Three Decades of Materials Research Excellence at CityU: A Special Issue Dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of City University of Hong Kong

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the City University of Hong Kong (CityU), this special issue features CityU's state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research at the frontiers of materials science and engineering. The special issue showcases a collection of Research Articles, Reviews, and Perspectives reflecting the remarkable contributions of CityU faculty members and fellows of the Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study (HKIAS), covering a wide range of hot topics in materials science and their applications. Led by a diverse panel of guest editors, the special issue presents a balanced representation of a wide array of materials research from over ten different departments, schools, and institutes in CityU. Nestled in the bustling city center of Hong Kong, Asia's global metropolis, CityU was inaugurated as a fully accredited university in 1994. Over these three decades, CityU has had phenomenal growth and has risen to become one of the world's top universities with a well-earned global reputation as an innovative hub for interdisciplinary research. At just 30 years old, CityU is one of the only two universities worldwide to have achieved the fastest upward trajectory in global university rankings. “The Chinese saying “三十而立” translates as “at thirty, one should stand firm,” a principle applicable to CityU. As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, CityU has firmly established itself as a world-leading university, steadfastly advancing on its trajectory.” Professor Freddy Boey, President and University Distinguished Professor According to QS World University Rankings for 2024, CityU is ranked 70th. Furthermore, in 2023, CityU secured the 6th position in the World's Most International Universities Rankings and also ranked as the 6th top university under 50 years of age, according to the Times Higher Education (THE). ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) has recognized CityU's outstanding performance in various disciplines in its 2023 rankings, as outlined below: As one of the eight government-funded tertiary institutions in the region, CityU now has a student population of more than 23 000 and more than 2500 full-time regular faculty and staff from a diverse background. With its main campus in Hong Kong hosting 10 colleges and 28 academic units, CityU also encompasses 23 Research Institutes/Centers and 10 Applied Strategic Development Centers covering different areas of strategic importance and is now extending its presence to Dongguan, mainland China, with a new campus underway (Figure 1). The research funding for ongoing projects at CityU has surpassed HK$ 3000 million (≈US$ 384 million), demonstrating an excellent balance between academic research, translational research, and industrial partnerships. CityU's standing in terms of the number of U.S. Utility Patents secured is testimony to its research strengths and the active role it plays in technology development and transfer. This Special Issue of Advanced Materials features 25 Research Articles, 14 Reviews, and 1 Perspective, encompassing various disciplines within materials science and engineering, organized under eight main themes: 2D Materials, Bioinspired and Biomedical Materials, Catalytic Materials, Electronic/Optoelectronic Materials, Energy Conversion Materials, Energy Storage Materials, Engineering Materials, and Photonic Materials. In the field of 2D Materials, Prof. Hua Zhang and co-workers demonstrate a facile chemical vapor deposition method to prepare vertical 1H/1T′ MoS2 heterophase structures, paving the way toward tailoring the phases of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides for enhancing the performance of electronic devices (article number 2307269). Prof. Thuc Hue Ly and co-workers present a novel salt-assisted chemical vapor deposition method for synthesizing ultrahigh-density vacancy-rich 2H-MoS2, with a controllable sulfur vacancy density (article number 2304808). Prof. Qiyuan He and co-workers report a surfactant-free liquid-phase synthesis of high-quality 2D tellurium based on ultrasonication-assisted exfoliation of metastable 1T'-MoTe2 (article number 2306962). Prof. Zhongfan Liu (an Honorary Professor of the Department of Chemistry, CityU) and co-workers demonstrate controlled growth of single-crystal graphene wafers on twin-boundary-free Cu(111) substrates (article number 2308802). In the field of Bioinspired and Biomedical Materials, Prof. Xi Yao, Prof. Sai Kishore Ravi, and co-workers report a microphase-separated bicontinuous ionogel which possesses skin-like mechanical properties and mimics the multimodal sensing ability of biological skin by ion-driven stimuli-electricity conversion (article number 2309821). Prof. Jinlian Hu and co-workers demonstrate an intelligent bionic skin patch for health management by integrating bionic structures, nanowelding technology, flexible circuit design, multifunctional sensing functions, and big data analysis