News

Professor Lianzhou WANG is awarded RGC Theme-based Research Scheme (TRS) 2026/27

We are very pleased to announce that our RISE member, Professor Lianzhou WANG is awarded RGC Theme-based Research Scheme (TRS) 2026/27! This scheme aims at aims to focus academic research efforts of UGC-funded universities on themes of strategic importance to the long-term development of Hong Kong. Professor Wang’s project “Intelligent Artificial Photosynthesis” is awarded with HK$48.83M. Abstract: What if carbon dioxide were no longer only an emission burden, but could be wisely used as a resource for green fuels using sunlight? Our mother Nature already gives us a powerful example. Green plants use sunlight every day to convert carbon dioxide and water into energy-rich substances that sustain life for millions of years. This program, “Intelligent Artificial Photosynthesis”, aims to learn from nature and build a new research platform for recycling carbon dioxide using sunlight. It will combine artificial intelligence, advanced materials, automated experiments and solar fuel reactor design to develop a closed-loop “Design–Make–Test–Learn” system. Artificial intelligence will accelerate the design and selection of new catalytic materials; automated systems will enable rapid preparation and testing of material; in-situ and operando facility will help better understand how the reaction works; and the results will be fed back to guide the next round of improvement. The main goal is to use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into liquid fuels such as green methanol. Methanol is a liquid, which is easier to store, transport and use than hydrogen gas. The sustainable production of methanol will support future low-carbon shipping, sustainable fuel supply and green chemical production. The team will also develop modular photothermal panel reactors and work toward high efficiency, high selectivity and long-term stable operation, exploring a pathway from laboratory research to future application.     Congratulations to Professor Wang!   Reference: PolyU Press Release: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/media/media-releases/2026/0729_polyu-ranks-among-leading-universities-in-rgc-funding-schemes/   Online coverage: South China Morning Post - https://polyu.me/44SgFwq Mirage News - https://polyu.me/4yI56W9 Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/4bl1pvL; https://polyu.me/3U1ixk2 Bauhinia - https://polyu.me/4h45uYT  

RISE Research: Developed a new generation of perovskite–organic tandem solar cells (POTSCs) from Prof. Gang Li’s team

We are delighted to announce that Prof. Gang LI, our Associate Director and his research team have developed a new generation of perovskite–organic tandem solar cells (POTSCs). This paper is published by Nature Materials, which provides a comprehensive understanding of reverse charge transport mechanism in bulk heterojunctions organic solar cells, overcoming reverse-bias instability in perovskite-based solar cells and providing critical guidelines for developing robust POTSCs. Title: Perovskite–organic tandem solar cells with superior reverse-bias stability Through strategic material engineering, the team achieved a significant breakthrough by suppressing isolated acceptor clusters within the donor-acceptor intermix region—the power-generating core where charge-transporting materials blend. This intervention minimized structural defects and yielded high-performance organic solar cells (OSCs) with an irreversible breakdown voltage exceeding -35 V, preventing permanent damage from negative voltage within this threshold. When integrated into n-i-p inorganic perovskite-organic tandem devices, these resilient OSCs successfully prevented "reverse tunneling"—the damaging backward current flow that occurs during shading—thereby safeguarding the sensitive perovskite layer. Consequently, the tandem cells demonstrated unprecedented durability, retaining over 90% of their initial efficiency after exposure to an extreme -40 V reverse-bias. The devices also exhibited outstanding long-term stability, maintaining 90% efficiency after 12 hours at -20 V and 97% efficiency after 2,000 hours of continuous operation at -4.5 V, far surpassing all existing thin-film solar technologies. For more detail, please refer to https://www.nature.com/articles/s41563-026-02541-6

RISE member Prof. Ye ZHU published their research in Nature

We are excited to share with you that Professor Ye ZHU, Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Physics and RISE member, collaborating with international institutions, i.e. University of California-Irvine and City University of Hong Kong, published a research paper “Intrinsic polar vortex crystals in A-site layer-ordered perovskites” in Nature. Professor Zhu dedicated to the development cutting edge microscopy and spectroscopy techniques, and their applications on emerging materials. He and his team published papers in different high-quality journals, like Nature, Nature Materials, Nature Energy and Physical Review Letters. The abstract below is quoted from Nature: Topological phases, as characterized by their topological invariants, have been considered as distinct states from the raw phases and hold great promise as tiny yet robust information carriers for the era of artificial intelligence. However, these nontrivial states are typically found under non-equilibrium conditions, or stabilized by extrinsic electrical or mechanical boundary constraints which limit their applications. Particularly in ferroelectrics, it usually entails a maximized depolarization field produced by interfacial bound charges to balance the large elastic and gradient energies as dipole whirling at the atomic scale. Despite substantial attempts, achieving highly ordered topological polar crystals in bulk ferroelectrics still remains a challenge. Here we show that a two-dimensional polar hedgehog lattice with a period down to 4 nm can crystallize spontaneously free from any external boundary constraints in a family of A-site layer-ordered perovskites. Using advanced scanning transmission electron microscopy, we observe the polar hedgehog vortices in real space and disclose the physical nature as the cooperative assembly of modulated in-phase and out-of-phase octahedral rotations, further underpinned by hybrid improper ferroelectricity. Theoretical calculations show that the exchange interaction of phonons describing the octahedral rotations is the primary driving force of this intriguing dipole topology. Our findings not only clarify the ambiguity in the structure and origin of the widespread superstructure in layer-ordered perovskites but also demonstrate a viable framework for designing nontrivial structures and functionalities beyond perovskites. Xu, C., Luo, N., Yue, J. et al. Intrinsic polar vortex crystals in A-site layer-ordered perovskites. Nature 653, 83–89 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10470-2 Read the full paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10470-2 Know more about Professor Zhu: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/ap/people/academic-staff/prof-ye-zhu/

