28 Aug 2025
The picture shows some of the participants.
2025 AIChE Chem-E-Car® Asia-Pacific Friendship Competition & 9th China University Chem-E-Car Competition has been hosted by Tianjin University from August 9th to 11th at Tianjin. Teams from 37 universities across China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other countries participated in this competition, among which XJTLU “LMO cat” team won “Best Safety Award”!
XJTLU “LMO cat”: Where Multidisciplinary Innovation Meets Safety Excellence
Inspired by XJTLU's Learning Mall platform, this adorable-named car hides a serious core: it's a high-performance, chemically-powered racer engineered to strict chemical safety standards. Initiated by the Department of Chemistry and Materials Science at School of Science, the team was led by Year 3 undergraduate, Yanran Yang and the team represents a cross-disciplinary collaboration:
Applied Chemistry (5 people)：responsible for reactions involved in power system and control system.
Intelligent Robotics Engineering with Contemporary Entrepreneurialism (1 people)：Engineered the mechanical structure and precision control system.
Electronic Science and Technology & Information and Computing Science (3 people)：Integrated sensors for precise control system.
From laboratory to the competition stage, this multidisciplinary team combined intellect and hard work to make the "Cool Cat" a standout contender.
Left Two：Team leader Yanran Yang（Year Three student from the Department of Chemistry and Materials Science)
From academic communication to performance test
August 10, 9:00 AM: The "Cool Cat" team had an excellent Q&A session with from judges and/or competitors. Their groundbreaking "Resazurin Sodium-Glucose Colorimetric Control System" became the spotlight – this first-of-its-kind competition solution uses a biochemical colour change to trigger precise stopping!
Core Technical Highlights:
Power Source: Zn-Air Battery (Improved safety & lower resistance vs. last year's design by using cellulose membrane!)
"Braking" Innovation: Resazurin Sodium solution changes colour over time → Colour sensor detects "colourless" moment → Precise stopping!
Key Advantages: Simple system, low cost, non-toxic & eco-friendly, easy waste disposal – perfectly aligned with "Green Chemical Engineering"!
The Pressure Test: Facing a tense 60-minute preparation window, the team worked seamlessly to prepare chemicals and assmeble the car. The "LMO Cat" delivered consistent performance across two race rounds, earning high praise for its safety features.
Steering by Safety, Powered by Innovation
The whole team worked together to convert their colourful ideas into the cool “LMO Cat”. Through the competition and communication with 36 top-tier teams, we have fueled ourselves with creative inspiration. While we have room to grow, the 'Best Safety Award' recognition and this invaluable experience have supercharged us for next year's challenge!
About Chem-E-Car Comeptition
Organizer：American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
Participants：Undergraduate Students
Core Challenge：Design and build a shoebox-sized car powered solely by chemical reactions, capable of carrying a load and stopping precisely at a pre-determined distance (unknown before the race).
Offical Website：http://www.chemecar.cn/h-col-101.html
2026 XJTLU 2026 Team Recruitment: Coming October 2025! Stay Tuned!
Content by：Dr Danlei Li
Review：Professor John Moraros
28 Aug 2025