using advanced electrospinning technology (article number 2306435). Prof. Dong-An Wang and co-workers present a nanoscaled micellar composite composed of catechin-functionalized cationic lipopolymer and serum albumin for lung-targeting delivery (article number 2302985). Prof. Paul K. Chu, Prof. Babak Mehrjou, and co-workers present a review highlighting the importance of multidisciplinary insights for smart antibacterial materials, discussing the latest advances in the field from different fronts including materials science, physiology, and biomimicry (article number 2305940). Prof. Mengsu Yang and co-workers review the latest advances in magnetic particle imaging, from tracer design to biomedical applications in vasculature abnormality, discussing challenges in the clinical translation and possible directions for future research and development (article number 2306450). In the field of Catalytic Materials, Prof. Xin Wang and co-workers present nickel phthalocyanine derivatives with increased conjugation degrees as effective pH-universal electrocatalysts for H2O2 production with high selectivity (article number 2306336). Prof. Zhanxi Fan and co-workers present a comprehensive review of the recent progress in electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction, covering the rational design of electrocatalysts and outlining future directions to accelerate the industrialized ammonia production and green synthesis of chemicals (article number 2304021). Prof. Bin Liu and co-workers report an atomic Ir1─P1/N, P-codoped graphene catalyst with asymmetric Ir─N2P1 sites that delivers superb activity and selectivity for hydrogenation of various functionalized nitrostyrene (article number 2306480). Prof. Ruquan Ye and co-workers report an ultrathin, cationic, and cobalt-phthalocyanine-based covalent organic nanosheets for electrochemical reduction of CO2 to methanol (article number 2310037). Prof. Jian Wang and co-workers present an overview of the most recent progress in electrocatalyst design and device applications for hydrogen production by direct seawater electrolysis (article number 2309211). Prof. Sai Kishore Ravi and co-workers share a comprehensive overview of the latest developments and emerging trends in TiO2 heterostructures and hybrids for artificial photosynthesis, while also highlighting the ongoing challenges and prospects for future developments in catalyzing solar fuel production, organic degradation, and CO2 reduction using artificial photosynthetic systems (article number 2305285). Prof. Jihong Yu (a fellow of HKIAS) and co-workers demonstrate a facile coaxial 3D printing strategy to construct zeolite-based core–shell monolithic Cu-SSZ-13@SiO2 catalysts for diesel exhaust treatment (article number 2302912). In the field of Electronic/Optoelectronic Materials, Prof. Chun-Sing Lee and co-workers present a comprehensive review of the recently developed organic optoelectronic materials focusing on their applications in fluorescence imaging, photoacoustic imaging, photothermal therapy, and photodynamic therapy (article number 2306492). Prof. Andrey L. Rogach and co-workers report a large volume, scalable synthesis procedure of HgTe quantum dots capped initially with short-chain conductive ligands, ensuring ligand exchange-free and simple device fabrication (article number 2306518). Prof. Qichun Zhang and co-workers report the design and synthesis of two isoreticular chiral 2D COFs (CityU-7 and CityU-8) by introducing photosensitive porphyrin-based amines to enhance the optical absorption and chiral aldehyde linkage to engender chirality for direct CPL detection (article number 2306414). Prof. Yun Chi, Prof. Kai Chung Lau, and co-workers demonstrate blue electrophosphorescence from a series of Ir(III)-based carbene complexes discussing their synthesis, structures, and photophysical properties (article number 2305273). Prof. Johnny Ho and co-workers discuss the recent developments in the field of antiambipolar heterojunctions and their applications (article number 2306290). In the field of Energy Conversion Materials, Prof. Hin-Lap Yip and co-workers introduce a multifunctional phenylethylammonium acetate additive that enhances uniform halide phase distribution and reduces defect density in perovskite films by regulating the mixed-halide crystallization rate, realizing efficient wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells with reduced open-circuit voltage loss and enhanced stability (article number 2306568). Prof. Alex K.