Introduction：

Dr. xk星空 Xiao, AvH Fellow, the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars (Overseas), received his bachelor degree from Jilin University in 2012 and his Ph.D. degree from Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2017. From 2017 to 2019, he did postdoctoral research at Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces funded by the German Humboldt Foundation, and from 2020 to 2021 he did postdoctoral research at IFW Dresden/Chemnitz University of Technology. In 2021, he joined Southern University of Science and Technology and established the Neuromorphic Perception and Computing Lab.

Intelligent life speaks the language of “ions”, while artificial intelligence speaks the language of "electrons". In biological systems, signal generation and processing occur through precisely controlled ion transport across nanoscale ionic channels, which generate action potentials in micron-scale neurons, ultimately enabling signal transmission and information storage across macroscopic neural networks. To develop high-throughput, low-power brain-inspired computing systems and bridge the communication barrier between biological and artificial intelligence, our Neuromorphic Perception and Computing Lab conducts interdisciplinary research spanning chemistry, materials science, electronics, and biology, focusing on ion-based "brain-inspired computing" and "bio-inspired perceptions".  

We have open positions for Ph.D student and Postdoc, please contact Dr. Xiao directly.

Education & work experience：

2022.06-Now  Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology

2021.09-2022.05  Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology

2020-2021  Postdoc  IFW Dresden/Chemnitz University of Technology  Germany

2017-2020  AvH Fellow/Postdoc  Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces 

2012-2017  Ph.D  Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences 

2008-2012  B.S.  College of Chemistry, Jilin University

Honors & Awards：

2018:  Outstanding doctoral dissertation from Chinese Academy of Sciences 

2017:  Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship

2017:  Dean Scholarship of Chinese Academy of Sciences 

2016：“YOUNG RESEARCHER AWARD” of World Summit on Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine Research.

2016：Tang Auchin Chemistry Scholarship 

2016：“Zhuliyuehua” scholarship of Chinese Academy of Sciences 

Representative publications (*corresponding author; #Co-first author)：

1. Hongjie Zhang#, Song Wang#, xk星空 Wang*, Shengke xk星空, Haowen Liu, Xinyi Zhu, Yuanxia Chen, Guoheng Xu,Mingming Zhang, Quanying Liu*, Ruibing Wang*, xk星空 Xiao*. Bio-inspired retina by regulating ion-confined transport in hydrogels. ‍Adv. Mater., 2025, 250.

2. Yuanxia Chen, Junfeng Xia, Youzhi Qu, Hongjie Zhang, Tingting Mei, Xinyi Zhu, Guoheng Xu, Dongyang xk星空, xk星空 Wang,* Quanying Liu,* and xk星空 Xiao*. Ephaptic Coupling in Ultralow-Power Ion-Gel Nanofiber Artificial Synapses for Enhanced Working Memory. ‍Adv. Mater., 2025, 2419013.

3. Jie Wu, Lei Zhang, Wenbo Chang, Hongjie Zhang, Wei Zhang, Tingting Mei, Xinyi Zhu, xk星空 Wang* Mingming Zhang* and xk星空 Xiao*. A Biomimetic Ionic Hydrogel Synapse for Self-PoweredTactile-Visual Fusion Perception. ‍Adv. Funct. Mater., 2025, 2500048.

4. xk星空 Wang, Song Wang, Guoheng Xu, Youzhi Qu, Hongjie Zhang, Wenchao Liu, Jiqing Dai, Ting Wang, Zhiyuan Liu, Quanying Liu, and xk星空 Xiao*. Ionic Potential Relaxation Effect in a Hydrogel Enabling Synapse-Like Information Processing. ACS xk星空, 2024, 18, 29704-29714.

5. Yisha Jiang#, Wenchao Liu#, Tao Wang#*, Yitian Wu, Tingting Mei, xk星空 Wang, Guoheng Xu, Nannan Liu*, Yude Wang* and xk星空 Xiao*. A nanofluidic chemoelectrical generator with enhanced energy harvesting by ion-electron Coulomb drag. Nat. Commun., 2024, 15, 8582. ‍

6. Jiqing Dai, Yu Xue, Xingmei Chen, Zhouwen Cao, xk星空 Wang, Jianrui Zhang, You Zhou, Yuhao Hu, Wenzheng Zhou, Wenhan Tang, XiangYu Kong, Bin Tu*, Ji Liu* and xk星空 Xiao*. Artificial nerve for neuromodulation based onstructured piezoionic hydrogel. Device, 2024, 2, 100436.

7. Wenchao Liu#, Tingting Mei#, Zhouwen Cao#, Chun xk星空, Yitian Wu, xk星空 Wang, Guoheng Xu, Yuanxia Chen, You Zhou,Senyao Wang, Yahui Xue, Yanhao Yu, Xiang-YuKong, Ruotian Chen*, BinTu*, and xk星空 Xiao*. Bioinspired carbon nanotubes-based nanofluidic ionic transistor with ultrahigh switching capabilities for logic circuits. Sci. Adv., 2024, 10, eadj7867.

