Time：May 19th, 2025. 14:00 ( China time )

Place：Room 420,  Shouxin Building

Bio：

Prof. Steven Wang serves as the Associate Vice-President (Resources Planning) at City University of Hong Kong and is the Deputy Director of the Centre for Nature-inspired Engineering. He obtained his PhD from Monash University (Supervisor Prof David Boger, FRS) and his Bachelor of Engineering from The University of Melbourne. Before assuming his current position, he conducted postdoctoral research at ETH Zurich from 2015 to 2016 and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 2014 to 2015. Prof. Wang has published extensively in prestigious journals, including Nature, Nature Chemical Engineering, Nature Communications, Science Advances and Physical Review Fluids. His contributions to the field were recognized when he received the Research Project of the Year: STEM award at the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards Asia 2024.

References:

[1] Zhang et al., Nature Communications, in press, 2025;

[2] Xu et al., Nature Communications in press, 2025;

[3] Lo et al, submitted, 2025.

Abstract：

This seminar explores groundbreaking advances at the intersection of interfacial physics and sustainability. Three revolutionary systems are unveiled: (1) Droplet mops that remove surface contaminants with 99.9% efficiency using raindrop-sized impacts, slashing water use by 90% for solar farm cleaning; (2) A self-sufficient air-to-fertilizer system combining fog harvesting and droplet-based nitrogen synthesis, boosting crop yields without freshwater or chemical inputs; and (3) An electricity-free air-to-hydrogen technology leveraging radiative cooling and photocatalysis to produce green H₂ from atmospheric moisture [1,2,3]. Together, these innovations harness nonlinear fluid dynamics, spectral engineering, and environmental resource harvesting to address water scarcity, food security, and clean energy, aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals.