Dr. Jiangshui Luo is a Professor at the College of Materials Science & Engineering, Sichuan University in Chengdu, China. He received his bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees from Xiamen University, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (ChineseAcademy of Sciences), and KU Leuven, respectively. His research interests include organic salts (e.g. ionic liquids, organic ionic plastic crystals, ionic liquid crystals and ordered crystalline organic salts), proton-conductive deep eutectic solvents, electrolytes, phase change materials, heat transfer fluids and solid-state refrigeration. He is an editorial board member of Journal of Ionic Liquids, a member of the Fuel Cell Engine Branch of the 9th Council of the Chinese Society for Internal Combustion Engines, a member of the Ionic Liquids Professional Committee of the Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and a member of the Hydrogen Energy Professional Committee of the China Renewable Energy Society.
Read Jiangshui Luo’s Emerging Investigator article http://xlink.rsc.org/?doi=10.1039/D3SM00614J
How do you feel about Soft Matter as a place to publish research on this topic?
Soft Matter is a wonder place for researchers on soft matter to publish related research work, ranging from different disciplines like chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, physics and biology.
What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?
I am most excited about the fascinating world of organic salts (including their materials thermodynamics), especially protic organic ionic plastic crystals (POIPCs) which I proposed some years ago (Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2013, 1, 2238–2247; Energy & Environmental Science, 2015, 8, 1276–1291; Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2016, 4, 12241–12252; Communications in Theoretical Physics, 2022, 74, 045502). While POIPCs are emerging soft matter, their in-depth studies like solid state NMR, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and neutron scattering as well as molecular dynamics simulations are rather challenging.
In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?
In terms of organic salts, I think the most important questions to be asked/answered is their structure-property-function relationship.
Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?
Long-term dedication to a research direction of what is most interesting for oneself matters.
