Shan Zhiwei, dean of the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU), recently gave Nature Materials an exclusive interview, based on which the journal published an article titled "Caution on Trace Impurities".

Professor Shan Zhiwei

During the interview, Shan answered a series of questions raised in academic circles around professional background and research interest, the source of impurities, the impact of trace impurities in structural materials and industrial application, major difficulties in resolving impurities, and prospective measures to tackle impurities.

During a study in 2015, Shan and his teammates found that even a tiny impurity can have an obvious impact upon plastic deformation of singlecrystal magnesium. Further research showed that trace impurities can exert profound influences upon the property and stability of magnesium-related materials.

Although the issue hasn't received due attention from industry insiders, Shan and his study group have conducted systematic research on magnesium-related materials and made noticeable achievements in their commercial application over the past few years.

They have produced 99.9996 percent high fineness magnesium in a laboratory environment, built the country's first 3N5A-class magnesium production line with an annual capacity of 1,000 tons, and expounded the reasons behind large deposits and fluctuations of aluminium impurities in magnesium.

Their theoretical findings and the commercial application of relevant technologies will fundamentally bolster the quality of magnesium production and dramatically enhance economic and social benefits.

Nature Materials is a monthly multi-disciplinary journal, which aims to bring together cutting-edge research across the entire spectrum of materials science and engineering. Its readers include worldwide researchers in the fields of material sciences, physics, chemistry, biology and engineering.