Diving into research: two new XJTLU articles

X J T L U

Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University is research oriented, focusing on broadening interdisciplinary research perspectives and exploring interdisciplinary research paths. Here are some important research achievements recently published by scholars from XJTLU in various research fields.

New methods for improving water management to develop sustainable cities

Water is vital for the growth of any region. Therefore, it is important to assess how well a city can manage its water resources to develop the economy in a more environmentally friendly way.

Suzhou, a city in eastern China, has abundant water resources and complex water systems, with almost half of the city’s area covered in water. It is also an important industrial development zone in the Yangtze River Delta region and has undergone rapid urbanisation. This makes it challenging for the authorities to manage water resources and the increasing demand for water while controlling sewage and pollution.

In a recent paper published in the journal of Water Resources Management, researchers from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China, created a system to evaluate the water quality challenges in Suzhou and calculate an overall score of the city’s water environmental carrying capacity. The score measures the maximum capacity of an area to maintain water quality standards while undergoing sustainable social development.

By considering various factors, including the condition of Suzhou’s water sources, the impact of human activities, and the city’s socioeconomic factors, the team found that the city’s water capacity has increased since 2001.

The findings from this study can help city planners make informed decisions for future development of sustainable cities worldwide.

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The little things matter: Chemists develop new sensor for microvolume pH detection

Measuring the pH of substances gives us vital clues about the world around us, such as identifying contaminated water or checking the toxicity of medical or cosmetic products.

Often, only small amounts of samples are available, but monitoring the variation in pH in these minuscule volumes matters. For example, identifying pH changes within tiny volumes of fluid from single cells can help in the detection of ovarian cancer.

However, the current methods for measuring pH are mainly for bulk solutions and are not sensitive enough or are too fragile to measure small volumes on a commercial scale.

In a recent study published in Microchimica Acta, scientists from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China, have developed a method that overcomes these problems.

Dr Qiuchen Dong, who led the study, and his postgraduate student Weiyu Xiao have used novel materials and methods to create a sensitive yet robust pH sensor where fluid samples run through a series of tiny channels (microfluidic channels) and over three highly sensitive electrodes made out of light-responsive layered materials and metals.

These microfluidic pH sensors can detect minor variations in the number of protons within a substance, which defines the pH. This allows the measurement of pH with excellent accuracy.

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By Yi Qian and Catherine Diamond

Edited by Catherine Diamond and Patricia Pieterse

Social Media Editor: Shinuo Xu and Yajun Ma

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