Video
PAIR Distinguished Lecture : Superlattice Engineering of Soft Alloys in Giant Molecules
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
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
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