Department of Chemistry

Congratulations to 4 CHEM teams on winning at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva (IEIG)

wsfong — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 02:08:20 +0000

Congratulations to 4 CHEM teams on winning at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva (IEIG) wsfong Tue, 04/30/2024 - 10:08

Congratulations to 4 CHEM teams on winning at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva (IEIG)

30 Apr 2024

Four teams from the Department of Chemistry have achieved remarkable results at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (IEIG), winning one Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury, two Silver Medals, and one Bronze Medal. These impressive outcomes reflect the global acknowledgment of our research and scientific accomplishments.

The exhibition is the world’s most important event exclusively dedicated to inventions. It offers a unique opportunity for universities, inventors and researchers to present the results of their research, inventions, and new products. The 49th IEIG, held from 17 to 21 April in Switzerland, featured over 1,000 inventions from 38 countries and regions worldwide.

Awards	Winning Teams	Projects
Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury	Professor ZHU Zonglong, Associate Professor (CHEM) Mr. ZHANG Chunlei Mr. GONG Jianqiu Mr. LI Shuai Mr. QIAN Liangchen Mr. YU Zexin Dr. GAO Danpeng Mr. WANG Ning	Light-Weight Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells with High Efficiency and Stability (under HK Tech 300, CityUHK’s large-scale flagship innovation and entrepreneurship programme)
Silver Medal	Prof. LY Thuc Hue, Associate Professor (CHEM) Mr. LIU Haijun Dr. THI Quoc Huy	Ice Transfer for 2D Materials and Ultra-Clean Semiconductor Device Manufacture
Silver Medal	Prof. KO Chi Chiu Vincent, Professor (CHEM) Prof. LEUNG Mei Yee Kenneth, Chair Professor (CHEM) and Director (SKLMP) Dr. YANG Yi Yvonne Prof. YU Kwan Ngok Peter Prof. LAU Tai Chu, Emeritus Professor (CHEM) Prof. WU Shiu Sun Rudolf (EDUHK) Dr. NG Chi On Ron (NerOcean Limited)	Artificial Mussels: New Universal Tool for Monitoring Heavy Metals and Radionuclides in Aquatic Environments (under HK Tech 300, CityUHK’s large-scale flagship innovation and entrepreneurship programme)
Bronze Medal	Prof. LU Zhenpin, Assistant Professor (CHEM) Mr. LI Haokun	Organoboron Compound Useful as a Two-Electron-Reducing Reagent and a Method of Making the Same

Once again, congratulations to all the awardees on their outstanding accomplishment. We look forward to seeing their continued success in their research pursuits.

For more details:
CityUHK triumphs at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva with 36 awards

The 4th Hong Kong Secondary School Cosmetic Formulation Competition (Year 2024)

wsfong — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 07:49:54 +0000

The 4th Hong Kong Secondary School Cosmetic Formulation Competition (Year 2024) wsfong Thu, 04/11/2024 - 15:49

The 4th Hong Kong Secondary School Cosmetic Formulation Competition (Year 2024)

11 Apr 2024

The 30th Symposium on Chemistry Postgraduate Research in Hong Kong

wsfong — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 01:54:18 +0000

The 30th Symposium on Chemistry Postgraduate Research in Hong Kong wsfong Thu, 04/11/2024 - 09:54

The 30th Symposium on Chemistry Postgraduate Research in Hong Kong

11 Apr 2024

Department of Chemistry hosted the 30th Symposium on Chemistry Postgraduate Research in Hong Kong in hybrid mode on 6 April 2024 (Saturday).

Six talented postgraduate student representatives from six Hong Kong Universities delivered insightful presentations to introduce their corresponding projects. We would like to congratulate all winners on Best Poster Presentation Award and Mr. Jingyuan Chen from the University of Hong Kong on receiving Best Oral Presentation Award.

This symposium has attracted overwhelming response from participants who are familiar with the field of chemistry and has provided a great opportunity for postgraduate students to apply their knowledge and exchange research ideas.

In the afternoon, Prof. Lutz Ackermann from Georg-August-University Göttingen has conducted a Keynote Lecture on ‘Catalyzed C–H Functionalization'. Prof. Ackermann was pleased to share his experience and perspectives on the applications of C-H activation to material sciences and drug discovery.

