for chemistry and materials science, Chem. Rev., 2017, 117, 13461, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00231.
4. K. Sokołowski, W. Bury, I. Justyniak, D. Fairén-Jiménez, K. Sołtys, D. Prochowicz, S. Yang, M. Schröder, J. Lewiński, Permanent porosity derived from the self- assembly of highly luminescent molecular zinc carbonate nanoclusters, Angew. Chem. Int.. Ed., 2013, 52, 13414, https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201306785.
5. J. Lewiński, M. Dutkiewicz, M. Lesiuk, W. Śliwiński, K. Zelga, I. Justyniak, J. Lipkowski, Solid State Conversion of the Solvated Dimer [tBuZn(µ-OtBu)(THF)]2 to a Long Overlooked Trimeric [tBuZnOtBu]3 Species. Angew. Chem. Intl. Ed., 2010, 49, 8266, https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201004504. 

Orcid ID: 0000-0002-3407-0395
Google Scholar: -
Researchgate: Janusz_Lewinski
Scopus profiles: 7004066909

• mechcanosynthesis of perovskite materials for photovoltaics
• mechanosynthesis and surface modification of hybrid nanomaterials
• mechanosynthesis of porous materials/MOFs
• studying mechanochemical organometallic and radical transformations