News

3D Cellular Solar Crystallizer for Stable and Ultra-Efficient High-Salinity Wastewater Treatment

Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), and Dr Zhanxiao Kang, Member of RCTFF, collaborated with other researchers and published an article entitled “3D Cellular Solar Crystallizer for Stable and Ultra-Efficient High-Salinity Wastewater Treatment” in Advanced Science.   ABSTRACT Recent developed interfacial solar brine crystallizers, which employ solar-driven water evaporation for salts crystallization from the near-saturation brine to achieve zero liquid discharge (ZLD) brine treatment, are promising due to their excellent energy efficiency and sustainability. However, most existing interfacial solar crystallizers are only tested using NaCl solution and failed to maintain high evaporation capability when treating real seawater due to the scaling problem caused by the crystallization of high-valent cations.   Herein, an artificial tree solar crystallizer (ATSC) with a multi-branched and interconnected open-cell cellular structure that significantly increased evaporation surface is rationally designed, achieving an ultra-high evaporation rate (2.30 kg m−2 h−1 during 2 h exposure) and high energy efficiency (128%) in concentrated real seawater. The unit cell design of ATSC promoted salt crystallization on the outer frame rather than the inner voids, ensuring that salt crystallization does not affect the continuous transport of brine through the pores inside the unit cell, thus ATSC can maintain a stable evaporation rate of 1.94 kg m−2 h−1 on average in concentrated seawater for 80 h continuous exposure. The design concept of ATSC represents a major step forward toward ZLD treatment of high-salinity brine in many industrial processes is believed.   Read the full article in Advanced Science. URL: http://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202305313

Prof. Jintu Fan appointed as Visiting Chief Scientist of Donghua University

Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion and Chair Professor of Fiber Science and Apparel Engineering, was appointed as Visiting Chief Scientist of the Shanghai International Fashion Innovation Centre (SIFIC), Donghua University for a period of three years, from 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2026.  Prof. Fan will provide professional advice and strategic inputs to the Center in relation to disciplinary development, scientific research, talent development, international collaboration and other matters. These include but not limited to: formulating development plans and goals, identifying frontier research directions, building high-level research teams, nurturing leading fashion innovators, steering independent innovative research, promoting collaborations with world-renowned universities and research institutions, and driving the commercialisation of the Centre’s research achievements.

Prof. Jintu Fan shares insights at World Textile University Alliance Annual Meeting

Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) and Chair Professor of Fiber Science and Apparel Engineering, shared his views on the latest development in textile science at the 2nd International Conference on Advanced Textile Science and Technology & World Textile University Alliance Annual Meeting held from 13 to 15 October 2023 at Donghua University in Shanghai, China. With the theme of “Advanced Textile Science and Technology”, the Conference provided an important platform for the global exchange of textile technologies and cross-sectoral cooperation. The Conference included more than 170 keynote presentations and was joined by over 400 textile scholars from 63 organisations in 15 countries. Prof. Fan said that advanced apparel and textiles should strike a balance among visual aesthetics, sustainability and functionality. An illustrative example is the thermo-regulating fabric for personal thermal management, which uses phase-change materials and nanomaterials to regulate the radiative cooling of the human body to achieve intelligent, dynamic thermoregulation in hot and humid environments. The current challenges of thermo-regulating fabrics include two aspects: one is that thermal fabrics should be breathable and lightweight, and the other is the development of cooling fabrics. Online coverage: China News Service - https://polyu.me/48XdYu2 The Paper - https://polyu.me/3S0UzlW East Money - https://polyu.me/3QiFVW5 East Day - https://polyu.me/3FlrCKe NetEase - https://polyu.me/46Dho3W Sohu - https://polyu.me/3tthzQm Toutiao - https://polyu.me/48SNolY

Dr Dahua Shou awarded The Fiber Society’s 2023 Distinguished Achievement Award

Dr Dahua Shou, Member of the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports), Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE), and Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Advanced Textiles Technologies, and Assistant Professor in the School of Fashion and Textiles, has been bestowed with the 2023 Distinguished Achievement Award by The Fiber Society. The Fiber Society is a scientific association dedicated to the advancement of knowledge pertaining to fibres, fibre-based products, and fibrous materials. The Award is presented annually to an outstanding researcher under the age of 40 who has made significant contributions to the field of fibre science and engineering worldwide.

PAIR researchers develop “Sweatextile”,​the world’s first “skin-like” moisture-wicking fabric

Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), Associate Director of the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports) and Member of the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), and Dr Dahua Shou, Member of RISports, RI-IWEAR, Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) and RCTFF, have developed the world’s first “skin-like” fabric directional liquid transport fabric, “Sweatextile”. The fabric enables fast one-way liquid flow through spatially distributed channels that act like “sweating glands” while repelling external liquid contaminants. The research “Skin-like fabric for personal moisture management” was published in Science Advances. Read the research paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aaz0013

Establishment of Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion

The PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR) takes great pleasure to announce the establishment of Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), set to commence operations on 1 October 2023. This significant undertaking has been established to propel interdisciplinary research in the domains of textiles and fashion, thereby reinforcing The Hong Kong Polytechnic University's (PolyU) unwavering dedication to fostering innovation and the progression of knowledge. As one of the constituent research units of PAIR, RCTFF assumes a vital role in spearheading transformative research initiatives. Under the leadership of Prof. Jintu Fan, Chair Professor of Fiber Science and Apparel Engineering, RCTFF emerges as a hub of expertise and innovation, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience in the research field. RCTFF is dedicated to driving groundbreaking research with the principal objective of advancing high-performance textiles and fashion products. By creating an environment that fosters collaboration and encourages creativity, the centre strives to generate innovative solutions for efficient and sustainable fashion and textile life cycles. RCTFF focuses on a diverse range of core research themes, including, but not limited to: Advanced materials and technologies Product design and innovation Life cycle management By focusing on these critical domains, RCTFF seeks to establish itself as a global leader in textile and fashion research, making significant contributions to both academia and industry. The centre also looks forward to engaging with partners and stakeholders from various sectors to facilitate technology exchange and drive impactful collaborations. For further information about the new RCTFF and its research initiatives, please visit www.polyu.edu.hk/rctff.