-Y. Jen and co-workers present a Perspective on the current state of printable organic and perovskite solar cells and share their views regarding the challenges and prospects toward their commercialization (article number 2307161). Prof. Chi Yan Tso and co-workers review the recent advancements in various chromic perovskite materials for achieving light modulation, discussing the device engineering strategies for smart windows, their optical and transition performance, durability, concurrent electricity generation, and their energy-saving performance in building applications (article number 2306423). Prof. Zonglong Zhu and co-workers probe the origin of hole transport barriers at the perovskite–NiOx interface and demonstrate a self-assembled monolayer interface modification to suppress oxidation at the interface, realizing efficient and stable tin perovskite solar cells (article number 2309768). Prof. Sai-Wing Tsang and co-workers present an in situ optical method to investigate the ambient temperature effect on the crystallization process in multiple cation-composited perovskites, revealing the limiting factors for achieving high-quality Formamidinium-based perovskite films, paving the way to unlock the existing narrow processing window for future large-scale production (article number 2307635). In the field of Energy Storage Materials, Prof Guohua Chen and co-workers present a route to efficiently reconfigure the solvation structure of the conventional 1 m sodium hexafluorophosphate in diglyme electrolyte by facile cyclic ether dilution, leading to anomalously high Na+-ion conductivity (article number 2312161). Prof. Xiong Wen (David) Lou and co-workers show the design and synthesis of atomically dispersed Fe and Co anchored on nitrogen, phosphorus codoped carbon hollow nanorod catalysts, demonstrating significantly boosted electrocatalytic kinetics and upshift in the half-wave potential for the oxygen reduction reaction (article number 2306047). Prof. Chunyi Zhi and co-workers present a hydroxyl-rich hydrogel electrolyte with extended electrochemical stability windows to effectively activate the redox site of low-spin Fe in the KFeMnHCF cathode, achieving an unprecedented performance of 14 500 cycles, a 1.7 V discharge plateau, and a 100 mAh g−1 discharge capacity (article number 2304878). Prof. Wenjun Zhang, Prof. Guo Hong, and co-workers present a review discussing the electrolyte and interphase engineering of aqueous batteries to overcome the drawbacks of the “Water-in-salts” (WIS) strategy in aqueous batteries (article number 2306508). Prof. Kaili Zhang, Prof. Shien-Ping Feng, and co-workers review the importance, history, structures, and working principles of organic radicals in rechargeable batteries, highlighting the challenges and strategies to track and regulate the radicals in organic batteries (article number 2306491). Prof. Qi Liu and co-workers demonstrate that anchoring boron to manganese-rich materials inhibits the detrimental structural evolution of deep sodiation and can be used to obtain excellent cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries (article number 2306533). In the field of Engineering Materials, Prof. Jian Lu and co-workers present a review on the fatigue performance of additive-manufactured metallic alloys, discussing the microstructural heterogeneities, randomly dispersed defects, poor surface quality, and complex residual stress generated during the additive manufacturing process that can negatively impact the performance of as-printed parts (article number 2306570). Prof. Yong Yang and co-workers present an extensive overview of multifunctional high entropy alloys that exhibit severe lattice distortion, covering the theoretical models that are developed to understand lattice distortion, the experimental and computational methods employed to characterize lattice distortion, and the impact of severe lattice distortion on the mechanical, physical, and electrochemical properties of high entropy alloys (article number 2305453). Prof. Alicia Kyoungjin An, Prof. Muhammad Usman Farid, and co-workers present a comprehensive review of the advancements in nanoenabled membrane distillation, discussing the bottlenecks that impede the scale-up of the membranes and presenting a future roadmap for their sustainable commercialization (article number 2307950). Prof. Ke Lu (a fellow of HKIAS) and co-workers demonstrate that spinodal decomposition in supersaturated Al(Zn) solid solutions can be inhibited with straining-induced extreme grain refinement (article number 2303650). In the field of Photonic Materials, Prof. Alex K.-Y. Jen, Prof. Jingdong Luo, Prof. Sai-Wing Tsang, and co-workers report a series of push–pull heptamethines containing the tricyanofuran acceptors and indoline or benzo[e]indoline donors, opening a path for developing cyanine-like merocyanines for fast, efficient, and low-loss electro-optic modulation (article number 2306089). Prof. Cheng Wang and co-workers demonstrate the spectral engineering of chip-scale optical microresonators in the anisotropic lithium niobate crystal by a gradient design that precisely compensates for variations in both refractive index and perturbation strength (article number 2308840). Prof. Dangyuan Lei, Prof. Alex K.