For the full set of photos of this symposium, please go to http://photo.chem.cityu.edu.hk:8083/photo/share/?sid=QwYbSR

We want to thank all participants, presenters, faculty members and Prof. Ackermann for joining this symposium and giving us this fruitful and meaningful sharing and presentation. We hope this symposium can encourage students to engage in knowledge sharing.

Hope to see you next year!

Group photo on the 30th Symposium on Chemistry Postgraduate Research in Hong Kong	Welcoming speech by Prof. Denver Li, Associate Dean (Research and Postgraduate Education)

Oral presentation by Ms. Ka Man Cheung, Representative from the Chinese University of Hong Kong	Oral presentation by Miss Weiyu Peng, Representative from Hong Kong Baptist University

Lunch Session	Oral presentation by Ms. Xin Li, Representative from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Q&A at Oral Presentation Session	Keynote Lecture by Prof. Lutz Ackermann from Georg-August-University Göttingen
Award Presentation hosted by Prof. Kenneth Lo	Photo with Mr. Jingyuan Chen from the University of Hong Kong, winner of Best Oral Presentation Award

Employability Enhancement Program 2024

wsfong — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 06:51:06 +0000

Employability Enhancement Program 2024 wsfong Mon, 03/18/2024 - 14:51

Employability Enhancement Program 2024

18 Mar 2024

We would like to announce that College of Science will be organizing a career-related programme named ‘Employability Enhancement Program (EEP) 2024.
If you want to enhance your employability and gain a competitive edge in today’s job market, you are highly encouraged to take part in this event!

Key features of the EEP:
1) Pre-Workshop & Networking Dinner
-Build self-awareness
-Build industry network
-Self Development Session including personality analysis, career development planning, self-management techniques

2) Company Visit to Hong Kong Jockey Club
-Visit HKJC’s Racing Laboratory and Wagering Products Division. See attached PDF for description
-Understand the company background, career path and employment requirements
-Meeting with company management team and sharing from staff

3) Post-Visit Reflection & Presentation
-Presentation from participants
-Reflection report
-Closing and certificate presentation

Participants must be able to attend ALL of the events above.

To secure your spot in this exclusive training program, please complete the registration here by 27 March 2024.
Only limited quotas are available, stop your hesitation and act now!!

CityU Science Video Competition 2024 趣味科學短片製作比賽

wsfong — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 02:01:24 +0000

CityU Science Video Competition 2024 趣味科學短片製作比賽 wsfong Fri, 03/15/2024 - 10:01

CityU Science Video Competition 2024 趣味科學短片製作比賽

15 Mar 2024

Congratulations to Prof. Kenneth Leung, Prof. Guangyu Zhu and Prof. Zonglong Zhu on receiving RGC Collaborative Research Fund for the year 2023/24

wsfong — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 03:59:46 +0000

Congratulations to Prof. Kenneth Leung, Prof. Guangyu Zhu and Prof. Zonglong Zhu on receiving RGC Collaborative Research Fund for the year 2023/24 wsfong Thu, 02/08/2024 - 11:59

Congratulations to Prof. Kenneth Leung, Prof. Guangyu Zhu and Prof. Zonglong Zhu on receiving RGC Collaborative Research Fund for the year 2023/24

08 Feb 2024

Heartfelt congratulations to Prof. Kenneth Leung, Prof. Guangyu Zhu and Prof. Zonglong Zhu who have received the fundings from the Research Grants Council (RGC) Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) for the year 2023/24.

Awardees	Project	Amount Awarded (HK$)
Prof. Kenneth Leung (as a Co-PI with Prof. Zhiyuan Zeng (MSE))	Electrochemical Lithium Intercalation & Exfoliation for Mass Production of 2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenides	$4,832,040
Prof. Guangyu Zhu	Controllable Activation of Anticancer Prodrugs in Vivo	$6,090,000
Prof. Zonglong Zhu	Fundamental Understanding of Stability for Halide Perovskite Electronics: from Materials Design to Device Engineering	$7,052,916

Once again, congratulations to three Professors on their outstanding accomplishment. We look forward to seeing their continued success in their research pursuits.

