PAIR Distinguished Lecture Series
PolyU OER CollectionsThe PolyU PAIR Distinguished Lecture Series is a flagship event organized by the Research Institute for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. This series brings together leading experts and renowned scholars from around the world to share cutting-edge research, innovative ideas, and interdisciplinary insights across a wide range of scientific and technological fields. Through engaging lectures and discussions, the series aims to foster academic exchange, inspire collaboration, and promote the advancement of knowledge within the PolyU community and beyond.
Works (50)
-
Video
On 27 August 2026, Prof. Lidia MORAWSKA of the Queensland University of Technology delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Current Problems of Science: The World of the Particles We Inhale and How to Control it”. The event drew more than 70 in-person attendees and approximately 14,700 online viewers across multiple social media platforms.
During her lecture, Prof. Morawska provided a comprehensive overview of the profound impacts of atmospheric pollution on human health and socioeconomic development. She noted that the health and economic burden associated with indoor air pollution is estimated at 3.45% of China’s gross domestic product (GDP). She underscored the critical need to translate advances in aerosol science into concrete and enforceable public health policies to address better the challenges posed by atmospheric pollution.
A major highlight of the lecture was the discussion on ultrafine particles (UFPs). These tiny pollutants, measuring less than 0.1 micrometre in diameter, can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, triggering systemic inflammation and posing long-term risks to brain health. To overcome the limitations of conventional, costly monitoring spectrometers, Prof. Morawska presented a global study launched in September 2024 across 19 international monitoring sites. Utilising the portable Partector2-Pro instrument, the project aims to validate a scalable, long-term approach to UFP monitoring, enabling a more robust assessment of the relationship between exposure levels and health impacts. These findings, she noted, will provide scientific foundation for upcoming World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and future regulatory standards worldwide.
The presentation also examined the dual threats of infectious respiratory particles and airborne microplastics. Drawing on lessons from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Prof. Morawska highlighted the importance of monitoring airborne pathogens and examined the technical bottlenecks facing real-time pathogen detection, including sensitivity, specificity and cost-effectiveness. She also warned of the escalating crisis of microplastics and nanoplastics (NMPs). Since 1950, global plastic output has exceeded 10 billion tonnes, while only around 6% has been recycled. Inhalable plastic fragments smaller than 10 micrometres from synthetic textiles, tyres and paints have become increasingly pervasive in the atmosphere. She urged the scientific community to establish and adopt standardised testing methods to assess better their toxicological risks and potential health impacts under real-world conditions.
In conclusion, Prof. Morawska emphasised that airborne particles are influenced by multiple factors, including the built environment, human activities and surrounding environmental conditions. Effective risk mitigation necessitates a three-pronged approach: controlling source emissions, reducing environmental concentrations and limiting human exposure. She further stressed that scientific discoveries could bring about meaningful change only when translated into policy action. Due to the intrinsic complexity of aerosol science, such regulatory measures must be grounded in rigorous scientific evidence to protect global public health.
The lecture concluded with a Q&A session moderated by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR. Both in-person and online participants engaged in lively and insightful discussions with Prof. Morawska.
Event date: 27/08/2026
Speaker: Prof. Lidia MORAWSKA
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Subjects:
- Environmental Sciences
- Keywords:
- Air quality management Microplastics Air -- Pollution -- Health aspects Particles -- Environmental aspects
- Resource Type:
- Video
-
Video
On 10 August 2026, Prof. Judith L. DRISCOLL, Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng), Professor of Materials Science and Fellow of Trinity College, University of Cambridge, delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Pioneering Materials Engineering to Meet Performance Requirements of Oxide Electronics Applications”. The lecture attracted 37 onsite participants and more than 14,000 online viewers across various social media platforms.
During the lecture, Prof. Driscoll highlighted the enormous potential of functional oxide materials for a wide range of electronic, energy and information technologies. While these materials exhibit diverse and highly attractive electronic, magnetic, optical and energy-related properties, she noted that translating research breakthroughs into practical technologies remains challenging. Key challenges include the precise control of material composition, defects and interfaces, all of which significantly influence device performance.
