Xiaolin Zheng: New benefits of combustion revealed

Mechanical engineer Xiaolin Zheng really likes to burn things, but she is more like a modern-day Prometheus than a pyromaniac.

She uses combustion to create minute nanoparticles of various metal oxides that have many practical and valuable uses in today’s world.

For instance, she has created nanoparticles that can turn water into hydrogen peroxide using only energy from the sun. Hydrogen peroxide is a powerful disinfectant that kills microbes and removes other pollutants from water. Zheng imagines creating inexpensive, portable, solar-powered water purifiers to help the two to three billion people in the world who lack access to plentiful potable water.

Join host Russ Altman and Xiaolin Zheng for a fascinating look at the benefits of combustion.

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Related | Xiaolin Zheng, associate professor of mechanical engineering and, by courtesy, of materials science and engineering.

Related | Russ Altman, the Kenneth Fong professor and professor of bioengineering, of genetics, of medicine (general medical discipline), of biomedical data science and, by courtesy, of computer science.