News

Prof. CHEN Jianming Transforming Textile Science into Market-Leading Quilt Products

Prof. Jianming CHEN, Member of RCTFF, Assistant Professor, School of Fashion and Textiles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University showcases a model of university-enterprise collaboration (Fund amount: HK$2.2 million) on the development of “Deep-Sleep Quilt” series with Atour Life Holdings Limited (Atour, NASQAQ: ATAT). They have achieved full seasonal coverage, including a summer quilt featuring cool and dry comfort, a four-season quilt with dynamic temperature control, and a winter quilt with high-efficiency warmth retention. One enterprise standard and two patents have been applied as knowledge output.

RCTFF co-organised and co-sponsored The 1st International Conference on Advanced Materials, Surfaces and Interfaces for Green Engineering (AMSIGE 1)

The 1st International Conference on Advanced Materials, Surfaces and Interfaces for Green Engineering (AMSIGE 1) was held from 8–10 May 2026 at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The event gathered more than 90 participants from eight countries and regions, including scholars, academics, industry experts, and research students. It featured 17 keynote speakers, 24 invited presentations, and 27 posters, with poster presenters competing for awards.   The conference was organised around three themes: biology, medical, and healthcare green engineering; textile, construction, and transportation green engineering; and sustainable energy and other green engineering. Collectively, these themes highlighted interdisciplinary advances in materials, surfaces, and interfaces that contribute to sustainable development and innovation.   https://esg-sft.com/en/project/cross-regional-exchange-of-knowledge-and-expertise-the-1st-international-conference-on-advanced-materials-surfaces-and-interfaces-for-green-engineering-amsige-1/    

Prof. Dahua Shou’s “iAdapt” intelligent soft robotic clothing wins gold at 2026 Edison Awards

The innovative project “iAdapt: Intelligent Soft Robotic Clothing”, led by Prof. Dahua Shou, Associate Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), Member of the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), Lee Family Endowed Young Scholar in Advanced Textiles Technologies and Associate Professor of the School of Fashion and Textiles—and funded by The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel Limited (HKRITA), has won the Gold Award in the “Consumer Solutions” category at the 2026 Edison Awards. iAdapt is an advanced intelligent garment designed to dynamically regulate its thermal performance in extreme cold and rapidly changing thermal environments. It effectively enhances the wearer’s thermal comfort while offering ultra‑high breathability, which is crucial for safeguarding the safety and health of wearers.  This breakthrough innovation provides personalised thermal comfort for a wide range of professional and general users, including outdoor workers, firefighters and athletes.  The invention not only represents a major advance in intelligent wearable technology, but also demonstrates strong market potential and broad application prospects.

RCTFF organised SFT Distinguished Research Seminar Series

Prof. Jonathan Y. Chen , Elizabeth Tarpley Regents Fellow; Renewable Fiber and Composite Laboratory; School of Human Ecology, Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas delivered SFT Distinguished Research Seminar Series on Fashion Design, Business and Technology titled “Functional Fiber and Composite Materials from Lignocellulosic Bioimass” on 4 May 2026.   Prof. Jonathan Y. Chen has been working in the disciplinary area of textile science and engineering for over 35 years. He has expertise in structure, process, and applications of renewable and polymeric fiber materials; production and evaluation of biobased fiber composites; nonwoven and knitting technologies; and objective evaluation of apparel fabrics. His current research focuses are on functional biomaterials, smart textiles, biobased nonwoven composites for automotive interior manufacture; and carbon-based nanoscale fiber materials for energy storage, water/air filtration, protective garments, bio- and chemical-contaminant cleanup, and noise absorption and insulation. He has published over 120 research papers in peer-reviewed journals, books, and technical conference proceedings relevant to textile materials, biopolymer fibers/films, bioactive nanofiber, biobased composites, and fabric technologies for sensing and energy storage. Prof. Chen's teaching interests cover textile science and engineering, biopolymers and biobased fibers, medical textiles, and smart textiles. Prof. Chen obtained Ph.D. in Textile Engineering in 1995 from The University of Leeds, England. Currently he is a full professor in the School of Human Ecology and the Texas Materials Institute at The University of Texas at Austin. Prof. Chen is Fellow of The Textile Institute (CText FTI), Senior Member of The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), and Member of The Fiber Society. He is serving on the editorial boards for Journal of Industrial Textiles, Textile Research Journal, and Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy.