CHEM Postdoc Jobs Advertisement

dcivanlo — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 02:01:28 +0000

CHEM Postdoc Jobs Advertisement dcivanlo Wed, 01/31/2024 - 10:01

CHEM Postdoc Jobs Advertisement

31 Jan 2024

Stabilized hole-selective layer for high-performance inverted p-i-n perovskite solar cells

wsfong — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 04:20:30 +0000

Stabilized hole-selective layer for high-performance inverted p-i-n perovskite solar cells wsfong Fri, 01/26/2024 - 12:20

Stabilized hole-selective layer for high-performance inverted p-i-n perovskite solar cells

19 Oct 2023

Published on Science (19 October 2023)

Author(s): Zhen Li, Xianglang Sun, Xiaopeng Zheng, Bo Li, Danpeng Gao, Shoufeng Zhang, Xin Wu, Shuai Li, Jianqiu Gong, Joseph M. Luther, Zhong’an Li, Zonglong Zhu

Abstract

P-i-n geometry perovskite solar cells (PSCs) offer simplified fabrication, greater amenability to charge extraction layers, and low-temperature processing over n-i-p counterparts. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) can enhance the performance of p-i-n PSCs but ultrathin SAMs can be thermally unstable. We report a thermally robust hole-selective layer comprised of nickel oxide (NiO_x) nanoparticle film with a surface-anchored (4-(3,11-dimethoxy-7H-dibenzo[c,g]carbazol-7-yl)butyl)phosphonic acid (MeO-4PADBC) SAM that can improve and stabilize the NiO_x/perovskite interface. The energetic alignment and favorable contact and binding between NiO_x/MeO-4PADBC and perovskite reduced the voltage deficit of PSCs with various perovskite compositions and led to strong interface toughening effects under thermal stress. The resulting 1.53–electron-volt devices achieved 25.6% certified power conversion efficiency and maintained >90% of their initial efficiency after continuously operating at 65 degrees Celsius for 1200 hours under 1-sun illumination.

Fig. 1. Molecular structure and electrical properties of HSLs.

Molecular structure and side view of (A) MeO-2PACz and (B) MeO-4PADBC. (C) Schematic illustration of MeO-4PADBC anchoring on NiO_x nanoparticle as the HSL in PSC. (D) FTIR spectra of MeO-4PADBC and NiO_x/MeO-4PADBC. (E) UPS spectra of ITO substrates covered by NiO_x, MeO-4PADBC, and NiO_x/MeO-4PADBC. (Left) UPS spectra around the secondary electron cutoff (WF, work function); (right) UPS spectra in the valence band (VB) region. (F) Schematic representation of the band edge positions of the studied HSLs based on values from UPS measurements, referenced to the vacuum level. E_F and E_VAC represent Fermi and vacuum levels, respectively. E_VBM and E_CBM represent the energy of valence band maximum and conduction band minimum, respectively.

Rational Design of L-RNA Aptamer-Peptide Conjugate for Efficient Cell Uptake and G-quadruplex-Mediated Gene Control

wsfong — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 03:29:39 +0000

Rational Design of L-RNA Aptamer-Peptide Conjugate for Efficient Cell Uptake and G-quadruplex-Mediated Gene Control wsfong Fri, 01/26/2024 - 11:29

Rational Design of L-RNA Aptamer-Peptide Conjugate for Efficient Cell Uptake and G-quadruplex-Mediated Gene Control

29 Dec 2023

Published on Angewandte Chemie (29 Dec 2023)

Author(s): Dr. Kun Zhang, Qichang Nie, Prof. Dr. Terrence Chi-Kong Lau, Prof. Dr. Chun Kit Kwok

Abstract

RNA G-quadruplexes (D-rG4s) are prevalent in the transcriptome and play crucial regulatory roles in various biological processes. Recently, L-RNA aptamers have been reported to recognize functional rG4s with a strong binding affinity and specificity. However, owing to the poor cell penetration capacity of L-RNA aptamers, their biological applications are currently limited. Herein, we rationally design an L-RNA aptamer-peptide conjugate, Tamra_Ahx_R8_L-Apt.4-1c, which can efficiently translocate into the cytosol and target the rG4 of interest. Notably, we demonstrate diverse regulatory roles of Tamra_Ahx_R8_L-Apt.4-1c on rG4 motif present in different regions of mRNAs and further expand the application in different cell lines. Our novel and biocompatible conjugate enhances the cellular uptake of the L-RNA aptamer, and our robust strategy enables non-canonical RNA structures to be targeted by L-RNA aptamers for gene control in cells.

We present a novel strategy for transporting L-RNA aptamers that target rG4s into the cytosol using cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs). Polyarginine residues (R8) were covalently attached to the L-aptamer by click chemistry and the first L-RNA aptamer-CPP conjugate (Tamra_Ahx_R8_L-Apt.4-1c) was generated. Our study demonstrates that Tamra_Ahx_R8_L-Apt.4-1c functions as an effective tool for regulating rG4-mediated gene expression.

