On November 1, 2019, at the invitation of Professor Kong Jie, Dean of QMES in NPU, Professor Liu Honglai, member of the research group of Interface Science and Thermodynamics of State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering in East China University of Science and Technology, visited the college and gave an academic lecture on “solid surface modification: solvent response characteristics of polymer brushes”. This lecture was presided over by Professor Gu Junwei, Director of Applied Chemistry Department of School of Natural and Applied Sciences in NPU and Head-teacher of Class QM021702. Associate Professor Shi Xuetao, Diredctor of Department of Polymer Materials and Engineering; Yan Yi, Professor of School of Natural and Applied Sciences in NPU and Head-teacher of Class QM021701; Professor Yan Hongxia, Associate Professor Ou Zhize, Assistant Professor Chen Jianxin and Liu Pei of School of Natural and Applied Sciences, and Associate Professor Luo Chunyan of Xi'an Technological University, attended the lecture. More than 40 undergraduates from QMES and postgraduates and doctoral students from School of Natural and Applied Sciences attended the lecture as well.

During the lecture, Professor Liu Honglai introduced polymer brushes and their applications to students in detail from five aspects, combining his teaching and scientific research practice in the field of Chemical Thermodynamics for many years. In his lecture, the performance of the heterogeneous catalytic system was improved by regulating the hydrophilicity of the solid surface, and the concept of “environmental protection and green” was put forward in the heterogeneous catalytic reaction process. And he introduced the density functional theory and its application of spherical fluid structure, chain fluid and square well chain fluid in confined space.

Professor Liu Honglai’s academic report shared the research progress of the application of polymer brushes in heterogeneous catalytic system, and deepened the understanding of the important application of density functional theory in the field of Chemistry and Chemical Industry. This academic exchange is conducive to further promoting academic exchanges between related disciplines of NPU and East China University of Science and Technology. The students expressed that they had learned a lot of professional knowledge related to polymer brush, which also laid a foundation for the study of professional courses in the future.