-Y. Jen, and co-workers review the state-of-the-art nanophotonics approaches for enhancing the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells (article number 2309459). Prof. Din Ping Tsai, Prof. Mu Ku Chen, and co-workers present a binocular meta-lens particle image velocimetry technique demonstrating a new development for rejuvenating traditional flow diagnostic tools toward a more compact, easy-to-deploy technique (article number 2310134). The guest editors are excited and honored to present this carefully curated collection of articles, showcasing a wide range of multidisciplinary materials research at CityU. Although this special issue cannot encompass all research activities at CityU, it provides a significant cross-section. We thank all the contributing authors, our faculty members, and collaborators, for their invaluable contributions to this special Issue. We would like to express our gratitude to the former editor-in-chief, Dr. Jos Lenders, who was instrumental in planning this special issue right from the beginning. His support and guidance have been invaluable. We also take this opportunity to congratulate and wish success to the new editors-in-chief of Advanced Materials, Dr. Irem Bayindir-Buchhalter and Dr Esther Levy, in continuing the journal's legacy and elevating it to new heights. Special thanks are due to Dr Brent Hammer and Dr James Cook for their suggestions and coordination efforts, which were crucial in bringing this special issue to fruition. We trust that the readers of Advanced Materials will find this issue both enjoyable and enlightening, gaining insight into the forefront of CityU's contributions to fundamental and applied materials science. We are optimistic that this special issue will spark further fruitful interdisciplinary and international collaborations, strengthening CityU's position as a global materials research hub. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Sai Kishore Ravi is an assistant professor at the School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong (CityU). He earned his Ph.D. in 2018 from the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and continued his postdoctoral fellowship at NUS working on biohybrid photoelectrochemical cells integrating photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes. His research interests include studying hybrid materials for artificial and semiartificial photosynthesis, solar desalination, and atmospheric water harvesting. Guohua Chen received his B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from Dalian University of Technology. He then obtained M.Eng. and Ph.D. from McGill University. He started his academic career from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology where he worked for 22 years and also served as the Head of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. He was an Associate Vice President (Research Support), Chair Professor of Energy Conversion and Storage, at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University before joining CityU. He is a Fellow of Hong Kong Institute of Engineers, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and Canadian Academy of Engineering. Alex K.-Y. Jen is the Lee Shau Kee Chair Professor of Materials Science and Chair Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science of the City University of Hong Kong. He had also served as the Provost of CityU during 2016–2020. Prior to CityU, he served as the Boeing-Johnson Chair Professor and Chair of the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, Seattle. He was also appointed as Chief Scientist for the Clean Energy Institute endowed by the Washington State Governor. His interdisciplinary research covers organic/hybrid functional materials and devices for photonics, energy, sensors, and nanomedicine. Chun-Sing Lee obtained his B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Hong Kong in 1987 and 1991, respectively. He embarked on his research career in the University of Birmingham of UK with the support from a Croucher Foundation Fellowship. He joined the faculty of the City University of Hong Kong in 1994 and is currently a Chair Professor of Materials He the of and Advanced in and served as the in Prof. current research interests include organic devices and for energy, and biomedical applications. Jian Lu is a professor of mechanical engineering in the Department of Department of Materials Science and and Department of Biomedical Science at the City University of Hong Kong. He received the and Ph.D. from the University of Technology of He is a fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Science and an of the National Academy of of His research interests include structural materials, and mechanical properties of metallic and Hin-Lap Yip is a professor at the Department of Materials Science and and School of Energy and of City University of Hong Kong. He also as the for Hong Kong Institute for Clean He was a professor in the State of Materials and at University of Technology from to He materials science at The Chinese University of Hong Kong and and his Ph.D. in at the University of Washington, Seattle. His research on using an materials, interface, and device engineering to both and perovskite optoelectronic Hua Zhang is the Hu Chair Professor of at City University of Hong Kong. He his Ph.D. at University As a postdoctoral he joined and to University working at and Institute of and he joined University in and to City University of Hong Kong in His current research on phase engineering of the of novel metallic and 2D with and growth of heterostructures for various applications.

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