Distinguished Lecture on Diverse applications power smart innovation: Prof. ZHU Meifang charts the future of intelligent fibre materials

On 28 July 2026, Prof. ZHU Meifang, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dean of the College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), titled “Multifunctional Structural Fiber Materials for Diverse Applications”.  The lecture attracted more than 100 attendees in person and approximately 14,900 online viewers across multiple social media platforms.

During the lecture, Prof. Zhu explained how advanced fibre materials have moved beyond the conventional boundaries of textiles to become strategic materials underpinning developments in aerospace, healthcare and green energy.  By seamlessly integrating structural performance with functionalities such as sensing, thermal management and electrical conductivity, these materials overcome the conventional divide between structure and function.

Prof. Zhu highlighted a series of innovative technologies and application breakthroughs developed by her research team, including radiation-resistant nanofibre membranes for space exploration, flexible smart fibres for real-time physiological monitoring, and “NeuroWorm”, a biomimetic dynamic implantable fibre electrode.  These advances demonstrate the broad potential of advanced fibre materials across multiple frontier fields.  She also shared the team’s latest achievements in sustainable resource development and biomedicine, including high-efficiency hollow-fibre membranes for extracting lithium from seawater and advanced hydrogel fibres with self-regulating capabilities, engineered for precise cancer phototherapy.

Looking ahead, Prof. Zhu outlined her vision for the future of intelligent materials through the acronym “FIBER”: Functional, Integrated, Brainy, Electronic and Responsive.  To accelerate this vision, her team collaborated with Tsinghua University to develop “AlphaFiber”, China’s first large artificial intelligence model tailored to the fibre industry.  Built on an AI-Ready materials database, the system integrates a wide range of knowledge resources, including literature, patents, and experimental data from the fibre sector, and leverages large language model technology to provide intelligent research support for scientists.  Through a closed-loop, data-driven R&D framework, it can accelerate materials discovery and innovation while reducing reliance on traditional trial-and-error experimentation.  Prof. Zhu noted that this emerging research paradigm has the potential to advance the multiscale design and intelligent manufacturing of next-generation sustainable fibre systems, helping to meet the evolving needs of global industrial development.

The lecture concluded with a Q&A session moderated by Prof. FAN Jintu, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF).  Both in-person and online participants engaged in lively and insightful discussions with Prof. Zhu.