Materials Horizons Emerging Investigator Series: Professor Dr Teng Fu, Sichuan University, China

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Abstract

Our Emerging Investigator Series features exceptional work by early-career researchers working in the field of materials science.

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Teng Fu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2250-2453) is a Research Professor at the Polymer Research Institute, Sichuan University, and currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Collaborative Innovation Center for Eco-Friendly and Fire-Safety Polymeric Materials (MoE). He received his BSc in Chemistry in 2014 and his PhD in Polymer Chemistry and Physics in 2019, both from Sichuan University. Since joining the university in 2019, his research has centred on addressing fire-related hazards through comprehensive investigations into burning mechanism analysis, fire detection technologies, and advanced fire-retardant materials. He has received several honours, including the First Prize of Technical Invention from the Chinese Materials Research Society (C-MRS) and the Top Ten Basic Research Advances Award from Sichuan University. Over the past five years, he has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and has been invited to deliver plenary and keynote presentations at several internationally recognized conferences in the field of fire safety, such as the European Meeting on Fire Retardant Polymeric Materials.

Read Teng Fu's Emerging Investigator Series article ‘Thermally activated and fire-resistant thiol-Michael dynamic crosslinking networks for wildfire prevention’ (https://doi.org/10.1039/D5MH00878F) and read more about him in the interview below:

MH: Your recent Materials Horizons Communication demonstrates a thiol-based dynamic/thermal crosslinking cascade system that enables temperature-dependent network reconfiguration. How has your research evolved from your first article to this most recent article and where do you see your research going in future?

TF: My first research article was also published in a Royal Society of Chemistry journal (Polymer Chemistry), titled “Inherent flame retardation of semi-aromatic polyesters via binding small-molecule free radicals and charring”.¹ Since the beginning of my academic career, my research has focused on solving problems related to fire safety. My early work involved designing a series of flame-retardant structures containing aryl ether functional groups and preparing flame-retardant polyester materials.

Over the years, I have continued to explore new material designs for fire prevention and flame retardancy. The recent article published in Materials Horizons shifts the focus towards wildfire scenarios, which have attracted global attention due to their serious environmental and societal impacts. In the future, my research will remain centered on fire safety across different application contexts. I plan to continue working on combustion mechanism analysis, fire detection and warning technologies, and the design of flame-retardant materials.

MH: What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment?

TF: I am currently most excited about our recent attempt to address a real-world fire safety challenge associated with forest wildfires—specifically, the issue of flaming drips from overhead power cables. In wildfire-prone regions, electrical faults can cause cable insulation to melt and produce flaming drips, which may ignite surrounding vegetation and trigger secondary fires. This is particularly concerning in wildland–urban interface (WUI) zones. To explore a potential solution, we developed a material system that can be applied as a protective coating on power cables. This material features a thiol-based dynamic/thermal crosslinking cascade system. When subjected to high heat, the vinyl groups dissociate from the thiol–Michael linkages and undergo self-polymerization, forming a new thermally crosslinked network. This structural transformation helps preserve the material's performance under elevated temperatures. While this work does not yet solve the problem entirely, it offers a proof-of-concept material with desirable properties, including UV durability, solvent resistance, and the ability to cure directly under sunlight. We believe this strategy provides a promising direction for developing protective coatings aimed at mitigating fire risks in critical infrastructure systems.

MH: In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

TF: One of the most important questions in the field of fire-safe polymeric materials is how to achieve rational molecular design that enables organic materials—typically composed of highly flammable elements such as carbon and hydrogen—to resist high temperatures and even direct flame exposure. Unlike inorganic materials (such as metals or ceramics), organic polymers are intrinsically combustible, so the incorporation of specific structural motifs that interrupt combustion pathways is essential to improving fire resistance.

Another key challenge lies in designing multifunctional materials that retain flame retardancy without sacrificing other properties. It remains difficult to develop molecular structures that simultaneously deliver high-performance flame retardancy along with additional functionalities such as mechanical adaptability, responsiveness, or stability. For example, in our recent work, we developed a molecular system that incorporates phosphorus-containing groups to enhance flame retardancy, while simultaneously introducing thermally activated polymerizable vinyl groups. This design enables the formation of a heat-induced crosslinking network at elevated temperatures, thereby improving the material's integrity and thermal performance under fire exposure. Addressing such integration of flame retardancy with multifunctionality is, in my view, one of the directions for future research.

MH: What do you find most challenging about your research?

TF: One of the most fundamental and challenging scientific questions in the fire safety field is how to translate a deep mechanistic understanding of combustion into bottom-up molecular design principles for developing fire-retardant materials and fire-detection systems. To achieve this, we must first gain a detailed molecular-level understanding of how flammable substances—such as building materials, electrical cables, combustible vegetation, or battery components—decompose and burn. Only by elucidating these combustion pathways can we rationally design material structures that interrupt key chain reactions during combustion, thereby improving intrinsic fire resistance. At the same time, such mechanistic insight is essential for identifying unique chemical or physical signals that emerge during combustion, which in turn can serve as early indicators for fire detection and warning systems. In my view, the above comments are the core challenge in my research area.

MH: In which upcoming conferences or events may our readers meet you?

TF: I actively participate in academic conferences and workshops. Recently, I will attend events such as the National Polymer Academic Conference and The 21st China International Fire Protection Equipment Technology Conference & Exposition. These gatherings provide valuable opportunities to engage with fellow researchers, exchange ideas, and present my latest research findings.

MH: How do you spend your spare time?

TF: Outside the lab, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and exploring nature—especially through road trips and hiking in the southwestern regions of China. These areas are known for their plateau climate and are among the most wildfire-prone zones in the country. I often take the opportunity to observe firsthand how climate, vegetation, and fire risk interact dynamically in these forested landscapes. These field experiences have inspired many of my research ideas and help me better understand the real-world needs for wildfire prevention. In addition, I regularly read newly published scientific literature to stay informed about the latest developments in the field. This helps me maintain a clear view of where the frontiers of research are moving and often leads to new ideas or opportunities for collaboration.

MH: Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

TF: Stay focused, and stay curious. In my experience, genuine interest in a scientific problem is the most powerful and enduring motivation. Research can be full of uncertainties, setbacks, and long cycles—especially in interdisciplinary fields like fire-safe materials—so maintaining long-term focus on a meaningful question, rather than being distracted by short-term results or trends, is key. At the same time, following your curiosity allows you to discover unexpected connections and develop your own unique perspective. For early-career scientists, I believe that cultivating both deep focus and intrinsic enthusiasm is more important than chasing rapid output or external recognition.

References

1. T. Fu, D.-M. Guo, J.-N. Wu, X.-L. Wang, X.-L. Wang, L. Chen and Y.-Z. Wang, Polym. Chem., 2016, 7, 1584.

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