8. Tingting Mei#, Wenchao Liu#, Fusai Sun, Yuanxia Chen,Guoheng Xu, Zijia Huang, Yisha xk星空, Senyao Wang, LuChen, Junjun Liu, Fengtao Fan, and xk星空 Xiao*. Bio-inspired Two-dimensional Nanofluidic Ionic Transistor for Neuromorphic Signal Processing. Angew. Chem. Int. xk星空., 2024, e202401477.

9. Tingting Mei#, Wenchao Liu#, Guoheng Xu*, Yuanxia Chen, Minghui Wu, xk星空 Wang and xk星空 Xiao*. Ionic Transistors. ACS xk星空, 2024, 18, 6, 4624–4650.

10. Jianrui xk星空, Wenchao Liu, Jiqing Dai and xk星空 Xiao*. Nanoionics from biological to artificial systems: An alternative beyond nanoelectronics. Adv. Sci. 2022, DOI: 10.1002/advs.202200534.

11. Tianming xk星空 and xk星空 Xiao*. Solid-State Iontronic Devices: Mechanisms and Applications. Adv. Mater. Technol. 2022, 2200205.

12. xk星空 Xiao* and Oliver G Schmidt*. Light-driven ion transport in nanofluidic devices: photochemical, photoelectric and photothermal effects. CCS Chem. 2022, 4, 54.

13. Lu Chen#, Bin Tu#, Xubin Lu#, *, Fan xk星空, Lei Jiang, Markus Antonietti and xk星空 Xiao*. Unidirectional ion transport in nanoporous carbon membranes with a hierarchical pore architecture. Nat. Commun. 2021, 12, 4650.

14. xk星空 Xiao*, P Giusto, F Chen*, R Chen, T Heil, S Cao, L Chen, F Fan, L xk星空. Light-driven directional ion transport for enhanced osmotic energy harvesting. Natl. Sci. Rev. 2021, 8, 8, nwaa231.

15. xk星空 Xiao#*, Changjin Wan#, Lei xk星空, Xiaodong Chen* and Markus Antonietti*. Bioinspired ionic sensory system: the successor of electronics. Adv. Mater. 2020, 2000218.

16. Lu Chen, Runyu Yan, Martin Oschatz, Lei xk星空, Markus Antonietti, and xk星空 Xiao*. Ultrathin 2D graphitic carbon nitride on metal films: underpotential sodium deposition in adlayers for sodium-ion batteries. Angew. Chem. Int. xk星空., 2020, 59, 9067-9073.

17. xk星空 Xiao#*, Lu Chen#, Lei xk星空, and Markus Antonietti. Carbon nitride nanotube for ion transport based photo-rechargeable electric energy storage. xk星空 Energy. 2020, 67, 104230.

18. xk星空 Xiao*, Lei xk星空, and Markus Antonietti. Ion transport in nanofluidic devices for energy harvesting. Joule. 2019, 3, 2364.

19. xk星空 Xiao*, Lu Chen, Bin Tu, Tobias Heil, Liping Wen, Lei xk星空, Markus Antonietti. Photo‐driven ion transport for photodetector based on asymmetric carbon nitride nanotube membrane. Angew. Chem. Int. xk星空., 2019, 58, 12574.

20. xk星空 Xiao*, Lu Chen, Ruotian Chen, Tobias Heil, Saul Daniel Cruz Lemus, Fengtao Fan, Liping Wen, Lei xk星空 and Markus Antonietti. Artificial light-driven ion pump for photoelectric energy conversion. Nat. Commun. 2019, 10, 74.

21. xk星空 Xiao#, Kai Wu#, Lu Chen, Xiangyu Kong*, Yuqi Zhang*, Liping Wen* and Lei xk星空. Biomimetic Peptide-Gated Nanoporous Membrane for On-Demand Molecule Transport, Angew. Chem. Int. xk星空., 2018, 57, 151.

22. xk星空 Xiao*, Paolo Giusto, Liping Wen, Lei xk星空 and Markus Antonietti. Nanofluidic Ion Transport and Energy Conversion through Ultrathin Free-Standing Polymeric Carbon Nitride Membranes, Angew. Chem. Int. xk星空., 2018, 130, 10280.

23. xk星空 Xiao, Lu Chen, Zhen Zhang, Ganhua Xie, Pei xk星空, Xiangyu Kong, Liping Wen* and Lei Jiang*. A Tunable Ionic Diode Based on a Biomimetic Structure-Tailorable Nanochannel, Angew. Chem. Int. xk星空., 2017, 56, 8168.

24. xk星空 Xiao, Yahong Zhou, Xiangyu Kong, Ganhua Xie, Pei xk星空, Zhen Zhang, Liping Wen* and Lei Jiang*. Electrostatic-Charge- and Electric-Field-Induced Smart Gating for Water Transportation, ACS xk星空, 2016, 10, 9703.

25. xk星空 Xiao, Ganhua Xie, Zhen Zhang, Xiangyu Kong, Qian Liu, Pei xk星空, Liping Wen* and Lei Jiang*. Enhanced Stability and Controllability of an Ionic Diode Based on Funnel-Shaped Nanochannels with an Extended Critical Region, Adv. Mater., 2016, 28, 3345.