Hou Xu
HOU Xu
Professor of School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and School of Physical Science and Technology, Xiamen University
Professor Hou's research focuses on bio-inspired materials and intelligent multi-scale porous systems, especially liquid gating systems and smart porous materials for energy-saving, environmental protection and biomedical applications. Inspired by the concept of liquid "stargates" in science fiction films, much of his research is about the application of liquids as dynamic structural materials in the real world. The new idea of Professor Hou's team is to break through the limitations of solid-based functional materials and change the basic scientific problems of materials from the solid-liquid/solid-gas interface to the solid-liquid-liquid/solid-liquid-liquid-gas interface, his research has brought many new potential applications that cannot be achieved in traditional systems, and in the 2019, he spoke of the "fermium Fm" element in the periodic table of the IUPAC.
Q&A Q&A
Q: What was your inspiration for your early scientific research?
A: Love of science and curiosity about the unknown. In general, the initial motivation is interest. I love reading science fiction, and I get a lot of inspiration from it, especially the science fiction drama Stargate. In Stargate, extraterrestrial technology uses wormholes that distort time and space to transport material to other planets for time travel. Inspired by this, we proposed for the first time a new concept of "liquid gating technology".
Q: What's the best advice you've ever received?
A: Science requires unremitting effort, perseverance, and a love of one's own scientific research.
Q: What is your biggest achievement so far?
A: The "Liquid Gating Technology" research was selected by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) as one of the "Top Ten Emerging Technologies in chemistry" in 2020. IUPAC's official journal states that "liquid gating can accelerate progress towards SDG 6 [the United Nations's Sustainable Development Goal], which aims to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all." In addition, since liquid gating requires no electricity at all, they ensure significant energy savings" (Chem. Int. 2020, 42, 5）。
Q: What are your research goals?
A: For SDG 6 (uns the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal), our current research objectives focus on membrane science and technology for water treatment, safety and desalination, as well as environmental governance and biomedical engineering, with objectives including the development of new technologies for safe and affordable drinking water, improving water quality, wastewater treatment and safe reuse, improving water use efficiency, and ensuring freshwater supply, environmental safety and quality of life.
Written by Wood
Typography Yang Zhou
Editor-in-Charge Yu Hua