Prof. Jingjie Ge awarded PolyU Young Innovative Researcher Award (YIRA) 2026

We are pleased to announce that Professor Jingjie Ge, assistant professor and RISE member, awarded PolyU Young Innovative Researcher Award (YIRA) 2026! PolyU Young Innovative Researcher Award (YIRA) 2026 is a university-level honors to young faculty members who have demonstrated originality, contributed to technological advancement, and propelled transformational innovation into solutions addressing global challenges through their research. Recently, the result was announced, and six young scholars were selected among 60 submissions.  Each awardee will receive research funding support of HK$500,000 and a personal cash prize of HK$20,000. The research focus of Professor Ge is designing low-cost, high-efficient anodic catalysts for electrocatalytic hydrogen production. Please click here for more familiar with Professor Ge’s research. Congratulations to Professor Ge!

Professor Meng NI concludes successful debut at Innovation Zero World Congress 2026

Professor Meng NI, RISE Management Committee member, Chair Professor of Energy Science and Technology and head of Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering, was interviewed by Feng Shows and European Times at the Innovation Zero World Congress 2026, the UK’s largest low‑carbon innovation event. It is PolyU’s first participation at this Conference. Different innovative technologies and devices are showcased, such as renewable energy utilization, advanced cooling solutions, and smart materials. Furthermore, Professor Ni also shared his valuable insights in clean-energy research and policy developments in the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong during the panel session. Congratulations to the great success of the PolyU team in Innovation Zero World Congress 2026! Online coverage: Feng Shows - https://polyu.me/4tlQBnb European Times - https://polyu.me/4d47lZT

Prof. Wai-yeung WONG Raymond was elected as the Fellow of the Chinese Chemical Society (FCCS)

We are pleased to announce that Professor Wai-Yeung WONG Raymond, our RISE Associate Director, was elected as the Fellow of the Chinese Chemical Society (FCCS), for his significant contributions to the development and progress of the discipline of chemistry! In this round, according to the “Regulations on the Fellows of the Chinese Chemical Society”, 50 Chinese Chemical Society (CCS) members have been promoted to Fellows for the year 2025, and Professor Wong is the only one from the institutions in Hong Kong. The Fellowship system of the CCS was established in 2019, which aims at inspiring CCS members to continue reaching new scientific and technological heights while promoting the development of China’s chemical industry. FCCS is the highest and most elite membership level of the CCS. Until now, there are 346 FCCSs.  Congratulations to Professor Wong for his remarkable achievements!   For more detail: Chinese Chemical Society Official Website: https://www.chinesechemsoc.org/do/10.5555/5c50eb62-4d8d-45f8-9fcf-515f6febe095/full/

Prof. Meng NI research project was awarded NSFC/RGC CRS Scheme

Congratulations to Professor Meng NI, our RISE Management Committee member, Associate Dean (Research) of the Faculty of Construction and Environment, Head and Chair Professor of Energy Science and Technology of the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering, his project was awarded NSFC/RGC CRS Scheme. NSFC/RGC CRS supports larger-scale interdisciplinary collaborative research between universities in the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong, in order to enhance research output and impact on both sides. Project: Development of high performance and durable solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) for coupling with Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) reactor for green synthetic liquid fuel production Project Details: This project aims to develop advanced solid oxide electrolysis cells for efficient co-electrolysis of water and carbon dioxide, enabling integration with Fischer-Tropsch reactors for green synthetic liquid fuel production. The research team will engineer novel perovskite cathode materials using entropy engineering and in situ nanoparticle exsolution, supported by machine learning and theoretical modelling. Multiphysics simulations will evaluate system performance under fluctuating renewable power input, and a coupled system will be developed to demonstrate fuel production. The project will support carbon neutrality by advancing renewable energy storage, carbon dioxide utilisation, and clean fuel technologies, contributing to sustainable energy development in Hong Kong, the Nation and globally. Congratulations to Professor Ni!   Press release: English - https://polyu.me/44u7BOt; Chinese - https://polyu.me/4oZ9IBh   Online coverage: Ta Kung Pao - https://polyu.me/3KMojC7 Hong Kong Commercial Daily - https://polyu.me/3MCVR6d