With the rapid advancement of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, edge computing and neuromorphic computing, demand for advanced non-volatile memory technologies continues to grow. Prof. Driscoll explained that next-generation memory devices must simultaneously deliver low power consumption, fast switching speeds, high endurance, scalability and reliable multilevel operation. She highlighted oxide-based resistive random-access memory (RRAM) and ferroelectric random-access memory (FRAM) as two highly promising candidates for next-generation memory technologies.
Prof. Driscoll then presented a series of innovative materials-engineering strategies developed by her research team to improve memory device performance. Central to these approaches is the precise control of oxygen vacancies and their transport pathways within thin-film materials, which play a critical role in determining device performance. By engineering switching layers, electrodes and interfaces, her team has demonstrated effective ways to improve device uniformity, reduce power consumption, enhance endurance and enable reliable multistate operation. She also shared several examples of oxide-based memory systems, highlighting significant advances in switching performance, stability and neuromorphic-computing applications.
The lecture also explored how fundamental materials research can be translated into device architectures compatible with existing semiconductor-manufacturing processes. Through advanced nanostructuring, interface engineering and electrode composition tuning, Prof. Driscoll demonstrated how materials design can address long-standing challenges associated with oxygen vacancy control and defect management, paving the way for the practical deployment of oxide-electronics technologies.
Looking ahead, Prof. Driscoll emphasised that materials engineering will remain a key driver of progress in oxide electronics. She noted that new approaches to oxygen-vacancy control are continuously improving device uniformity, endurance, energy efficiency and neuromorphic-computing capabilities. These advances help bring oxide-based memory and computing technologies closer to real-world deployment, creating new opportunities for next-generation electronic and AI applications.
Event date: 8/10/2026
Speaker: Prof. Judith L. DRISCOLL
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Subjects:
- Materials Science
- Keywords:
- Metallic oxides Nonvolatile rom access memory Thin films -- Defects
- Resource Type:
- Video
-
Video
On 28 July 2026, Prof. ZHU Meifang, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dean of the College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), titled “Multifunctional Structural Fiber Materials for Diverse Applications”. The lecture attracted more than 100 attendees in person and approximately 14,900 online viewers across multiple social media platforms.
During the lecture, Prof. Zhu explained how advanced fibre materials have moved beyond the conventional boundaries of textiles to become strategic materials underpinning developments in aerospace, healthcare and green energy. By seamlessly integrating structural performance with functionalities such as sensing, thermal management and electrical conductivity, these materials overcome the conventional divide between structure and function.
Prof. Zhu highlighted a series of innovative technologies and application breakthroughs developed by her research team, including radiation-resistant nanofibre membranes for space exploration, flexible smart fibres for real-time physiological monitoring, and “NeuroWorm”, a biomimetic dynamic implantable fibre electrode. These advances demonstrate the broad potential of advanced fibre materials across multiple frontier fields. She also shared the team’s latest achievements in sustainable resource development and biomedicine, including high-efficiency hollow-fibre membranes for extracting lithium from seawater and advanced hydrogel fibres with self-regulating capabilities, engineered for precise cancer phototherapy.
Looking ahead, Prof. Zhu outlined her vision for the future of intelligent materials through the acronym “FIBER”: Functional, Integrated, Brainy, Electronic and Responsive. To accelerate this vision, her team collaborated with Tsinghua University to develop “AlphaFiber”, China’s first large artificial intelligence model tailored to the fibre industry. Built on an AI-Ready materials database, the system integrates a wide range of knowledge resources, including literature, patents, and experimental data from the fibre sector, and leverages large language model technology to provide intelligent research support for scientists. Through a closed-loop, data-driven R&D framework, it can accelerate materials discovery and innovation while reducing reliance on traditional trial-and-error experimentation. Prof. Zhu noted that this emerging research paradigm has the potential to advance the multiscale design and intelligent manufacturing of next-generation sustainable fibre systems, helping to meet the evolving needs of global industrial development.
