On October 21, 17th IUMRS International Conference in Asia (IUMRS-ICA) was held in Qingdao, during which the T Symposium themed “Advanced Fibers and Nanocomposites” was jointly hosted by State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials and College of Materials Science & Engineering, Donghua University. Professor Zhu Meifang, the Laboratory Director and Dean of College of Materials Science & Engineering presided over the opening ceremony. She introduced the background of advanced fibers and nanocomposites and hoped that the attendants will develop new ideas with regard to research on fibers and nanocomposites through the symposium.
The T symposium gathered 16 foreign scholars and 9 domestic experts for academic exchange, including, for instance, Dr. Ray Baughman, member of US National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and Director of NanoTech Institute at the University of Texas at Dallas, Prof. Benjamin Hsiao from State University of New York at Stony Brook, Prof. Fan Jin-Tu from Cornell University and Prof. Li Yi from University of Manchester. Other attendants include over 50 teachers and students from Donghua University, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Hebei University of Technology, Qingdao University and other institutions who also shared their latest research results.
Prof. Ray Baughman delivered a wonderful report pertaining to the application of Carbon Nanotube Fibers in fields such as artificial muscles, energy storage and color changing, which are expected to be employed in military and civil areas. Prof. Benjamin Hsiao presented a new design method of membrane based on hierarchical assembly of (nano to micro) fiber materials of different diameters, rendering a breakthrough for filtration performance to evolve from microfiltration to reverse osmosis. Other experts also gave their speeches in relation to fibers, nanometer materials and composites, arousing wide attention among the participants.
Prof. Li Qi stated in an interview after the symposium that the symposium provides an exchange platform for interdisciplinary scholars around the world and enlightens their research inspiration for scientific research innovation. Many interdisciplinary and cross-regional exchange opportunities can be realized through the international platform - State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials. It is hoped that international cooperation will be further enhanced in future to make more strategic visions yield positive results.
