China's synthetic fiber output now accounts for over 70% of the global total, a stark contrast to the era four decades ago when even a crisp shirt was a luxury. From fundamental molecular research to spinning lunar soil, Academician Zhu Meifang's team at Donghua University has charted the trajectory of China's chemical fiber industry from follower to leader. This is not just a chronicle of scientific breakthroughs but a roadmap for industrial upgrading.
Industrial Leap: From Weak Capacity to Global Dominance
In the 1970s, China's chemical fiber industry suffered from weak technology and limited capacity, leading to severe shortages in consumer textiles. Starting in 1984, Zhu's team began with fine-denier polypropylene fiber 'Montese,' tackling molecular structure theories to solve 'bottleneck' problems in civilian textiles. This origin dictated that China's fiber industry would not rely on scale expansion but on technological breakthroughs.
The turning point was the groundbreaking 'organic/inorganic hybrid fiber concept.' By embedding hybrid materials into the fiber world, precise synthesis at the nanoscale enabled '1+1>2' multifunctional transfer and amplification. This technology has been fully industrialized at leading enterprises such as Hengyi, Defulun, and Hengshen, yielding 15 functional products including general fibers, smart fibers, protective materials, and high-performance carbon fibers, driving nearly 100 billion yuan in new output value.
This data implies that China's chemical fibers have shifted from low-value commodities to high-value functional materials. For buyers, the variety of domestic high-performance fibers has expanded significantly, reducing reliance on imports. For factories, technology licensing and production line upgrades become key to competitiveness.
Frontier Exploration: Lunar Soil Spinning and Extreme-Environment Materials
Zhu's team's most notable exploration is continuous melt spinning using lunar soil samples from the Chang'e-5 mission. Facing vacuum and low-gravity challenges, they independently designed a simulated lunar soil spinning device, achieving the world's first continuous spinning of simulated lunar soil. This means future lunar bases could utilize in-situ resources, converting soil into fiber structural materials and drastically cutting transport costs.
Although still in the lab stage, the methodology has spilled over into civilian applications. The team developed an integrated dynamic polymerization spinning process, building the world's first continuous hydrogel optical fiber production line with precise control over diameter, mechanical, and optical properties, yielding fibers with excellent biocompatibility. These fibers hold vast potential in smart wearables and biomedical fields, opening new growth avenues for the textile industry.
For the industry, technical accumulation in extreme-environment materials is translating into performance upgrades for conventional products. For example, resistance to high/low temperatures and radiation can be applied to industrial filtration and safety protection. Foreign trade enterprises that convert such technologies into differentiated products can establish barriers in high-end markets.
Industrial Implementation: Songjiang Base and Innovation Ecosystem
Shortly after the Spring Festival, Shanghai's top leadership visited Donghua University's National Science Park, emphasizing the acceleration of pilot testing and industrialization. Zhu's team responded swiftly, leveraging Songjiang District's hundred-billion-level advanced materials cluster to establish the Songjiang Innovation Base of the State Key Laboratory for Advanced Fiber Materials. The base focuses on AI, biomedicine, and extreme-environment materials, employing a 'open competition' mechanism, with 47 innovation projects undergoing concept validation and pilot amplification.
The essence of this base is bridging the 'last mile' from lab to production. For the industry, this 'research-pilot-industrialization' closed loop shortens technology transfer cycles and reduces trial costs. The cluster effect also offers small and medium factories opportunities for technology spillover and collaboration.
Notably, the team adheres to the principle that 'research must not become a castle in the air,' emphasizing that achievements must reach production lines. This aligns with the industry's current 'cost reduction and efficiency' demands. For factories, proactively engaging with such innovation bases to access mature pilot technologies is a pragmatic way to avoid duplicate R&D and achieve rapid upgrades.
Talent Development and Industrial Sustainability
The team's average age is just over 30, having been selected for the Ministry of Science and Technology's key innovation teams and the Ministry of Education's 'Innovation Team Development Plan.' The team advocates an 'immersive' education model combining disciplines and industry, with Donghua's New Materials Industrial College approved as one of the first national modern industrial colleges. This talent pipeline provides a steady stream of innovation for the industry.
From an industrial perspective, the talent structure determines the ceiling of transformation. Currently, the textile industry faces pressure from rising labor costs and intelligent transformation. Compound talents with materials science backgrounds will become core resources for factory upgrades. Enterprises can secure talent early through co-built internship bases and joint training programs with universities.