Event date: 28/07/2026
Speaker: Prof. ZHU Meifang
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
-
Video
On 20 July 2026, Prof. FENG Xiqiao, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chair Professor at the Institute of Biomechanics and Medical Engineering, Department of Engineering Mechanics of Tsinghua University, China, delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Multiscale Theory and Numerical Methods of Cell Dynamics” on the PolyU campus. The lecture attracted over 70 attendees in person and nearly 16,200 online viewers across various social media platforms.
In his lecture, Prof. Feng presented recent advances in biomechanics, focusing on the multiscale theories and numerical methods for understanding the dynamic behaviours of cells. He explained that physiological and pathological processes in living tissues often involve the coordinated interplay of biological, chemical, mechanical and physical factors. Given the complexity of cellular structures, physical properties and biological functions, developing accurate models to elucidate these processes remains a major scientific challenge. He also highlighted important research directions in biomechanics, including material properties, instability, evolution, multiscale behaviours, multi-field coupling and morphomechanics.
A central theme of the lecture was dynamic instability in cells and tissues. Prof. Feng discussed how mechanical and chemical feedback can shape cellular dynamics and give rise to phenomena such as bifurcations, oscillations and pattern formation, including Hopf and pitchfork bifurcations and Turing-like patterns. Using spontaneous oscillations in Drosophila amnioserosa cells as an example, he illustrated the important role of collective cell oscillations during embryonic development.
The lecture then shifted its focus from the dynamic behaviour of individual cells to collective cell dynamics, covering both experimental and theoretical approaches in the field. Prof. Feng described how researchers study the geometry, migration speed, trajectories, topology and interface evolution of large cell populations to uncover the underlying principles governing collective behaviour. He also explained how statistical mechanics and entropy-based theories, including Tsallis statistics, can be applied to investigate active collective cell migration. Such behaviours are highly relevant to understanding the mechanisms underlying cancer cell dissemination and metastasis.
Prof. Feng also discussed recent developments in multiscale modelling and the increasingly important role of AI in biomechanics research. While AI models such as AlphaFold3 have achieved major breakthroughs in protein structure prediction, he noted that current models remain limited in predicting biological functions and modelling dynamic processes across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Looking ahead, there is a need to establish integrated databases that bring together data from biology, chemistry and mechanics, while harnessing AI to drive the development of virtual cell and organoid platforms.
Important applications of biomechanics in disease research were also highlighted, particularly in cancer metastasis and immune system biomechanics. Prof. Feng explained how cancer cells migrate through confined spaces and dynamically adjust their morphology to changing mechanical environments via coupled mechanical, chemical and biological signalling mechanisms. He also introduced key biomechanical mechanisms of the immune system, highlighting the role of lymph nodes in inflammation, immune responses, immune memory formation and disease progression.
Event date: 20/07/2026
Speaker: Prof. FENG Xiqiao
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Subjects:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Keywords:
- Cell physiology Metastasis Biomechanics
- Resource Type:
- Video
-
Video
On 29 June 2026, Prof. Alexandria BOEHM of Stanford University, U.S., delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Influenza Transmission and Diversity in Humans and Animals Inferred from Untreated Wastewater across the United States”. The lecture attracted more than 80 attendees in person, while approximately 15,600 viewers watched the livestream across multiple social media platforms.
During the lecture, Prof. Boehm highlighted the important role of wastewater surveillance in monitoring infectious diseases and explained how viral signals can provide timely insights into trends of community transmission. She noted that Influenza A RNA detected in wastewater solids can effectively reflect seasonal influenza transmission patterns and accurately track the beginning, peak, and end of flu seasons. These data not only help monitor outbreak developments but also provide valuable references for clinical decision-making and public health communication.
Prof. Boehm further pointed out that Influenza A RNA concentrations in wastewater closely correspond to community infection patterns. The wastewater surveillance programme she leads, WastewaterSCAN, began as a pilot project at just two sites and has since expanded to more than 150 wastewater treatment plants across 40 U.S. states. Data accumulated over years of surveillance have not only revealed patterns of influenza transmission across seasons and regions, but also demonstrated close associations between influenza activity and other respiratory viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
The lecture also explored how wastewater surveillance can be used to identify influenza virus subtypes. Prof. Boehm explained that while total Influenza A RNA levels can reflect outbreak trends, subtype information is equally essential for assessing vaccine effectiveness and disease severity. By analysing haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) gene sequences, researchers can identify currently circulating virus subtypes—including H3N2, H1N1, and H5N1—from wastewater samples, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of the distribution and transmission of different influenza strains.
