Faculty
Introduction：
Dr. Kai Xiao, AvH Fellow, the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars (Overseas), received his bachelor degree from Jilin University in 2012 and his Ph.D. degree from Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2017. From 2017 to 2019, he did postdoctoral research at Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces funded by the German Humboldt Foundation, and from 2020 to 2021 he did postdoctoral research at IFW Dresden/Chemnitz University of Technology. In 2021, he joined Southern University of Science and Technology and established the Neuromorphic Perception and Computing Lab.
Intelligent life speaks the language of “ions”, while artificial intelligence speaks the language of "electrons". In biological systems, signal generation and processing occur through precisely controlled ion transport across nanoscale ionic channels, which generate action potentials in micron-scale neurons, ultimately enabling signal transmission and information storage across macroscopic neural networks. To develop high-throughput, low-power brain-inspired computing systems and bridge the communication barrier between biological and artificial intelligence, our Neuromorphic Perception and Computing Lab conducts interdisciplinary research spanning chemistry, materials science, electronics, and biology, focusing on ion-based "brain-inspired computing" and "bio-inspired perceptions".
We have open positions for Ph.D student and Postdoc, please contact Dr. Xiao directly.
Education & work experience：
2022.06-Now Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology
2021.09-2022.05 Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology
2020-2021 Postdoc IFW Dresden/Chemnitz University of Technology Germany
2017-2020 AvH Fellow/Postdoc Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces
2012-2017 Ph.D Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2008-2012 B.S. College of Chemistry, Jilin University
Honors & Awards：
2018: Outstanding doctoral dissertation from Chinese Academy of Sciences
2017: Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship
2017: Dean Scholarship of Chinese Academy of Sciences
2016：“YOUNG RESEARCHER AWARD” of World Summit on Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine Research.
2016：Tang Auchin Chemistry Scholarship
2016：“Zhuliyuehua” scholarship of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Representative publications (*corresponding author; #Co-first author)：
1. Hongjie Zhang#, Song Wang#, Li Wang*, Shengke Li, Haowen Liu, Xinyi Zhu, Yuanxia Chen, Guoheng Xu,Mingming Zhang, Quanying Liu*, Ruibing Wang*, Kai Xiao*. Bio-inspired retina by regulating ion-confined transport in hydrogels. ?Adv. Mater., 2025, 250.
2. Yuanxia Chen, Junfeng Xia, Youzhi Qu, Hongjie Zhang, Tingting Mei, Xinyi Zhu, Guoheng Xu, Dongyang Li, Li Wang,* Quanying Liu,* and Kai Xiao*. Ephaptic Coupling in Ultralow-Power Ion-Gel Nanofiber Artificial Synapses for Enhanced Working Memory. ?Adv. Mater., 2025, 2419013.
3. Jie Wu, Lei Zhang, Wenbo Chang, Hongjie Zhang, Wei Zhang, Tingting Mei, Xinyi Zhu, Li Wang* Mingming Zhang* and Kai Xiao*. A Biomimetic Ionic Hydrogel Synapse for Self-PoweredTactile-Visual Fusion Perception. ?Adv. Funct. Mater., 2025, 2500048.
4. Li Wang, Song Wang, Guoheng Xu, Youzhi Qu, Hongjie Zhang, Wenchao Liu, Jiqing Dai, Ting Wang, Zhiyuan Liu, Quanying Liu, and Kai Xiao*. Ionic Potential Relaxation Effect in a Hydrogel Enabling Synapse-Like Information Processing. ACS Nano, 2024, 18, 29704-29714.
5. Yisha Jiang#, Wenchao Liu#, Tao Wang#*, Yitian Wu, Tingting Mei, Li Wang, Guoheng Xu, Nannan Liu*, Yude Wang* and Kai Xiao*. A nanofluidic chemoelectrical generator with enhanced energy harvesting by ion-electron Coulomb drag. Nat. Commun., 2024, 15, 8582. ?
6. Jiqing Dai, Yu Xue, Xingmei Chen, Zhouwen Cao, Li Wang, Jianrui Zhang, You Zhou, Yuhao Hu, Wenzheng Zhou, Wenhan Tang, XiangYu Kong, Bin Tu*, Ji Liu* and Kai Xiao*. Artificial nerve for neuromodulation based onstructured piezoionic hydrogel. Device, 2024, 2, 100436.
7. Wenchao Liu#, Tingting Mei#, Zhouwen Cao#, Chun Li, Yitian Wu, Li Wang, Guoheng Xu, Yuanxia Chen, You Zhou,Senyao Wang, Yahui Xue, Yanhao Yu, Xiang-YuKong, Ruotian Chen*, BinTu*, and Kai Xiao*. Bioinspired carbon nanotubes-based nanofluidic ionic transistor with ultrahigh switching capabilities for logic circuits. Sci. Adv., 2024, 10, eadj7867.
