All-inorganic perovskite solar cells have drawn increasing attention because of their outstanding thermal stability. A research team led by scholars from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has recently developed a new type of all-inorganic inverted perovskite solar cell through passivation. The novel solar cell achieved a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 16.1% with improved photostability, representing the most efficient all-inorganic perovskite solar cells of its kind to date.

Plasmonics has drawn a lot of researchers’ attention for its huge application potential in enhanced spectroscopy (a way to obtain structural information down to even the single-molecule level), photothermal therapy, photoelectrocatalysis, photovoltaic devices, sensing, and optical waveguide. Recently, a research team led by scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has identified a novel way to decouple and quantify the thermal and non-thermal effects shown in plasmon-mediated chemical reactions.

An international research team led by scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has recently discovered that high-entropy alloys (HEAs) exhibit exceptional mechanical properties at ultra-low temperatures due to the coexistence of multiple deformation mechanisms. Their discovery may hold the key to design new structural materials for applications at low temperatures.

Considering hydrogen as a clean energy for future, scientists have been striving to develop novel processes to produce hydrogen efficiently and cost-effectively. A team comprised of scientists who specialized in structure materials at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has developed a high-performance electrocatalyst based on an innovative concept originally for developing alloys. The new electrocatalyst can be produced at large scale and low cost, providing a new paradigm in a wide application of hydrogen production by electrochemical reaction in future.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are gaining more attention in researches of different human diseases (e.g. cancer) because changes in miRNA expression are frequently associated with abnormal cellular functions. To achieve fast and highly sensitive profiling of miRNAs, a research team from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has developed a novel intracellular biopsy technique that isolates targeted miRNAs from living cells within around 10 minutes by using diamond nanoneedles.

Intermetallic alloys potentially have high strength in a high-temperature environment. But they generally suffer poor ductility  at ambient and low temperatures, hence limiting their applications in aerospace and other engineering fields. Yet, a research team led by scientists of City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has recently discovered the disordered nanoscale layers at grain boundaries in the ordered intermetallic alloys.

Malignant glioma is the most common type of primary brain cancer. But lack of early diagnosis, among many other factors, has made it difficult to be treated. Recently, a team of cross-disciplinary scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has discovered new biomarkers in blood serum, which can be quantitatively detected by the label-free biosensors developed by the team, for the early detection of glioma progression. The findings enable a non-invasive liquid biopsy of glioma to be conducted, making it a promising diagnostic tool in the future.

Four outstanding scholars from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) have been selected as awardees of the inaugural Senior Research Fellow Scheme (SRFS) and Research Fellow Scheme (RFS) under the Research Grants Council (RGC), being granted a sum of more than HK$23 million as research funding. The acknowledgement of their research achievements is testimony to CityU’s research strengths and recognition of the University’s efforts in fostering interdisciplinary research.

Because of their unique physical, chemical, electrical and optical properties, two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted tremendous attention in the past decades. After revealing the realistic strength and stretchability of graphene, nicknamed “black gold”, researchers from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) have carried forward the success by unveiling the high defect tolerance and elasticity of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), another 2D material known as “white graphene”.

While the power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) – a future of solar cells – has already greatly improved in the past decade, the problems of instability and potential environmental impact are yet to be overcome. Recently, scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) have developed a novel method which can simultaneously tackle the leakage of lead from PVSCs and the stability issue without compromising efficiency, paving the way for real-life application of perovskite photovoltaic technology.