Dr Xiao Tan

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

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a series of man-made compounds that have been widely used since the 1950’s. Although they are commonly used in daily life, the toxicity of PFAS to humans should not be neglected. Due to their uniquely stable chemical structure (arising from the strong carbon-fluorine bond) and moderate solubility in aqueous solutions, problems of water contamination and bioaccumulation have arisen, attracting novel proposals for their efficient removal. Xiao Tan's research aims to 1) develop novel polymeric sorbents, 2) reveal binding mechanisms between PFAS and the sorbents at the molecular level, 3) optimize polymer compositions and structures, and 4) apply the design rules and develop polymeric devices for selective, rapid, and highly efficient removal of PFAS from real contaminated environments. Originally from SuZhou in China, Xiao was awarded Doctor of Philosophy by the University of Queensland in early 2024.

Key Publications

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.

Qian, S.; Tan, X.; Zhu, Y.; Wang, Y.; Chen, H.; Zheng, M.; Zhang, C.; Zhang, S.; Lu, J. Additives Capable of Stably Supplying Anions/Cations for Homogeneous Lithium Deposition/Stripping. ACS Nano 2024, 18 (50), 34363-34374.