Prof. WONG Wai-yeung, Raymond was elected as the new member of The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences

Congratulations to Prof. Raymond WONG Wai-yeung, Associate Director of Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Dean of Faculty of Science, Clarea Au Professor in Energy and Chair Professor of Chemical Technology on his election as a new member of The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences (ASHK).   Prof. Wong is a distinguished scholar in the field of advanced materials and energy science. His research focuses on the design and synthesis of molecular functional materials and one‑ and two‑dimensional metallopolymers with photofunctional properties and energy applications. His team is committed to transforming cutting-edge chemistry research into meaningful solutions for sustainable energy.   Explore more about Prof. Wong’s research: https://polyu.hk/HRubO   Press release of ASHK: Hong Kong Academy of Sciences Elects Five New Members – The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences Online coverage (Chinese only): Bauhinia - https://polyu.me/3KVZqE0 Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/4iOcVlE Bastille Post - https://polyu.me/3XOTn73    

Professor Zhonghua QIAO has been named a Fellow of the China Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (CSIAM)

We are delighted to share with you that Professor Zhonghua QIAO, our RISE member has been named a Fellow of the China Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (CSIAM)! The Fellowship is the highest academic honour conferred by the CSIAM in recognition of their extraordinary achievements in the field of industrial and applied mathematics. Congratulations to Professor Qiao!   Online coverage: Science Net - https://polyu.me/3J3Y2OR

37 RISE Scholars Ranked World’s Top 2% Scientists Released by Stanford University (Career-Long)

Stanford University has released an update for science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators in September 2025. According to the latest two rankings, 37 RISE scholars were included based on their career-long citation impact. Together with the scholars named for their single-year citation impact, 48 RISE scholars were recognised. It is prepared by a team of experts led by Professor John P.A. loannidis of Stanford University. The publicly available database provides standardized information on citations, h-index, co-authorship adjusted hm-index, citations to papers in different authorship positions and a composite indicator (c-score). By being included in this list, scientists receive global recognition for advancing knowledge and influencing their scientific communities. The list can be downloaded from here. Congratulations to our RISE top scholars! Reference: Ioannidis, John P.A. (2025), “August 2025 data-update for "Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators"”, Elsevier Data Repository, V8, doi: 10.17632/btchxktzyw.8   RISE Top 2% Scientists in the Global List  * 37 RISE scholars were included based on their career-long citation impact. Name(by alphabetical order of surname) Subject Field Prof. AN Liang * Energy Prof. BU Siqi Energy Prof. CAO Jiannong* Networking & Telecommunications Prof. CAO Sunliang* Energy Prof. CHAI Yang * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. DAI Jiyan * Applied Physics Prof. DONG You * Civil Engineering Prof. HAN Suting * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. HAO Jianhua * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. HUANG Haitao * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. HUANG Xinyan * Energy Prof. LAU Shu Ping Daniel * Applied Physics Prof. LEE Yoon Suk Lawrence Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. LEU Shao-Yuan Biotechnology Prof. LI Gang * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Dr LIU Junwei Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. LOO Ka Hong Electrical & Electronic Engineering Ir Prof. LU Lin, Vivien * Energy Dr Rujie MA Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Ir Prof. MUI Kwok-wai Horace * Building & Construction Prof. NI Meng * Energy Ir Prof. NIU Jianlei * Building & Construction Prof. QIAO Zhonghua Numerical & Computational Mathematics Prof. SHOU Dahua * Materials Prof. TAO Xiaoming * Materials Prof. TSANG Yuen Hong * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Ir Prof. WANG Shengwei * Energy Prof. WONG Yuhong * Building & Construction Ir Prof. WONG Ling Tim * Building & Construction Prof. WONG Wai Yeung Raymond * Organic Chemistry Prof. WU Maochun Energy Prof. WU Tao, Tom * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. XIAO Fu, Linda * Building & Construction Prof. XU Bingang * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. XU Zhao* Energy Prof. XU Zhenglong Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. YAN Feng* Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. Jinyue YAN Jerry * Energy Prof. YANG Guang Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Ir Prof. YANG Hongxing* Energy Prof. YANG Xusheng Materials Prof. YAO Haimin * Mechanical Engineering & Transports Prof. ZHANG Biao * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. ZHANG Xiao * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. ZHANG Xiaoge * Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing Prof. ZHENG Guangping* Materials Prof. ZHENG Zijian * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. ZHU Songye * Civil Engineering