Basic Introduction:

Dr. Bintian Zhang received his B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Science from the Nankai University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, respectively. Before joining SUSTech, he was an associate research scientist at the Biodesign Institute of Arizona State University. His research focuses on environmental analytical chemistry and biosensing technologies, aiming to develop highly sensitive bioanalytical methods, biosensors, and portable devices for rapid detection of emerging pollutants, screening of toxic effects of environmental pollutants, and molecular toxicological studies. He holds 12 PCT, US and Chinese patents. He has published more than 60 peer-reviewed papers, including first-author papers in Nature Commun, PNAS, JACS, ACS Nano, Nano Lett, ES&T, Anal. Chem. etc. He serves as an Associate Editor of the RSC journal “Environ. Sci. Nano” and a Member of the Emerging Pollutants Governance Professional Committee of the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences.

Professional Experience:

2022 - present, Associate Professor (as PI), Southern University of Science and Technology

2021 - 2022, Assistant Professor (as PI), Southern University of Science and Technology

2016 - 2021, Associate Research Scientist, Arizona State University

2015 - 2016, Associate Professor, Chinese Academy of Sciences

2012 - 2014, Assistant Professor, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Education:

2007 - 2012, Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences

2003 - 2007, B.S. in Environmental Science, Nankai University

Synergistic Activities:

1. Associate Editor, RSC- “Environmental Science: Nano”

2. Committee Member of the Emerging Pollutants Governance, Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences

3. Young Editorial Board Member, “Journal of Analysis and Testing”

Awards and Honors:

1. 2026, Outstanding Freshman Class Advisor, SUSTech

2. 2024, The First Youth Innovation Award for New Pollutants Governance, CSES

3. 2024, Excellent Supervisor for the “Visual Science” Cover Contest, RSC

4. 2021, Valued Contribution Award from ACS Publications, ACS

5. 2020, Outstanding Reviewer Award 2020 by the Journal of “Sensors & Actuators: B. Chemical”

6. 2019, Technology Transfer Innovation Award, ASU

Research Interests:

1. Detection technologies and sensing devices for emerging contaminants

2. Rapid screening and detection of toxic effects of environmental pollutants

3. Electrochemical/photoelectrochemical sensors and microfluidic chips

4. Bioanalytical applications of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)

5. Analytical technologies based on single-molecule conductance

6. Development of novel biosensors and portable devices

Selected funded projects:

1. Structural Identification and Detection of DNA Adducts Based on Single-Molecule Recognition Tunneling, National Science Foundation of China, 2026-2029 (As PI)

2. Investigation of the interactions between endocrine-disrupting chemicals and proteins based on single-molecule protein conductance, National Science Foundation of China, 2023-2026 (As PI)

3. Molecular Conductance Sensor for Detection of Genotoxic Biomarker 8-Hydroxyguanine, Shenzhen Science and Technology Program, 2023-2025 (As PI)

4. Photoelectrochemical sensors based on the molecular imprinting technique for the detection of phenolic endocrine-disrupting chemicals, National Science Foundation of China, 2014-2016 (As PI)

5. Photoelectrochemical sensors based on ZnO nanoflower, Fujian Science Foundation, 2014-2016 (As PI)

Teaching:

ESE336 - Environmental Analytical Chemistry (Undergraduate)

ESE5096 - Environmental Bioanalytical Chemistry (Graduate)

Published Works:

Selected Publications

(1) Zhimin Fan; Zusen Chen; Zhengwen Gong; Sanjun Shi; Mingdi Xu; Xiaonan Feng; Yulu Liu; Ya Hu; Xiaoduo Chen; Guomao Zheng; Bintian Zhang, Real-time electrical monitoring of enzymatic catalytic dynamics at the single-molecule level. Nature Communications 2026, 17, 7198.

(2) Mingdi Xu; Zhimin Fan; Ya Hu; Xiaonan Feng; Yulu Liu; Sirui Zhu; Jingjing Yu; Kun Zhang; Guomao Zheng; Bintian Zhang, Effect-Based Photoelectrochemical Screening of Estrogenic Activity in Wastewater via Cell-Free ERα-ERE Assembly. Analytical Chemistry 2026, 98, 19835−19846.

(3) Xiaonan Feng; Xiaoduo Chen; Kun Zhang; Zhimin Fan; Sanjun Shi; Ya Hu; Sheng Wan; Guomao Zheng; Bintian Zhang, Rapid and Highly Selective Detection of the Tire Antioxidant 6PPD in Water Samples via Dual-Mode Fluorescent and Photoelectrochemical Sensing Based on Host–Guest Recognition. Environmental Science & Technology 2026, 60, 14318-14328.

(4) Kun Zhang; Han Yan; Xiaoduo Chen; Zusen Chen; Xiaonan Feng; Ya Hu; Zheqian Chen; Xiaoyuan Guo; Chuanzi Gao; Yanzhou Bao; Jizhou Wu; Bintian Zhang, Electrochemical sensing of cationic per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances via dual-signal transduction. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical 2026, 139852.

