On the morning of August 12, 2026, the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering held the 144th session of its "Mingde Lecture Hall" series atthe Mingli Academic Lecture Hall. The invited speaker, Dr. Ashok Keerthi, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at The University of Manchester, delivered an academic lecture entitled “Ångström-Scale Precision Architectures: From 1D Graphene Nanoribbons to 2D Capillaries.” The lecture systematically covered three intersecting research directions: atomically-precise nanographenes, graphene nanoribbons, and ångström-scale fluidic channels, and showcased his research group’s latest advances in bottom-up molecular synthesis and ion and molecular transport under two-dimensional confinement. Professor Debin Xia from the School chaired the lecture.
Focusing on precision architectures at the Ångström scale, Associate Professor Keerthi unfolded his presentation from two-dimensional confinement systems to one-dimensional graphene nanoribbons. He first introduced few-layer graphene capillaries fabricated through mechanical exfoliation and top-down methods, explaining their unusual ballistic gas flow, sub-nanosecond transport, ultrafast water permeation, and high ion selectivity. Related findings have been published in Nature and Science. He further pointed out that channel height, surface charge, and geometry constitute the core regulating factors for transport performance. He then compared two fabrication routes for graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) and highlighted that only bottom-up synthesis via controlled π-extension, benzannulation, and cyclodehydrogenation enables atomicallyprecise control over properties such as ribbon width, band gap, and spin. Following the lecture, faculty members and students had in-depth practical exchanges with Associate Professor Keerthiregarding experimental details and potential application expansion.
After the lecture, Professor Debin Xia presented Associate Professor Keerthi with a commemorative plaque on behalf of the School and thanked him for sharing his cutting-edge research outcomes.
Mingde Lecture Hall is a high-level academic dialogueplatform developed by the School. It focuses on national strategic priorities and global research frontiers in chemistry and chemical engineering, regularly inviting leading scholars from home and abroad to share their work and encourage interdisciplinary innovation. This session allowed faculty and students to gain direct access to advanced research on atomically-precise nanostructures and further demonstrated the academic influence of this signature lecture series. Looking ahead, the School will further build up the "Mingde Lecture Hall" brand and foster an ecosystem for collaborative innovation.By conducting frequent high-quality academic exchanges, the School aims to steadily enhance basic research capabilitiesand overall competitiveness of its disciplines. These efforts will support greater scientific and technological self-reliance in chemistry and chemical engineering.
Professor Debin Xia presents Associate Professor Ashok Keerthi with a Mingde Lecture Hall commemorative plaque
