Congratulations to Prof. Tsz-woon Benedict LO, Associate Head and Associate Professor of the Department of Chemistry, who has been named to the 2025 “MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 China” (TR35 China) list in the “Visionaries” category.
Launched in 1999, MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 (TR35) identifies promising young innovators ahead of widespread recognition of their research. This honor recognizes Prof. Lo’s pioneering research achievements in catalytic science, honouring his excellence in transforming classic technologies into novel applications and developing cutting-edge technologies. This remarkable award highlights his groundbreaking research and extraordinary academic strength.
For decades, catalysis experts could not locate framework aluminium atoms and aluminium pairs in zeolites widely applied in petroleum cracking and chemical synthesis, leaving catalytic active sites an unsolved black box. Prof. Lo and his collaborators pioneered resonant ‘soft’ X-ray diffraction (RSXRD), an atomic-resolution 3D CT scanning method for industrial H-ZSM-5 zeolites. They accomplished the world’s first precise three-dimensional spatial localization of framework aluminium species, resolving a puzzle troubling the field since the 1960s. This milestone shifts catalyst development from blind empirical trial and error to rational, atomically precise design, supporting basic chemistry advancement, carbon-resource conversion and climate change solutions. The technology’s industrial benefits have been validated: it optimizes catalytic accuracy, energy consumption and selectivity without replacing reactor equipment.
Prof. Lo will further build an AI-powered catalyst digital twin platform, translating atomic-scale discoveries into zero-carbon green chemical manufacturing solutions aligned with China’s dual-carbon strategy. We firmly believe that Prof. Lo will continue to deliver more influential research outcomes in green catalysis.