Prof. Jintu Fan appointed Editor-in-Chief of Textiles Journal

Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) and Chair Professor of Fibre Science and Apparel Engineering at School of Fashion and Textiles, on his appointment as Editor-in-Chief of the international academic journal Textiles, effective from 1 May 2026.   Textiles is currently ranked second out of 31 journals in the “Materials Science, Textiles” category, placing it firmly in the top quartile (Q1) with an Impact Factor of 4.9.  The editorial board of Textiles consists of 39 outstanding textile scholars around the world.

Delegation from Nike Apparel Innovation (NXT) visited RCTFF

The senior leadership team from Nike Apparel Innovation (NXT) visited the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) on 13 April 2026. During the visit, Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of RCTFF and his team provided an overview of the Centre and introduced its latest research and developments in textile materials and technologies. Both teams exchanged insights and opinions on future textile technologies.

Celebrating Mathematical Excellence: Professor Defeng Sun Joins AMS Fellows Class of 2026

In a testament to his ground-breaking contributions to the field of applied mathematics, Chair Professor Defeng Sun—Head of the Department of Applied Mathematics and a core member of RCTFF—has been named a 2026 Fellow of the American Mathematical Society (AMS).  This prestigious honour, bestowed by peers in the global mathematical community, recognizes Professor Sun's exceptional leadership, scholarly excellence, and profound influence on the profession. The AMS Fellows program, established in 2010, celebrates individuals who have made significant impacts in mathematics research, education, and service. Professor Sun joins an elite cohort of 68 distinguished mathematicians in the 2026 class, underscoring his role as a driving force in advancing optimization techniques that bridge theory and real-world applications, including those with interdisciplinary relevance to textiles, fashion, and sustainable innovation at RCTFF.

PolyU research delegation visits Jiangxi

A 17-member PolyU delegation, led by Prof. WANG Zuankai, Associate Vice President (Research and Innovation), Dean of Graduate School, Kuok Group Professor in Nature-Inspired Engineering and Chair Professor of Nature-Inspired Engineering, visited Jiangxi from 26 to 29 September 2025, with the aim of further expanding PolyU’s technological collaboration in the province. The delegation comprised scholars from various PAIR constituent units, including the Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (RIAM), Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT), Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI), Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports), Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCDTT), Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE), and Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF).   During the visit, the delegation toured several enterprises, including Jiujiang Amber New Materials, Jiujiang Hengtong Automatic Controllers, Jiangxi HAC General SemiTech , Jiangxi Lianchuang Optoelectronics Technology, Danbach Robot Jiangxi, Jiangxi JinKong Technology Industry Group, Jiangxi Digital Industry Group, Jiujiang De’an Huayuan Knitting, Jiujiang De’an Yiyang Textiles, and Jiangxi Nanfang Velcro. They also engaged in exploratory talks with institutions such as Nanchang University, Jiangxi Research Institute of Beihang University, China Mobile VR Innovation Centre, Nanchang Virtual Reality Research Institute, Jiangxi Provincial Science and Technology Infrastructure Platform Centre, and Jiangxi Institute of Fashion Technology.   The delegation conducted in-depth visits to numerous high-tech enterprises and research institutions, actively promoting technological cooperation and exchange between Jiangxi and Hong Kong. Their efforts have laid a solid foundation for future industry-academia-research collaboration between the two regions, fostering deeper tri-sector integration.

PolyU Successfully Hosts The Fiber Society’s Spring 2025 Conference

Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), Joint Research Centre for Fiber Innovations and Renewable Materials (JRC-FIRM), PolyU-Xingguo Technology and Innovation Research Institute (XGRI), and School of Fashion and Textiles (SFT) co-hosted The Fiber Society’s Spring 2025 Conference from 21–23 May. Themed “Future Fibers for Wellbeing, Intelligence, and Sustainability”, the Conference attracted an international group of individuals representing all areas of fiber science, gathered to facilitate the exchange of new ideas and discoveries through oral talks, poster presentations, exhibitions, and social engagements.   The Fiber Society was founded in 1941, incorporated as a not-for-profit professional and scientific association, dedicated to the advancement of scientific knowledge pertaining to fibers, fiber-based products, and fibrous materials. The Society is composed of members who are chemists, physicists, and engineers with interests in the field of fiber science engineering and technology.

Prof. Guo Liejin visited RCTFF

Prof. Liejin Guo, Engineering Thermophysics and Energy Utilization Scientist, Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, visited Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) on 22 May 2025. Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of RCTFF, and his team introduced the latest developments in textile materials and technologies and exchanged views with Prof. Guo.