On 4 December 2025, the Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering (IAPME) organized a high-level Mini Symposium, featuring five internationally renowned experts invited by Prof. Pengzhan Sun. The event attracted a full audience and sparked lively discussions on the latest advances in the field.
Speakers and Topics
- Prof. Yahui Xue (Southern University of Science and Technology)
Prof. Xue earned his PhD from Peking University and was a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley. His research focuses on confined ion transport, nanofluidic flow, and nano-mechanics. He has published in Science, Nature Communications, and PRL, and received the ASME Lloyd Hamilton Donnell Award.
Talk: Mimicking Ion Channel Multifunctionality with Graphene Nanofluidics — presenting atomic-scale ion transistors and nanofluidic synapses. - Prof. Alessandro Siria (Shenzhen University & Honorary Professor at Tsinghua University)
A globally recognized leader in nanofluidics and interfacial science, Prof. Siria has published over 50 papers (including more than 20 in Nature and Science), holds over 10 patents, and co-founded five tech startups. His research focuses on ultra-fast fluid and ion transport in carbon-based nanochannels and energy conversion.
Talk: Synergistic Nanofluidics between Soft and Hard Condensed Matter — exploring quantum friction and fluid–solid coupling for energy harvesting. - Prof. Zhiping Xu (Tsinghua University)
Professor of Engineering Mechanics and Director of the Institute of Solid Mechanics at Tsinghua, Prof. Xu bridges mechanics, physics, and computational modeling, with emphasis on multiscale dynamics and bio-inspired systems. He has conducted postdoctoral research at Rice University and MIT.
Talk: Can We Emulate Brain Functions via Nanofluidic Iontronics? — introducing iontronic systems as a platform for neuromorphic computing. - Prof. Ping Yu (Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences)
A pioneer in nanofluidic iontronics and fluidic memristors, Prof. Yu has published over 150 papers (H-index 66) and received the LU JIAXI Award and National Outstanding Young Scholars Award. Her work advances ion transport under extreme confinement for bioanalysis and neuromorphic devices.
Talk: Polyelectrolyte-Confined Nanofluidics — demonstrating memristive behaviors and neuromorphic functions in nanofluidic systems. - Prof. Mingzhan Wang (City University of Hong Kong)
Global Research Assistant Professor at CityU, Prof. Wang earned his PhD from Peking University and worked at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on angstrom-scale 2D nanofluidics and ion transport for separation and desalination. He has published over 40 papers with >3,600 citations.
Talk: Anomalous Ion Transport in Angstrom-Scale 2D Channels — revealing confinement-driven ion transport for advanced separation technologies.
The five talks covered cutting-edge topics ranging from atomic-scale ion transistors and voltage-gated nanofluidic synapses, synergistic nanofluidics between soft and hard condensed matter, iontronic emulation of brain functions, polyelectrolyte-confined nanofluidics, to anomalous ion transport in angstrom-scale 2D channels.
