Dr Xiao Tan

Xiao specialises in polymer chemistry: development of novel polymeric sorbents, PFAS-contaminated water remediation.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of synthetic chemicals that have been widely used since the 1950s. Despite their widespread use in everyday products, their potential toxicity to humans has become a major concern. Their exceptional chemical stability, stemming from strong carbon-fluorine bonds, together with their moderate water solubility, has led to persistent water contamination and bioaccumulation, driving the need for effective removal strategies. Dr Tan's research focuses on developing novel polymeric sorbents for PFAS removal, understanding the molecular-level interactions between PFAS and sorbent materials, optimising polymer composition and structure, and translating these design principles into polymer-based devices for the selective, rapid, and efficient treatment of contaminated real-world environments.

Key Publications

Tan, X.; Yang, Z.; Chen, Z.; Zhu, Y.; Yu, C.; Wang, Y.; Liu, K.; Dewapriya, P.; Li, X.; Su, Z.; Giansiracusa, M. J.; Boskovic, C.; Wang, B.; Thomas, K. V.; Zhang, C., Non-PFAS-Based Magnetic Polymer Sorbents for Efficient Removal of Perfluorinated Compounds from Landfill Leachate. Adv. Mater. 2026, 38 (1), e02427.

Tan, X.; Dewapriya, P.; Prasad, P.; Chang, Y.; Huang, X.; Wang, Y.; Gong, X.; Hopkins, T. E.; Fu, C.; Thomas, K. V.; Peng, H.; Whittaker, A. K.; Zhang, C., Efficient Removal of Perfluorinated Chemicals from Contaminated Water Sources Using Magnetic Fluorinated Polymer Sorbents. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61 (49), e202213071.

Tan, X.; Sawczyk, M.; Chang, Y.; Wang, Y.; Usman, A.; Fu, C.; Kral, P.; Peng, H.; Zhang, C.; Whittaker, A. K. Revealing the Molecular-Level Interactions between Cationic Fluorinated Polymer Sorbents and the Major PFAS Pollutant PFOA. Macromolecules 2022, 55 (3), 1077-1087.

Tan, X.; Wang, Y.; Yang, Z.; Zhu, Y.; Yu, C.; Liu, K.; He, Y.; Whittaker, A. K.; Zhang, C. Thermoresponsive Polymer Sorbents for Efficient Removal of Perfluorinated Compounds via Simple Heating. Macromolecules 2024, 57 (23), 11166-11176.

Wang, X.; Zhang, C.; Sawczyk, M.; Sun, J.; Yuan, Q.; Chen, F.; Mendes, T. C.; Howlett, P. C.; Fu, C.; Wang, Y.; Tan, X.; Searles, D. J.; Kral, P.; Hawker, C. J.; Whittaker, A. K.; Forsyth, M. Ultra-stable all-solid-state sodium metal batteries enabled by perfluoropolyether-based electrolytes. Nat. Mater. 2022, 21 (9), 1057-1065.