Beyond reflecting human infections, animal influenza signals detected in wastewater also provide valuable insights for disease transmission monitoring. Prof. Boehm explained that these data help track the progression of avian influenza outbreaks in U.S. cattle and assess transmission risks among animals. With advances in metagenomic technologies, researchers are now able to assemble novel influenza virus genomes from wastewater samples, offering deeper insights into how these viruses evolve over time.
Prof. Boehm emphasised that understanding circulating virus subtypes can support more effective vaccine development and help anticipate potential viral reassortment events at an early stage, strengthening preparedness for emerging threats. She concluded that continued advances in wastewater surveillance may eventually help predict which influenza gene sequences are likely to circulate, providing a stronger scientific basis for preventive vaccine development, including the selection of strains for future seasonal vaccines.
Event date: 29/6/2026
Speaker: Prof. Alexandria BOEHM
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Subjects:
- Health Sciences and Environmental Engineering
- Keywords:
- Public health surveillance Influenza -- Epidemiology Sewage -- Analysis
- Resource Type:
- Video
-
Video
On 3 June 2026, Prof. Robert J. Young, Fellow of The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering, UK, and Emeritus Professor of Polymer Science and Technology at the National Graphene Institute and Department of Materials at The University of Manchester, UK, delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “The Mechanics of Graphene and Graphene-Based Nanocomposites” at the PolyU campus. The lecture attracted an audience of over 40 onsite attendees, and nearly 15,700 online viewers across various social media platforms.
Prof. Young opened the lecture by reviewing the groundbreaking developments in graphene research over the past two decades since its first successful isolation at The University of Manchester. This pioneering achievement not only earned the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, but also led to the establishment of the £60 million National Graphene Institute at the University, jointly funded by the UK Government and the European Regional Development Fund. He also introduced his team’s pioneering micro-Raman spectroscopy technique, which enables researchers to directly observe the deformation behaviour of materials under stress at the molecular level, further deepening the scientific community’s understanding of the relationship between material structures and mechanical properties.
Addressing common misconceptions surrounding graphene, Prof. Young provided a scientific analysis of its mechanical properties. He explained that although monolayer graphene possesses an exceptionally high modulus of around 1,000 GPa, its practical strength is often reduced to approximately 5–10 GPa due to material defects, while its fracture toughness is only about one-tenth that of steel. In addition, as the number of graphene layers increases, slippage between adjacent sheets can occur more easily, leading to a reduction in stiffness as the original “Bernal stacking” atomic arrangement is lost. Turning to graphene-based nanocomposites, Prof. Young noted that softer matrix materials tend to limit stress transfer, a process that can be modelled using shear-lag theory. More importantly, through high-resolution synchrotron X-ray nanotomography, the research team discovered that the toughening mechanism of these composites primarily arises from void growth and cavitation around debonded flakes under compression, rather than solely from the intrinsic strength of graphene.
These findings in material mechanics have also been successfully translated into real-world applications. The UK National Graphene Institute collaborated with luxury watchmaker Richard Mille and the McLaren Formula 1 Team to develop the RM 50-03, the world’s lightest split-seconds tourbillon chronograph watch. Both the case and strap of the timepiece incorporate graphene-reinforced composite materials, fully demonstrating the industrial potential of advanced materials technology.
Event date: 3/6/2026
Speaker: Prof. Robert YOUNG
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Subjects:
- Nanotechnology and Materials Science
- Keywords:
- Graphene Nanostructured materials
- Resource Type:
- Video
-
Video
On 2 June 2026, Prof. SUO Zhigang, Foreign Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Member of both National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Sciences in the USA, Allen E. and Marilyn M. Puckett Professor of Mechanics and Materials at Harvard University, USA, delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Adhesion between Soft Materials and Tissues” at the PolyU campus. The lecture was attended by more than 100 scholars, researchers and students in person, and nearly 16,000 online viewers across various social media platforms.
