Guangming Daily: School of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University: Building a bridge for the application of domestic scientific instruments

2025/07/04

Author: Guangming Daily all-media reporter Wang Yizhao trainee reporter Zhu Bin Editor: Liang Shaonan Tian Liqun Source: Guangming Daily

Guangming Daily News Building optical circuit accessories, assembling electrochemical workstations, and collecting in-situ infrared spectra... Recently, at the Domestic Scientific Instrument Research and Application Demonstration Center of the School of Chemical Engineering of Tianjin University, Dr. Tian Nana is using a domestic Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer to conduct experiments on preparing methane by electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide.

Looking back at the history of scientific and technological development, scientific research instruments are important tools for exploring the world and verifying conjectures. Nowadays, scientific research is extending to the extreme macro level, deepening to the extreme micro level, and breaking through to extreme conditions. High-end scientific research instruments are becoming increasingly inseparable from major achievements. However, the research and development cycle of high-end scientific research instruments is long and technical barriers are high. Independent research and development of scientific research instruments in my country is relatively lagging behind. However, at Tianjin University, there is such a team committed to upgrading domestic scientific research instruments.

Dr. Tian Nana said: "In the past, almost all of our experimental instruments came from imports. Domestic high-end scientific research instruments relied heavily on imports from developed countries such as Europe, America and Japan. They occupied a large market share in my country's high-end scientific research instruments, and maintenance costs were also high."

In December 2023, the School of Chemical Engineering of Tianjin University and Tianjin City Analytical and Testing Association established a domestic scientific instrument research and application demonstration center based on the college's large-scale instrument testing platform to drive instrument upgrades based on real scientific research needs. Jin Fengmin, head of the large-scale instrument testing platform at the School of Chemical Engineering of Tianjin University, said: "The School of Chemical Engineering of Tianjin University has always had a tradition of scientific instrument research and development. The demonstration center relies on the School of Chemical Engineering and is driven by application scenarios for scientific research and testing needs to achieve multiple instrument functions and performances. Breakthroughs, promote the research and development of high-end scientific instruments and the development and innovation of application methods, and promote the iterative upgrading of technologies of domestic instrument manufacturers from the application side. At present, the iterative upgrade of 8 domestic scientific instruments including X-ray fine structure absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope in-situ liquid phase system, Fourier transform infrared system, and micro in-situ mechanical test system has been promoted."

Professor Chen Gang, a representative of Tianjin City People's Congress and doctoral supervisor of the School of Chemical Engineering of Tianjin University, has been engaged in the research and development of scientific instruments for more than 20 years. The in-situ mechanical test system developed can be used to analyze and evaluate the mechanical properties and reliability of materials or parts under environmental loads such as high temperature, low temperature, temperature alternation, corrosion, multi-axial stress, vibration, and impact. With the support of the Demonstration Center, the micro in situ mechanical test system developed by Professor Chen Gang successfully completed relevant experiments and achieved in-situ analysis of the failure mechanism of alloys by hydride under loading conditions.

"Through the work of the demonstration center, the in-situ mechanical test system we designed breaks through electromagnetic force linear motor technology, broadband dynamic control technology, and multi-axis complex stress loading technology. It can achieve hundreds of millions of continuous fatigue experiments for the whole life cycle reliability and safety experiments have a wider range of use than imported instruments. The system has been used in many fields such as microelectronics, aerospace, and nuclear power." Professor Chen Gang said.

"Breakthroughs in research and development of high-end scientific instruments have become a core indicator of national strategic capabilities. Breakthroughs in high-end scientific instruments not only reshape the scientific research paradigm, but also drive industrial upgrading and value chain reconstruction through basic research transitions." Professor Fan Xiaobin, Dean of the School of Chemical Engineering of Tianjin University, said,"In the future, we hope that the Domestic Scientific Instrument Research and Application Demonstration Center will become a platform and bridge for the research and development and application of domestic scientific instruments, continue to promote the inspection, evaluation and demonstration of domestic scientific instruments, and establish a" safe, autonomous and controllable "maintenance support force."

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