On October 15th, Professor Javier García-Martínez the former president of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) visited Nankai University on the eve of its 105th anniversary, representing IUPAC's first visit to Nankai University.

Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and Director of the Molecular Nanotechnology Lab, at the University of Alicante, Spain. President of IUPAC 2022-2023, for the past 15 years, he has been a member of the World Economic Forum, Prof García-Martínez has contributed to the identification of the World Economic Forum's Top Ten Emerging Technologies and its annual report.

In the morning, President Chen Yulu of Nankai University met with Professor Javier García-Martínez at the Balitai campus and awarded them the certificate of Speaker of the Nankai University Foreign Expert Lecture Hall. Chen Yulu welcomes Professor Javier García-Martínez and expresses gratitude for the strong support provided by IUPAC in organizing the 54th International Chemistry Olympiad for Nankai University. Chen stated that energy conservation, emission reduction, and green low-carbon are common challenges facing the world, and Nankai University is actively promoting the development of green chemistry and chemical engineering. Javier García-Martínez visited the university and was a guest at the Nankai University Foreign Experts Lecture Hall event, bringing wonderful lectures to teachers and students and providing valuable learning opportunities. We hope that in the future, both sides will further strengthen cooperation in organizing international forums on chemistry and chemical industry, promoting the cutting-edge research achievements of Nankai University to be showcased at the Davos Forum, and contribute to the grand blueprint of sustainable development for all mankind.

Javier García-Martínez expressed his gratitude for the warm reception at Nankai University. He looks forward to further cooperation with Nankai University on platforms such as the Davos Forum and the International Chemistry Olympiad in the future, promoting the development of emerging technologies, facilitating the integration of industry and education, accelerating the transformation of Nankai University's academic achievements, and jointly contributing to the global sustainable development cause. Cheng Fangyi, Dean of the College of Chemistry,  and relevant foreign affairs personnel accompanied the meeting.

(President of Nankai University, Prof. Chen Yulu on the right with Prof. Javier García-Martínez )

 After the meeting, Javier García-Martínez gave a talk titled ’Chemistry beyond the Electron Shell: Creating a Circular Chemistry for a More Sustainable Future’ at the Nankai University Foreign Experts Lecture Hall at Hai Binglou building.

Javier García-Martínez gave a talk titled ’Chemistry beyond the Electron Shell: Creating a Circular Chemistry for a More Sustainable Future’ at the Nankai University Foreign Experts Lecture Hall at Hai Binglou building.

In this talk, Prof. García-Martínez introduced in its nearly 100 years of existence, IUPAC has created a universally accepted chemical nomenclature and terminology, as well as a global platform for discussing and advancing some of the most important issues in chemistry. He also pointed out from climate change to our dependence on finite natural resources, many of our most global challenges require a technical solution that only better science and technology in general, and chemistry in particular, can provide. He further introduce the IUPAC Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry, which identifies cutting-edge innovations that are poised to transform science, industry, and society. Each year, IUPAC selects breakthrough technologies that demonstrate chemistry's role in addressing global challenges.

(Interaction with Nankai students during the talk)

In the afternoon, Prof. Javier García-Martínez continued to attend the research seminar Frontiers of Organic New Material Creation Lecture Series and gave an excellent academic presentation on the topic of Embracing Chemistry Complexity to Unlock Previously Ineccessible Chemical Processes, bringing an ‘academic feast’ in the field of catalysis to teachers and students. The Lecture on the Frontiers of Organic New Material Creation is an academic exchange activity jointly organized by the Center for Frontiers of Organic New Material Creation Science and the College of Chemistry at Nankai University. Before the lecture began, Professor Zhao Dongbing, Vice Dean of the College of Chemistry at Nankai University, presented the Lecture Certificate to Professor Javier Garcia Martinez.

During his presentation, Professor Javier García-Martínezdiscussed the main techniques that have been developed during the last years to produce zeolites with controlled mesoarchitectures comparing the different methods, their advantages and limitations. Among the different techniques used to characterize the composition, porosity and structure of these materials, he presented unprecedented insights on the formation of intracrystalline mesoporosity in zeolites obtained by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and Liquid Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy (Liq-TEM). By combining experimental results and theoretical calculations, the presence of intracrystalline mesoporosity was recently confirmed. Moreover, through the direct observation of individual zeolite crystals by in situ AFM and Liq-TEM, his team have been able to provide the first time-resolved visualization of the formation of mesoporosity in zeolites. 

(Research seminar at Shi Xianlou building by Professor Javier García-Martínez )

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, known as IUPAC, was founded in Paris, France in 1919, originally with its headquarters located in Zurich, Switzerland. As a member organization of the International Council for Science, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry is the largest and most authoritative chemical organization in the world, dedicated to developing chemical nomenclature, terminology, standardized measurement methods, atomic weight, and other rigorously evaluated data, providing necessary support for promoting global cooperation in the field of chemistry.

(News resource: Nankai University News Center, College of Chemistry, comprehensive compilation by Li Jing, review by Xie Wei)