(5) Kun Zhang; Xiaonan Feng; Chuanzi Gao; Yulong Ma; Yuqing Dai; Zheqian Chen; Zhimin Fan; Xiaoyuan Guo; Tianhao Yang; Shangqing Wang; Mingdi Xu; Bintian Zhang, Polymerizable monomer for selective PFAS capture via fluorophilic interaction and cavity recognition: Rational design and applications in removal and sensing. Chemical Engineering Journal 2026, 176434.

(6) Zhimin Fan; Miao Chen; Jie Xiang; Bintian Zhang, Single-Molecule Conductance of Non-Redox Proteins: Mechanisms, Measurements, and Applications. Biomolecules 2026, 16, 495.

(7) Kun Zhang; Zhilin Guo; Ya Hu; Han Yan; Yanzhou Bao; Bintian Zhang, Supramolecular interactions in luminescent sensing of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Trends in Environmental Analytical Chemistry 2025, e00286.

(8) Xiaonan Feng; Sirui Zhu; Kun Zhang; Mingdi Xu; Zheqian Chen; Shangqing Wang; Jingjing Yao; Xiaoduo Chen; Bintian Zhang, Universal and highly efficient organic-inorganic heterojunctions enabled by a dual-functional polymer for photoelectrochemical detection of perfluorooctane sulfonate. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical 2025, 138563.

(9) Chongchong Qi; Tao Hu; Yi Zheng; Mengting Wu; Fiona HM Tang; Min Liu; Bintian Zhang; Sybil Derrible; Qiusong Chen; Gongren Hu; Liyuan Chai, Zhang Lin, Global and regional patterns of soil metal (loid) mobility and associated risks. Nature Communications 2025, 16, 2947.

(10) Xiaonan Feng; Kun Zhang; Xiaoduo Chen; Yuemei Liang; Ya Hu; Yulu Liu; Chuanzi Gao; Feng Quan; Bintian Zhang, Engineering a plasmon-enhanced Z-scheme CdIn2S4/Bi2WO6 heterojunction for photoelectrochemical aptasensing of bisphenol S. Journal of Analysis and Testing 2025, 9, 538-547.

(11) Shangqing Wang; Lulu Ma; Xiaonan Feng; Kun Zhang; Zheqian Chen; Min Hu; Guomao Zheng; Yan Zheng; Bintian Zhang, Portable and Cost-Effective Detection of Perfluorooctanesulfonate in Water Using a Screen-Printed Electrode Modified with Molecularly Imprinted Polymer. ACS ES&T Water 2025, 5, 1261-1269.

(12) Jingjing Yao; Xiaonan Feng; Shangqing Wang; Yuemei Liang; Bintian Zhang, Plasmon-Enhanced Photoelectrochemistry of Photosystem II on a Hierarchical Tin Oxide Electrode for Ultrasensitive Detection of 17β-Estradiol. Analytical Chemistry 2024, 96, 18029-18036.

(13) Zhimin Fan; Kun Zhang; Xiaonan Feng; Ya Hu; Zheqian Chen; Shangqing Wang; Jingfu Liu; Bintian Zhang, Portable and ultrasensitive detection of traces of water in alcoholic solvents by a polypyrrole-modified screen-printed electrode. Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry 2024, 970.

(14) Tao Jiang; Biao-Feng Zeng; Bintian Zhang; Longhua Tang, Single-molecular protein-based bioelectronics via electronic transport: fundamentals, devices and applications. Chemical Society Reviews 2023, 52, 5968-6002.

(15) Bintian Zhang; Eathen Ryan; Xu Wang; Weisi Song; Stuart Lindsay, Electronic Transport in Molecular Wires of Precisely Controlled Length Built from Modular Proteins. ACS Nano 2022, 16, 1671-1680.

(16) Longhua Tang; Long Yi; Tao Jiang; Ren Ren; Binoy Paulose Nadappuram; Bintian Zhang; Jian Wu; Xu Liu; Stuart Lindsay; Joshua B. Edel; Aleksandar P. Ivanov, Measuring conductance switching in single proteins using quantum tunneling. Science Advances 2022, 8.

(17) Bintian Zhang; Eathen Ryan; Xu Wang; Stuart Lindsay, Probing Bioelectronic Connections Using Streptavidin Molecules with Modified Valency. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2021, 143, 15139-15144.

(18) Bintian Zhang; Weisi Song; Jesse Brown; Robert Nemanich; Stuart Lindsay, Electronic Conductance Resonance in Non-Redox-Active Proteins. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2020, 142, 6432-6438.

(19) Bintian Zhang; Hanqing Ding; Sohini Mukherjee; Weisi Song; Xu Wang; Stuart Lindsay, Engineering an Enzyme for Direct Electrical Monitoring of Activity. ACS Nano 2020, 14, 1360-1368.

(20) Bintian Zhang; Weisi Song; Pei Pang; Huafang Lai; Qiang Chen; Peiming Zhang; Stuart Lindsay, Role of contacts in long-range protein conductance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2019, 116, 5886-5891.

(21) Bintian Zhang; Stuart Lindsay, Electronic Decay Length in a Protein Molecule. Nano Letters 2019, 19, 4017-4022.