8. Tingting Mei#, Wenchao Liu#, Fusai Sun, Yuanxia Chen,Guoheng Xu, Zijia Huang, Yisha Jiang, Senyao Wang, LuChen, Junjun Liu, Fengtao Fan, and Kai Xiao*. Bio-inspired Two-dimensional Nanofluidic Ionic Transistor for Neuromorphic Signal Processing. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2024, e202401477.
9. Tingting Mei#, Wenchao Liu#, Guoheng Xu*, Yuanxia Chen, Minghui Wu, Li Wang and Kai Xiao*. Ionic Transistors. ACS Nano, 2024, 18, 6, 4624–4650.
10. Jianrui Zhang, Wenchao Liu, Jiqing Dai and Kai Xiao*. Nanoionics from biological to artificial systems: An alternative beyond nanoelectronics. Adv. Sci. 2022, DOI: 10.1002/advs.202200534.
11. Tianming Li and Kai Xiao*. Solid-State Iontronic Devices: Mechanisms and Applications. Adv. Mater. Technol. 2022, 2200205.
12. Kai Xiao* and Oliver G Schmidt*. Light-driven ion transport in nanofluidic devices: photochemical, photoelectric and photothermal effects. CCS Chem. 2022, 4, 54.
13. Lu Chen#, Bin Tu#, Xubin Lu#, *, Fan Li, Lei Jiang, Markus Antonietti and Kai Xiao*. Unidirectional ion transport in nanoporous carbon membranes with a hierarchical pore architecture. Nat. Commun. 2021, 12, 4650.
14. Kai Xiao*, P Giusto, F Chen*, R Chen, T Heil, S Cao, L Chen, F Fan, L Jiang. Light-driven directional ion transport for enhanced osmotic energy harvesting. Natl. Sci. Rev. 2021, 8, 8, nwaa231.
15. Kai Xiao#*, Changjin Wan#, Lei Jiang, Xiaodong Chen* and Markus Antonietti*. Bioinspired ionic sensory system: the successor of electronics. Adv. Mater. 2020, 2000218.
16. Lu Chen, Runyu Yan, Martin Oschatz, Lei Jiang, Markus Antonietti, and Kai Xiao*. Ultrathin 2D graphitic carbon nitride on metal films: underpotential sodium deposition in adlayers for sodium-ion batteries. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2020, 59, 9067-9073.
17. Kai Xiao#*, Lu Chen#, Lei Jiang, and Markus Antonietti. Carbon nitride nanotube for ion transport based photo-rechargeable electric energy storage. Nano Energy. 2020, 67, 104230.
18. Kai Xiao*, Lei Jiang, and Markus Antonietti. Ion transport in nanofluidic devices for energy harvesting. Joule. 2019, 3, 2364.
19. Kai Xiao*, Lu Chen, Bin Tu, Tobias Heil, Liping Wen, Lei Jiang, Markus Antonietti. Photo‐driven ion transport for photodetector based on asymmetric carbon nitride nanotube membrane. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2019, 58, 12574.
20. Kai Xiao*, Lu Chen, Ruotian Chen, Tobias Heil, Saul Daniel Cruz Lemus, Fengtao Fan, Liping Wen, Lei Jiang and Markus Antonietti. Artificial light-driven ion pump for photoelectric energy conversion. Nat. Commun. 2019, 10, 74.
21. Kai Xiao#, Kai Wu#, Lu Chen, Xiangyu Kong*, Yuqi Zhang*, Liping Wen* and Lei Jiang. Biomimetic Peptide-Gated Nanoporous Membrane for On-Demand Molecule Transport, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2018, 57, 151.
22. Kai Xiao*, Paolo Giusto, Liping Wen, Lei Jiang and Markus Antonietti. Nanofluidic Ion Transport and Energy Conversion through Ultrathin Free-Standing Polymeric Carbon Nitride Membranes, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2018, 130, 10280.
23. Kai Xiao, Lu Chen, Zhen Zhang, Ganhua Xie, Pei Li, Xiangyu Kong, Liping Wen* and Lei Jiang*. A Tunable Ionic Diode Based on a Biomimetic Structure-Tailorable Nanochannel, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2017, 56, 8168.
24. Kai Xiao, Yahong Zhou, Xiangyu Kong, Ganhua Xie, Pei Li, Zhen Zhang, Liping Wen* and Lei Jiang*. Electrostatic-Charge- and Electric-Field-Induced Smart Gating for Water Transportation, ACS Nano, 2016, 10, 9703.
25. Kai Xiao, Ganhua Xie, Zhen Zhang, Xiangyu Kong, Qian Liu, Pei Li, Liping Wen* and Lei Jiang*. Enhanced Stability and Controllability of an Ionic Diode Based on Funnel-Shaped Nanochannels with an Extended Critical Region, Adv. Mater., 2016, 28, 3345.