Recently, Professor Liu Chunsen from the College of New Energy at Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Dr. Li Jingjing from Henan University of Technology, Professor E. W. Meijer from Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, and Professor Song Jian from Tianjin University jointly published a research article titled Self-Regulating Hydrogel with Reversible Optical Activity in Its Gel-to-Gel Transformation in the prestigious chemistry journal J. Am. Chem. Soc. This marks the first time that Zhengzhou University of Light Industry has published a paper in this journal as the primary corresponding institution.

The study reports a spontaneous gel-to-gel transition that occurs without passing through the solution phase, accompanied by a chirality inversion from superhelix to single helix. Compared with conventional gel–sol–gel systems, this system offers unique advantages: dynamic stability, preserving the continuity of the three-dimensional network during structural transitions; cross-scale controllability, enabling hierarchical dynamic regulation from molecular chirality to superhelical topology; and biomimetic adaptability, mimicking the superhelical structure and stress-responsive behavior of collagen. These findings provide a novel strategy for developing programmable biomimetic chiral soft materials.

Since receiving funding from the Major Research Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) last year, Professor Liu Chunsen’s group has continued to make new progress. Notably, Dr. Li Jingjing, a member of the research team, was awarded an NSFC General Program grant this year. In recent years, the team has published a series of high-level original research papers affiliated with Zhengzhou University of Light Industry in leading international journals in chemistry and materials science. These include five papers in top chemistry journals (J. Am. Chem. Soc. ×2, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. ×3), one in a leading energy journal (Energy Environ. Sci.), one in a top materials journal (Adv. Mater.), and three review articles in a leading chemistry review journal (Coord. Chem. Rev.). The publication of these achievements carries great significance for strengthening our university’s academic development while continuously enhancing its influence and reputation both in China and internationally.

Journal article link: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.5c03844?ref=pdf

Profile of Professor Liu Chunsen: https://hg.zzuli.edu.cn/2023/1120/c20955a298036/page.htm