Prof. Jia Zhu (朱嘉) from Nanjing University gave a seminar to IAPME members on September 12, 2025. Prof. Zhu, currently a Professor, also a leading researcher in nanoscale manipulation of light and heat and a fellow of MRS, Optica, and RSC, delivered a talk titled “Manipulating the Flow of Light & Heat at Nanoscale,” drawing an audience of more than 20 institute members and students. The seminar was hosted by Prof. Guichuan Xing, who extended the invitation to Prof. Zhu.
Prof. Zhu first surveyed his group’s progress in photothermal control inspired by Wiener optics and other nanophotonic strategies. He highlighted scalable, hierarchically designed selective thermal emitters and coating films engineered to align their emissivity with the Earth’s atmospheric transparency (thermal radiation) window. These radiative-cooling coverings can be deployed across diverse settings to passively reject heat to outer space, enabling all-day cooling without energy input and offering pathways to mitigate urban heat and improve device and building thermal management.
He then presented advances in interfacial solar evaporation using broadband plasmonic absorbers and transpiration-inspired water pathways that achieve high (>90%) solar-to-vapor efficiency. Prof. Zhu discussed applications ranging from desalination and zero-liquid discharge to sterilization and lithium extraction, underscoring the translational potential of nanoscale light–heat control.
The seminar concluded with a lively Q&A session, in which attendees exchanged ideas with Prof. Zhu on materials design, scalable manufacturing, and collaboration opportunities. The visit further strengthens ties between the two institutions in sustainable photonics and thermal technologies.
