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The Chinese Academy of Sciences recently announced the list of newly elected academicians this year. Zhang Xiaona from Wuhan University became the only woman elected as an academician. Born in 1940, she is also one of the four newly elected academicians over the age of 70. She is mainly engaged in the basic and applied research of natural polymer materials and polymer physics. She is also the first female academician in the history of Wuhan University.
Change a green "magic"
Last week, Zhang Xiaona changed the “magic†for reporters in the laboratory of Wu Da University of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences: Pre-cooling the dissolving agent formulated with sodium hydroxide and urea to minus 12 °C, and then put it into a pulp board, stirring In less than 2 minutes, the pulp board becomes a glass of clear liquid. Zhang Xiaona told reporters that if used as industrial raw materials, this dissolved transparent liquid can become comparable to natural silk, durable cups and even environmental plastic film.
The principle of this "magic" is the "green" method and new concept of the low-temperature dissolved polymer in the water system that she and the research team have developed over the past 12 years. "I didn't think of being a big professor or a big scientist. I just have to do every single thing." In the face of honor, Zhang Haona appears to be indifferent. Although it is 70 years old, it is still graceful and elegant, and Zhang Haona is busy every day in the research field. She is diligent and serious about her work, and it is unmatched by young people. "I like science and have a great sense of accomplishment and fun in discovering new things."
Soybean residue bagasse will turn waste into treasure
She often warned the students: Do not study rabbits for quick success and instant benefits, be able to withstand setbacks, fail to do it again, and look for happiness from a little progress.
In 1963, Zhang Haona graduated from the Department of Chemistry of Wuda University and went to Osaka University in 1985 as a visiting scholar. She admitted that her research experience in Japan more than a year widened her vision of research and made her feel the difference. Due to the long-term concerns about the country's resources, she immediately turned her attention to the basic and applied research of natural polymer materials science of biomass resources, and explored the utilization methods and paths of renewable resources such as chitin. In January 2000, Zhang Xiaona received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and began research on new solvents and materials for fiber.
After numerous explorations, she once discovered in the experiment that the mixed solution of sodium hydroxide and urea can rapidly solve the problem of poor solubility of insoluble macromolecules such as cellulose and chitin in only 2 minutes at low temperatures. . "This technology has many advantages. It is non-toxic, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly." Zhang Xiaona explained that traditional macromolecules such as cellulose, which require high temperatures of 100°C to 130°C, are not only energy-intensive but also time-consuming. In contrast, the low-temperature polymer in the water system is not only fast, but also urea and sodium hydroxide are renewable resources. This dissolving technology can also turn agricultural wastes such as bean dregs and bagasse into waste and make a variety of useful industrial and civilian materials. What's more, these materials are very environmentally friendly. As long as they are buried underground, they can be naturally degraded within 1-2 months if there is a certain temperature of water bacteria.
The first Chinese person to win the Ansam Payne Award
The far-reaching discovery of low-temperature cellulose dissolution prompted Zhang to in-depth study of the cellulose dissolution process and low temperature dissolution theory. After further research, Zhang Xiaona and the research team established a new mechanism for the dissolution of macromolecules and solvents to form new hydrogen-bonding conductors at low temperatures, thereby broadening the polymer dissolution theory.
Zhang Xiaona led the research team to persist in its research for 12 years and finally improved the technology. At present, they have developed a batch of new functional materials based on biomass and biodegradable materials, and initially achieved the "green" industrialization test of low-temperature dissolved cellulose spinning. This new technology is expected to replace the current viscose method with serious environmental pollution, thus affecting many companies in the world that use and produce viscose silk products.
Zhang Yinna’s new series of discoveries belongs to the original innovation and has its own independent intellectual property rights. The American Chemical Society's home page believes her research has great application potential in cellulose technology. At the end of March this year, she was awarded the "American Chemical Society Ansem Penn Award." The award is the highest prize in the field of cellulose and renewable resource materials in the world. Zhang Xiaona is the first Chinese to win this award in half a century. The judges said: “The research team led by Professor Zhang Xiaona has opened the doors to the cellulosic material industry by developing a magical and simple water solvent system.â€
At 4:30 in the afternoon when reporters left the office, Zhang Xiaona was still busy and non-stop - in the past 10 years, Zhang Xiaona chaired the national "973", "863" project, "Eleventh Five-Year" science and technology support, natural science fund key projects, international cooperation and There are more than 20 overseas cooperation and corporate cooperative R&D projects. (correspondent / Feng Lin's reporter in Hubei / Qian Zhongjun)
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