China's synthetic fiber output now accounts for over 70% of the global total, yet few realize that this position rests on a technical leap from molecular structures to lunar soil spinning. Academician Zhu Meifang, a CAS academician and professor at Donghua University, recently received the 'Shanghai Outstanding Communist Party Member' title. Her team's 40-year path in fiber materials mirrors the complete upgrade map of China's chemical fiber industry—from 'decent clothing' to 'strong military industry.'
Technical Breakthrough: From 'Hybridization' to 'Lunar Soil Spinning'
The core contribution of Zhu's team lies in pioneering the 'organic/inorganic hybrid fiber concept,' fusing different materials at the nanoscale to achieve precise functional and performance control. This directly led to 15 functional products, covering general fibers, smart fibers, protective materials, and high-performance carbon fibers, breaking long-standing foreign technical barriers and fully implementing at leading chemical fiber enterprises such as Hengyi, Defulen, and Hengshen. Data show that related technologies have driven nearly 100 billion yuan in new output value, enabling China's fiber quality and industrial scale to achieve a historic leap.
More noteworthy is the breakthrough in 'lunar soil spinning.' The team independently designed a simulated lunar soil spinning equipment and achieved the world's first continuous melt-spinning of simulated Chang'e-5 lunar soil. This is not just a laboratory feat; it means future lunar base construction can 'source materials locally,' converting lunar soil into structural materials, significantly reducing Earth-to-Moon transportation costs. For the textile industry, this marks the boundary of fiber processing technology extending from Earth to extreme extraterrestrial environments.
Industry Transmission: The Value Loop from Lab to Production Line
Zhu repeatedly emphasizes that 'research cannot be a castle in the air.' Her team has established an integrated strategy from basic research, pilot testing, to industrialization. After the Spring Festival this year, Shanghai's top leaders visited Donghua University's National University Science Park, urging faster pilot testing. The team responded by establishing the Songjiang Innovation Base of the State Key Laboratory for Advanced Fiber Materials within Songjiang District's 10-billion-yuan advanced materials cluster, focusing on AI, biomedicine, and extreme-environment materials, implementing a 'challenge-based' mechanism. Currently, 47 projects are undergoing concept validation and pilot testing, continuously injecting momentum into Shanghai's advanced materials industry.
This rapid 'lab-pilot-production' transmission means shorter supply chain response cycles for downstream buyers. When novel fibers move from papers to shelves, fabric manufacturers and apparel brands can quickly access differentiated high-performance raw materials, seizing first-mover advantages in functional and smart product competition. Meanwhile, the completion of a continuous hydrogel optical fiber production line offers new material options for smart wearables and medical monitoring, potentially spawning the next wave of end-product innovation.
Talent Pipeline: The Underlying Support for Sustained Technical Iteration
Behind technical breakthroughs is talent system support. Zhu has taught for over 30 years, insisting on teaching the first and last undergraduate courses and serving as a doctoral supervisor class advisor for 15 years. Her 'Mengtai' team, with an average age of just over 30, has been selected as a key innovation team by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education, and its party branch has been named a national model. This 'immersive' industry-education integration ensures technical accumulation is passed down, avoiding gaps when individual experts retire.
For enterprises, this means that industry-university collaboration should not focus only on short-term projects but also on the team's talent output capability. A team capable of continuously cultivating top innovative talents often brings long-term technical evolution rather than one-off technology transfers.