{"id":66894,"date":"2026-03-17T04:53:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T04:53:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/blog\/?p=66894"},"modified":"2026-03-17T04:53:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T04:53:49","slug":"cambridge-materials-qa-with-hao-cheng-yang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/blog\/2026\/03\/17\/cambridge-materials-qa-with-hao-cheng-yang\/","title":{"rendered":"Cambridge Materials Q&A with Hao-Cheng Yang"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Introducing our Editorial team – Hao-Cheng Yang, Zhejiang University, China<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of an ongoing series of Q&As with our Cambridge Materials Board Members, Hao-Cheng Yang, Zhejiang University, China<\/em> a Cambridge <\/a>Materials<\/a>: Water<\/a> <\/em>Associate Editor discusses their research, recent advances in materials, and perspectives on future challenges and opportunities in the field.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Cambridge Materials: What originally drew you to materials research, and what continues to excite you about the field?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Hao-Cheng Yang<\/strong>: I was originally drawn to materials science because it naturally sits at the intersection of fundamental science and engineering applications. Small changes in molecular structure, interfacial configuration, or microstructural features can directly determine macroscopic performance and even system-level behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the discovery of new materials is often exciting, I am particularly motivated by the unexpected effects that arise from the intelligent combination of existing materials and from cross-fertilization between different research fields. Such synergistic integration often leads to functionalities that are difficult to achieve with a single material alone, and this continues to be a major source of inspiration for my research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CM: What are the main scientific questions or application-driven challenges currently motivating your research?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

H-CY: One central scientific question motivating our work is how to precisely regulate mass transport processes by tailoring material interfaces and asymmetric structures. From an application perspective, achieving low-energy separations, highly selective extraction of target components from complex systems, and translating laboratory concepts into scalable technologies remain persistent challenges. These issues are especially critical in water treatment and resource recovery, and they continue to drive our research efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CM: Are there any recent breakthroughs in materials science (from your work or the wider community) that you find particularly exciting, or have enjoyed reading about?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

H-CY<\/strong>: Several recent advances in materials science have been particularly exciting to me. From our own work, we have made progress in designing Janus channels within membranes, enabling concurrent and efficient recovery of both oil and water from emulsions (Science, 2024, 386, 654\u2013659). It represents a potential paradigm shift in membrane separation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond our own research, I have also been inspired by the development of novel membrane materials that exhibit exceptional performance or introduce new functionalities. Examples include electro-activated adsorptive membranes for PFAS removal (Nature Water, 2025, 3, 1198\u20131207) and conjugated microporous polymer membranes that enable rapid solvent permeation (JACS, 2026, 148, 2719\u20132727).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CM: What are you currently working on that you would like to share with the journal\u2019s readership?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

H-CY<\/strong>: Much of my current work explores how asymmetry in materials\u2014often described as Janus configurations\u2014can be deliberately designed to unlock new functionalities in water-related applications. Rather than focusing on a single material or length scale, we are interested in how opposing or asymmetric properties interact across macro-, meso-, and micro-scales to shape mass transport, selectivity, and overall system performance. This perspective allows us to connect fundamental interfacial phenomena with practical challenges in water treatment and resource recovery. More broadly, our work aims to provide intuitive design principles and a unifying framework that can help the community better understand, and ultimately harness, asymmetry as a powerful tool in materials engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CM: Which areas of materials research related to water do you expect to see the most rapid growth over the next 10\u201320 years?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

H-CY<\/strong>: I expect particularly rapid growth in functional materials designed for low-energy, high-selectivity water treatment and water resource recovery, including advanced separation membranes, adsorption materials, and catalytic systems. In addition, materials for water treatment coupled with renewable energy, as well as solutions targeting extreme or unconventional water sources\u2014such as high-salinity brines or ultra-low-concentration resource streams\u2014are likely to develop rapidly over the next decade or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CM: What do you see as the key bottlenecks\u2014scientific, technological, policy, or scaling-related\u2014facing materials relevant to water treatment today?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

H-CY<\/strong>: Scientifically, a unified and predictive understanding of multicomponent, coupled transport processes in complex water systems is still lacking. Technologically, performance degradation and failure mechanisms under realistic operating conditions are not yet fully understood. From a scaling perspective, fabrication cost, process controllability, and long-term operational reliability remain major barriers. In addition, delays in policy frameworks and standards can slow the adoption of new materials and technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CM: How do you see materials science contributing to a secure and sustainable future?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

H-CY<\/strong>: Materials science plays a foundational role in building a secure and sustainable future. Access to clean water, efficient resource utilization, energy transition, and environmental protection all depend critically on advances in materials. By adopting more rational and sustainable materials design strategies, it is possible to significantly enhance system performance while reducing energy consumption and environmental impact, thereby providing essential technological support for global sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CM: What attracted you to joining the Editorial team of Cambridge Materials Water, and how do you hope to contribute to the journal\u2019s development?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

H-CY<\/strong>: I was attracted to Cambridge Materials Water by its clear focus on the intersection of materials science and water-related research. Through my role on the Editorial team, I hope to promote the publication of high-quality, original, and impactful studies\u2014particularly those that clearly bridge fundamental mechanisms and practical applications. I also look forward to fostering communication across disciplines and research communities, helping the journal develop into an internationally influential platform in this rapidly evolving field. In particular, I aim to help enhance the journal\u2019s visibility and engagement within the Chinese research community, promoting the exchange of high-quality work from China and encouraging collaboration with international researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cambridge Materials: Water <\/a><\/em>focuses on cutting-edge studies on materials for water purification, filtration, desalination, and waste treatment. This journal will emphasize innovations that address environmental impact, resource efficiency, and socio-economic feasibility.
The journal aligns with multiple United Nations Sustainable Development goals (SDGs), including:
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
SDG 13: Climate Action
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cambridge Materials: Water<\/a><\/em> is part of Cambridge Materials,<\/em><\/a> a suite of four journals, each focused on a particular global challenge – circularity, energy, health, water – and aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cambridge Materials<\/em> journals publish high-quality research that integrates innovations in materials science and engineering with environmental, life cycle, economic, social, and policy considerations, thereby bridging knowledge gaps and supporting impactful solutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As part of an ongoing series of Q&As with our Cambridge Materials Board Members, Hao-Cheng Yang, Zhejiang University, China a Cambridge Materials: Water Associate Editor discusses their research, recent advances in materials, and perspectives on future challenges and opportunities in the field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":821,"featured_media":65413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2262,2466,1,9],"tags":[12021,12023,62,4578,1676,12022,1670,1729],"coauthors":[12223],"class_list":["post-66894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-engineering","category-materials-science","category-news","category-science-technology","tag-cambridge-materials","tag-cambridge-materials-water","tag-engineering","tag-materials","tag-materials-science","tag-sdgs","tag-sustainability","tag-sustainable-development-goals"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/821"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66894"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67277,"href":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66894\/revisions\/67277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66894"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=66894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}