During the lecture, Prof. Suo first explained the fundamental mechanics of hydrogels, illustrating how two brittle polymer networks — polyacrylamide and alginate — can be combined to form a highly tough and stretchable hybrid hydrogel. This “brittle + brittle = tough” design concept greatly enhances the material’s resistance to fracture through hysteresis and viscoelastic energy dissipation, increasing its fracture energy from approximately 10 J/m² to over 9,000 J/m². These advanced hydrogels also possess desirable properties such as stretchability, transparency and conductivity, enabling their use as ionic conductors in various biomimetic devices, including artificial muscles, stretchable electroluminescent devices and ionic transistors, thereby overcoming the fragility limitations of conventional biocompatible materials.
In the area of interface engineering, Prof. Suo further elaborated on how the synergistic interplay among chemistry, topology and mechanics enables robust tissue adhesion. He introduced pioneering techniques such as “topological adhesion” and “molecular staples”, which utilise biocompatible polymers to form instant, tough and non-covalent bonds on soft tissue surfaces. His research team has also successfully developed innovative materials, including “hydrogel paints” and photodegradable adhesives, which not only provide strong adhesive performance but can also be safely removed under ultraviolet (UV) light, offering breakthrough solutions for clinical applications such as surgical dressings and wound care.
The lecture also highlighted the translational applications of these materials in both biomedical and industrial fields. Prof. Suo introduced hydrogel-mesh composites designed for sutureless adhesive anastomosis in organ transplantation, a technology that can significantly reduce surgical trauma and the risk of fluid leakage. He further explained how the mechanical principle of multiscale stress deconcentration can increase the fatigue threshold of soft materials by tenfold. Beyond bioimplants, this concept has also been extended to the development of sustainable engineering materials, such as “green tyres” made from silica-filled natural rubber and highly durable natural rubber tanglemers.
Event date: 2/6/2026
Speaker: Prof. SUO Zhigang
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Subjects:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Keywords:
- Colloids Adhesives in surgery Biomedical materials
- Resource Type:
- Video
-
Video
On 27 May 2026, Prof. PENG Shou, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Chief Scientist of China National Building Material Group Co., Ltd. delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “The Transparent Revolution that is Remoulding the Future” at the PolyU campus. The lecture attracted an audience of nearly 100 scholars, researchers and students onsite, and over 14,700 online viewers across various social media platforms. Prof. Peng opened the lecture by highlighting the historical and strategic significance of glass—from the invention of telescopes and microscopes to the widespread application of modern fibre-optic communication technologies, glass has always been a key driver of scientific progress. In the context of the digital age, glass has further emerged as a critical strategic resource, playing an essential role in industrial autonomy and national security across fields such as high-end displays, aerospace, and deep-sea exploration.
During the lecture, Prof. Peng highlighted the extensive applications of advanced glass in modern industry, demonstrating its critical role across multiple strategic sectors. He noted that the mass production of 30-micron ultra-thin flexible glass represents a key breakthrough, enabling the development of next-generation foldable and rollable electronic devices. He further elaborated on the central role of glass in the global “Dual Carbon” strategy, particularly in building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). By transforming building façades into power-generating systems, such as in projects like Xiamen Xiang’an International Airport, advanced glass is driving urban energy transformation. Beyond the electronics and energy sectors, Prof. Peng also introduced the vital role of specialised glass in major engineering projects, including high-speed rail, the C919 large passenger aircraft, the Tiangong space station, and the “Fendouzhe” deep-sea submersible, where high-performance glass ensures the safety and reliability of these heavy machinery.
The lecture further explored the frontier of “embodied intelligence” and biotechnology. Prof. Peng explained how bioactive glass and flexible sensor glass transform healthcare models through implantable devices and brain–computer interface (BCI) technologies. At the same time, by leveraging “AI-driven materials research”, his team is accelerating the development of new glass materials with topological properties and ultra-high strength, while moving toward a new paradigm of precise, model-driven materials design.