SKLMP has been honored with the Gold Award at the Hong Kong Green Innovations Award for their innovative work in transforming manmade seawalls into living shorelines

wsfong — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 02:15:58 +0000

SKLMP has been honored with the Gold Award at the Hong Kong Green Innovations Award for their innovative work in transforming manmade seawalls into living shorelines wsfong Fri, 01/26/2024 - 10:15

SKLMP has been honored with the Gold Award at the Hong Kong Green Innovations Award for their innovative work in transforming manmade seawalls into living shorelines

17 Dec 2023

The State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution (SKLMP) at CityU was awarded the prestigious Gold Award at the Hong Kong Green Innovations Award (HKGIA) as part of the 2022 Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence (HKAEE). This recognition highlights the remarkable achievements of their team in the field of green innovation. Organised by the Environmental Campaign Committee of HKSAR Government, the HKAEE is renowned as the city’s annual “Oscars of Environmental Protection.”

Led by Professor Kenneth Mei-yee Leung, College of Science’s Associate Dean (Research and Postgraduate Education), Chair Professor in the Chemistry Department and Director of the SKLMP at CityU, the team comprises Dr. Chi Chiu Lo, Thea Bradford, and Rainbow Leung from the SKLMP, as well as Dr. Juan Carlos Astudillo, Assistant Professor in the Applied Sciences Department at Hong Kong Metropolitan University, and Professor Chi Sun Poon, Chair Professor and Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Their ground-breaking innovation, titled “Enhancing Intertidal Marine Biodiversity on Artificial Seawalls by Novel Eco-tiles”, clinched the top prize.

Conventional seawalls, typically made of concrete and granite boulders, lack the necessary structure to support the settlement and growth of marine organisms. The team revolutionised the concept of seawalls with a two-fold innovation. First, they developed an eco-friendly concrete mix, comprising 40% waste materials, including fly ash from incineration of sludge and dredged marine sediment from navigation route maintenance. This novel concrete mix has high compressive strength (39 MPa) and low surface pH (about 10), which is crucial for sea defence structures and marine larval settlement, respectively.

Second, incorporating ecological theory, the team created eco-tiles with water retention capacity and various microhabitats, such as grooves, holes and crevices of different sizes. These features not only offer refuge for marine life, but also effectively provide shade and lower temperatures during low tide in summer. Twelve-month trials conducted in Sai Kung, Ma Liu Shui and Tuen Mun demonstrated that the eco-tiles significantly reduced the average surface temperature by 2°C and increased biodiversity by 80% compared to conventional seawalls.

Building on this success, the project team established a start-up called “afterNATURE” through CityU's Hong Kong Tech 300 programme. Leveraging their expertise, they developed a range of eco-engineered products, including eco-tiles, eco-panels, tidal pools and eco-blocks, with a view to revitalising existing seawalls and breakwaters to enhance marine biodiversity and ecosystem services, thereby transforming manmade seawalls into living shorelines. These products have been adopted by the HKSAR Government for numerous seawalls in Causeway Bay, Tsuen Wan, and Lamma Island, among others. More recently, their products have gained traction in coastal restoration projects in Korea, Mainland China and the United States.

“I’m delighted to receive this recognition alongside the team,” said Professor Leung. “The HKGIA is a significant affirmation of our research efforts in ecological restoration and our support for the HKSAR Government in implementing eco-shorelines to enhance marine biodiversity. By utilising waste materials in our eco-tiles, we minimise cement usage and reduce the carbon footprint. Transforming waste into useful products for ecosystem restoration also helps reduce waste disposal and extends the service life of landfills.”

In addition to the HKGIA, the team's eco-tile invention has received several international accolades this year, including the Special Prize (Prize of the Korea Invention Promotion Association), the Gold Medal with Congratulations from the Jury at the 48th Geneva International Exhibition of Invention in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Gold Medal in the Asia International Innovative Award at the Asia International Innovative Invention Exhibition, held in Hong Kong, China.

This article originated from CityU NewsCentre.

For more details:
CityU team wins Gold Award at the Hong Kong Green Innovations Award for transforming manmade seawalls into living shorelines | City University of Hong Kong

SKLMP Wins Gold Award at the Hong Kong Green Innovations Award for Transforming Manmade Seawalls into Living Shorelines | College of Science (cityu.edu.hk)