TheLectures series of Kuang Yaming Honors School for Class 2019invited scientists and scholars active on the frontline of their research. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, all the activities of this year would be held online instead. Today, we were happy to have with us as the lecturer Zhu Jia, a professor and doctoral supervisor from the School of Modern Engineering and Applied Science of Nanjing University. The topic was light and heat, the two most common forms of energy in nature.

In his lecture, Professor Zhu spoke of the effective regulation of light and heat at the level of micro- and nano-structures, and such regulation could bring new visions for energy, environment and information fields. Zhu gave two examples, solar water treatment technologies using the photothermal effect to develop efficient interfacial photoevaporation and reducing the photothermal (Joule) loss of metals to develop high-performance plasmonic components based on alkali metals.

The lecture was vivid and interesting, bringing to the students the frontline research of the discipline and triggering a wide range of discussions and reactions. The students raised many questions towards the end.