Event date: 27/5/2026
Speaker: Prof. PENG Shou
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Subjects:
- Materials Science
- Keywords:
- Glass Building-integrated photovoltaic systems Glass in medicine
- Resource Type:
- Video
-
Video
On 22 May 2026, Prof. GUO Wanlin, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Founder of the International Institute for Frontier Science at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “From Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Hydrovoltaics Intelligence (HI)” at the PolyU campus. The lecture attracted an audience of nearly 60 scholars, researchers and students onsite, and over 15,200 online viewers across various social media platforms.
Prof. Guo began the lecture by outlining the fundamental nature of intelligence, describing it as the ability of living organisms to perceive their environment, obtain energy, and sustain life. He reviewed the development of computing technologies—from Turing’s theoretical foundations and the invention of the transistor to today’s complex neural network systems. He stressed that the digital era is facing a serious energy challenge: modern AI systems, such as AlphaGo, may require megawatt-level power to operate, whereas the human brain consumes only about 20 watts. Prof. Guo argued that achieving truly sustainable intelligence requires moving beyond energy-intensive, silicon-based computing paradigms and shifting toward HI, inspired by the highly efficient characteristics of water-based natural systems.
Central to the lecture was how to develop transformative energy technologies from the Earth’s water cycle. Prof. Guo explained how hydrovoltaic technology can capture energy from raindrops, waves, and evaporation, noting that these technologies have made significant advances in power density in recent years. By integrating hydrovoltaics with photovoltaics, such as using evaporative cooling to enhance solar panel performance, his team has proposed a “Hydro–Energy–Ecology” framework that offers a new pathway for sustainable energy development.
The lecture also explored the material foundations of HI, with a focus on recent applications of two-dimensional (2D) materials and “sliding ferroelectricity”. Prof. Guo shared that his team has successfully controlled more than 3,000 stable, non-volatile polarisation states at room temperature in van der Waals devices composed of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride. These breakthroughs provide critical support for “computing-in-memory” architectures, offering significantly higher energy efficiency than traditional transistors. They also help overcome the “memory wall” bottleneck between computation and storage, opening new avenues for the development of low-power, bio-inspired intelligent systems.
Event date: 22/5/2026
Speaker: Prof. Guo Wanlin
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Subjects:
- Hydraulic Engineering
- Keywords:
- Artificial intelligence Hydrologic cycle Computer storage devices Water-power
- Resource Type:
- Video
-
Video
On 11 May 2026, Prof. Stephen Z. D. CHENG, Member of the National Academy of Engineering, USA, and Dean and Honourable Professor of School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Superlattice Engineering of Soft Alloys in Giant Molecules” at the PolyU campus. The lecture attracted an audience of over 50 scholars, researchers and students onsite, and nearly 14,300 online viewers across various social media platforms.
In traditional materials science, the natural arrangement of molecules and atoms directly determines a material’s physical and chemical properties. Prof. Cheng’s research challenges this conventional paradigm by proposing that materials should be designed from the atomic and molecular levels. Through precise molecular design and modular assembly—much like building with Lego bricks—materials can be constructed from the ground up to exhibit targeted properties.
Prof. Cheng explained that scientists can now synthesise giant molecules with highly controllable architectures and employ them as stable, predictable building blocks. This enables researchers to first define the desired functions of a material and then construct the precise molecular architecture required to realise those functions, offering unprecedented flexibility in materials design.
Prof. Cheng further shared how his team precisely control the size and volume of “Molecular Legos”, then successfully created soft alloys with metal-like superlattice features. These breakthroughs establish a foundation for metamaterials with programmable properties, offering strong potential in advanced electronics, high-sensitivity sensors, and next-generation thermal and energy management technologies.
Event date: 11/5/2026
Speaker: Prof. Stephen Z. D. CHENG
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Subjects:
- Nanotechnology and Materials Science
- Keywords:
- Macromolecules Superlattices as materials Nanostructured materials -- Design
- Resource Type:
- Video
