School of Science receives 2M RMB for advanced materials innovation platform

A research team at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) has received a 2 million RMB project grant to develop an innovation platform to help upgrade Suzhou's advanced materials industry. The Dushu Lake Science and Education Innovation Committee in Suzhou approved the funding.

Professor Li Yang of XJTLU’s Department of Chemistry in the School of Science will lead the XJTLU team. They will collaborate with Baosheng (Suzhou) Energy Technology Co., Ltd. to build the High-Quality Innovation Platform for Functional Molecular Materials and Devices.

Over the next three years, the innovation platform will conduct basic research and create industrial applications in nanotechnology and energy conservation. The team will conduct extensive research on the synthesis and preparation of functional molecular materials, physical and chemical process research, device integration optimisation, and performance analysis and testing.

The platform will use existing laboratories in the School of Science in the short term, then purchase equipment to create several advanced scientific research hardware platforms.

“This will provide a strong material guarantee for future research work," Professor Yang says.

The platform will not only increase XJTLU's influence in scientific research but also will provide strong technical support for the advanced materials industry in Suzhou and across China, she says.

The platform aims to form a specialised, multidisciplinary, and innovative research team in functional molecular materials and devices composed of more than 30 members.

According to Professor Yang, the platform members will also establish long-term academic relations with several countries and renowned international research institutions, enhancing exchanges through project cooperation and joint publications.

"The team will also maintain close contact with high-tech enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta region, providing intellectual support for these companies' development," Professor Yang says.

Besides Professor Yang, the XJTLU members of the platform’s research team are: Professor Heechae Choi, Professor John Dennis, Dr Lifeng Ding, Dr Meng Ding, Dr Qiuchen Dong, Dr Xia Huang, Dr Xiaodong Jin, Dr Danlei Li, Dr Chenguang Liu, Dr Qifeng Lu, Dr Magdalini Matziari, Professor Konstantinos Papadikis, Professor Xiaotai Wang, Dr Xuan Xue, Dr Yi Lin. All are from the School of Science except Dr Liu (School of Robotics), Dr Lu (School of CHIPS), and Professor Papadikis (School of Design). They are joined by a former XJTLU student, Dongqi You, who now works at Baosheng (Suzhou) Energy Technology, and three other representatives of the company.

Professor Yang’s research and development team previously received funds from the Suzhou government and Baosheng (Suzhou) Energy Technology for their research related to advanced carbon materials and lithium ion capacitors.

By Luyao Wang
Edited by Precious Chibeze and Tamara Kaup
Translated by Luyao Wang