Dr. Xia's research group is interested in the design, synthesis, and manipulation of macromolecules and soft materials with unique functions, conformations, and interactions. Their research is at the interface of synthetic chemistry and materials science and engineering.

They use a combination of organic, polymer chemistry, catalysis, and a range of advanced characterizations to create, study, and control soft materials and novel macromolecular structures with tailored conformations, nanostructures, functions and interactions. Their vigorous synthetic effort allows a freedom of molecular design, creating new (macro)molecular motifs and assemblies. In parallel, investigation on how the behavior of individual molecules impact macroscopic properties allows a rational design of novel functional materials at various length scales. Specific research areas include 1) new synthetic methods for polymers and organic materials with defined macromolecular parameters and microstructures, porous structures and electronic structures; 2) dynamic polymer scaffolds and assemblies to explore the interplay between mechanics and chemistry for biomedical and materials applications.