IQTC Seminar: Prof. Xu Hou
“Bioinspired Multi-Scale Pore/Channel Systmes“
This Thursday at 12:00h, the Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (IQTC) will host a seminar by Prof. Hou in the Sala de Graus Eduard Fontserè.
The event is open to the entire academic community, and students are especially encouraged to attend.
For those located at the Torribera Campus or abroad, the lecture will also be available online via Zoom (link provided below).
Date: 18 sept 2025 11:30 a. m. Madrid
Zoom: https://ub-edu.zoom.us/j/99420556422?pwd=b3B8rRICw8S2Bch9yNMXBchUXbVVaz.1
Meeting ID: 994 2055 6422
Access code: 515671
ABSTRACT
“Pore” and “Channel” are everywhere, e.g., from small biological ion channels to large oil pipelines. The difference between pore and channel is the relationship between its diameter and its depth. If the diameter is greater than its depth, it is referred to as Pore, otherwise, Channel.
Both “Pore” and “Channel” have a wide range of significant applications on different scales.
For example, pipelines which are commonly used in the chemical industry, food industry, agriculture, and energy-petroleum transportation, can be treated as macro-scale channels. The problems with such channels center on energy-saving, anti-fouling, anti-corrosion, and anti-block.
Another example of micro-scale pores is “liquid gating technology”, which has a great impact in the areas of chemical synthesis, biological analysis, optics, and information technology. It utilizes the capillary-stabilized functional liquid as a pressure-driven, reversible, and reconfigurable gate to fill and seal the pores in the closed state and create completely liquid-lined pores in the open state under pressure changes.
Recently, it has already become a reality through the design of various smart materials by responsive design of the porous solid phase and dynamic liquid phase. This approach expands the basic scientific issues of traditional membrane materials from the solid-liquid/gas interface to the solid-liquid-liquid/gas interface and has found applications in chemistry, energy, environmental, and biomedical-related interdisciplinary fields.
For nano-scale systems, we design and prepare smart symmetric/asymmetric nanochannels by physicochemical design of responsive porous materials. This allows the regulation of mass transport in nanoconfined spaces and focuses new research directions on bioinspired nanofluidic iontronics.
References
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- JACS, 146 (21): 14558-14565 (2024).
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- PNAS, 119: e2206462119 (2022).
- Science, 373: 628-629 (2021).
- Sci. Adv., 4: eaao6724 (2018).
- Nat. Rev. Mater., 2: 17016 (2017).
- Adv. Mater., 28:7049-7064 (2016).
- Nature, 519: 70 (2015)