Biography 

Professor at Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Xianren Zhang also leads a research group specializing in interfacial thermodynamics. He earned a PhD in Chemical Engineering from that university in 2001, following a Master's degree in Engineering from Hefei University of Technology in 1998. Following two postdoctoral fellowships, one in Beijing and the other at ENS de Lyon, he became a full professor in 2005. His work has been recognized with several Chinese scientific awards, notably for his research in molecular simulation, nanoporous materials, natural gas hydrates, and nanobubbles. His current research focuses primarily on small-scale thermodynamics and the stability of nanobubbles, using theoretical approaches and molecular simulations.

Collaboration with the Chemistry Laboratory (LCH)

The appointment of Professor Xianren Zhang to the Chemistry Laboratory at ENS de Lyon represents a scientific opportunity built on a longstanding collaboration between the two institutions. Formerly a postdoctoral researcher at ENS de Lyon from 2003 to 2005, he has since maintained close ties with the laboratory, notably through researcher exchanges, jointly supervised theses, and several joint publications.

As a renowned specialist in the thermodynamics of interfaces and nanobubbles, Xianren Zhang brings expertise that complements Wei Dong's work on the fundamentals of nanothermodynamics. His experience in theoretical studies and simulations of curved interfaces at the nanoscale is a key asset for advancing the recent research conducted at ENS de Lyon.

The combination of these expertise will enable the team to address questions that are still largely exploratory regarding the properties of curved interfaces and their role in thermodynamic phenomena at the nanoscale. This collaboration is expected to foster the development of original findings and help enhance the laboratory’s international visibility in this field of research. Xianren Zhang’s visit will also provide him with the opportunity to share his expertise through a series of seminars on interfacial thermodynamics and nanobubble simulations.

Major publications

• Xiaoli Deng, Yun Shan Xiaohui Meng, Zhaoyang Yu, Xiaoxi Lu, Yubqing Ma, Jiao Zhao, Dong Qiu, Xianren Zhang, Yuwen Liu and Qianjin Chen. “Direct measuring of single-heterogeneous bubble nucleation mediated by surface topology”, PNAS, 2022, 119 (29) e2205827119.
• Yawei Li, Roman Ganti, Hugh G. A. Burton, Xianren Zhang, Wenchuan Wang, Daan Frenkel, “Microscopic Marangoni flow cannot be predicted on the basis of pressure gradient”, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2017, 119, 224502.
• Shan Chen, Hongguang Zhang, Zhenjiang Guo, Ignacio Pagonabarraga and Xianren Zhang. “Capillary-induced negative pressure is able to initiate heterogeneous cavitation”, Soft Matter, 2024, 20, 2863-2870.
• Youbin Zhou, Mengyuan Huang, Falin Tian, Xinghua Shi, Xianren Zhang, “Einstein-Stokes relation for small bubbles at the nanoscale”, J. Chem. Phys. 160, 054109 (2024)