Li Nan, a professor at Wuhan University of Science and Technology, has been engaged in research and teaching of refractory materials for more than 40 years. He has made significant contributions to the progress and innovation of refractory materials technology in China and is one of the important representatives of China in the international refractory materials field. He has won one second prize for national technological invention, three second prizes for national scientific and technological progress, and one third prize for national scientific and technological progress.

Refractory materials are widely used in high-temperature industrial production processes in various fields such as steel, non-ferrous metals, cement, glass, ceramics, chemical industry, machinery, and electricity. Without excellent refractory materials, the advantages of high efficiency, energy saving, and low pollution of new kiln technologies cannot be achieved.

At present, China's refractory material production accounts for about 65% of the world's refractory material production, but the basic theoretical research on refractory materials is relatively lagging behind. The proportion of high-quality refractory materials such as functional, long-lasting, energy-saving, and environmentally friendly is still low, and there are few significant original innovations.

As an academic highland in the field of refractory materials research, Wuhan University of Science and Technology has gathered a group of world-renowned experts. For nearly half a century, Professor Li Nan has been dedicated to research in this field. Since 1996, he has led a team that focuses on major, common, and critical technologies in the industry, and has begun to break through the theoretical and research of microstructure control technology and industrial applications in the preparation process of high-quality refractory materials.

In modern high-temperature industrial production processes, the key technology is to develop high-quality refractory materials that can withstand higher temperatures, stronger chemical erosion, more severe mechanical damage, and high insulation efficiency.

The relationship between high-quality refractory materials and high-temperature production can be metaphorically described as "a good pot makes good dishes": a good pot is not afraid of erosion, durable, and does not contain toxic or harmful substances, ensuring the safety of stir fried dishes; In addition, a good pot heats up quickly, saves gas, improves thermal efficiency, and reduces energy consumption.

Taking steel production as an example, in the case of low requirements for steel quality, people pursue the goal of longevity and low consumption of refractory materials, and do not pay enough attention to the interaction between molten steel and refractory materials. With the development of the industry and technological progress, the requirements for steel performance are becoming increasingly strict. The invention of a high-quality refractory material to solve the pollution of refractory materials on molten steel has become the key to clean steel production.

After more than 10 years of dedicated research, Professor Li Nan and others have obtained a new technology for microstructure control of refractory materials with independent intellectual property rights. This not only reduces production costs, but also improves the comprehensive performance of refractory materials and extends their service life. The refractory materials developed and produced using new technologies have achieved or exceeded the performance level of similar imported products from abroad, enhancing the competitiveness of China's refractory products in the international market.

The new product has been widely applied in dozens of large and medium-sized steel, cement, and refractory material enterprises in China, such as Wuhan Iron and Steel and Luquan Iron and Steel. In the past three years, 11 refractory material production enterprises have increased their production value by more than 3 billion yuan and added direct economic benefits of over 600 million yuan, promoting technological breakthroughs in China's refractory material industry and energy conservation and emission reduction in high-temperature industries.