(22) Bintian Zhang; Weisi Song; Pei Pang; Yanan Zhao; Peiming Zhang; Istvan Csabai; Gabor Vattay; Stuart Lindsay, Observation of giant conductance fluctuations in a protein. Nano Futures 2017, 1.

(23) Bintian Zhang; Lili Lu; Feng Huang; Zhang Lin, Ru(bpy)₃ ²⁺-mediated photoelectrochemical detection of bisphenol A on a molecularly imprinted polypyrrole modified SnO₂ electrode. Analytica Chimica Acta 2015, 887, 59-66.

(24) Yiping Wu; Xiqiang Yang; Bintian Zhang; Liang-Hong Guo, An electrochemiluminescence biosensor for 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine quantification and DNA repair enzyme activity analysis using a novel bifunctional probe. Biosensors & Bioelectronics 2015, 69, 235-240.

(25) Lili Lu; Xianyang Yue; Fuquan Lin; Feng Huang; Bintian Zhang; Zhang Lin, Template-synthesized ultra-thin molecularly imprinted polymers membrane for the selective preconcentration of dyes. Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2015, 3, 10959-10968.

(26) Bintian Zhang; Lili Lu; Qichang Hu; Feng Huang; Zhang Lin, ZnO nanoflower-based photoelectrochemical DNAzyme sensor for the detection of Pb²⁺. Biosensors & Bioelectronics 2014, 56, 243-249.

(27) Yiping Wu; Bintian Zhang; Liang-Hong Guo, Label-Free and Selective Photoelectrochemical Detection of Chemical DNA Methylation Damage Using DNA Repair Enzymes. Analytical Chemistry 2013, 85, 6908-6914.

(28) Min-Jie Li; Yi-Ping Wu; Bin-Tian Zhang; Liang-Hong Guo, Detection and Application of DNA Abasic Sites. Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry 2013, 41, 965-972.

(29) Bintian Zhang; Liang-Hong Guo; Marc M. Greenberg, Quantification of 8-OxodGuo Lesions in Double-Stranded DNA Using a Photoelectrochemical DNA Sensor. Analytical Chemistry 2012, 84, 6048-6053.

(30) Bintian Zhang; Liang-Hong Guo, Highly sensitive and selective photoelectrochemical DNA sensor for the detection of Hg²⁺ in aqueous solutions. Biosensors & Bioelectronics 2012, 37, 112-115.

(31) BinTian Zhang; Xin Du; SuPing Jia; JunHui He; LiangHong Guo, Rapid assessment of DNA damage induced by polystyrene nanosphere suspension using a photoelectrochemical DNA sensor. Science China-Chemistry 2011, 54, 1260-1265.

Selected Patents:

1. “Method and system for detecting the oxidative potential of atmospheric particulate matter”, Bintian Zhang, Ya Hu, 2025118686432, 2025 (Chinese Patent)

2. “Fluorinated polymer for the removal and recovery of perfluorinated compounds through electrochemical-pH synergistic regulation, and its preparation method and application”, Bintian Zhang, Kun Zhang, 2025117123242, 2025 (Chinese Patent)

3. “Method, system, and terminal for detecting DNA damaged bases based on molecular conductance”, Bintian Zhang, Yulu Liu, Sanjun Shi, 2025118686358, 2025 (Chinese Patent)

4. “Sensing application and sensor for 6PPD and 6PPD-Q based on cyclodextrin host–guest recognition”, Bintian Zhang, Xiaonan Feng, 2025118052988, 2025 (Chinese Patent)

5.“Method for screening toxic effects of pollutants based on single-molecule protein conductance”, Bintian Zhang, Jingjing Yao, Yulu Liu, CN120253923A, 2025 (Chinese Patent)

6.“Synthesis method and applications of a fluorophilic and hydrophobic functional monomer”, Bintian Zhang, Kun Zhang, ZL 202411378938.7, 2024 (Chinese Patent)

7.“Fabrication method of a screen-printed electrode for the determination of water content in alcoholic solvents”, Bintian Zhang, Kun Zhang, Zhimin Fan, CN118465019 A, 2024 (Chinese Patent)

8.“Electrode for detection of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl”, Bintian Zhang, Shangqing Wang, Lulu Ma, Yan Zheng, CN117871631 A，2024 (Chinese Patent)

9. “Method for electronic detection and quantification of antibodies”, Stuart Lindsay，Bintian Zhang, WO2019217600A1, Nov. 14, 2021 (US/PCT)

10. “Bioelectronic circuits, systems and methods for preparing and using them”, Stuart Lindsay，Bintian Zhang，Hanqing Deng, WO2020160300A3, Sep. 10, 2020 (US/PCT)

11. “Direct electrical readout of nucleic acid sequences”, Stuart Lindsay，Bintian Zhang，Hanqing Deng, WO2020257654A1, Dec. 24, 2020 (US/PCT)

12. “Methods for sequencing biopolymers”, Stuart Lindsay, Eathen Ryan, Bintian Zhang, Xu Wang, US20220389502A1, Jun. 3, 2022 (US)