Research Stories

Sharing insights on tackling the world's most challenging environmental issues was top of the agenda for researchers and partners from City University of Hong Kong at the Global Sustainable Development Summit (GSDC) 2025 in Istanbul, Türkiye, from 16 to 19 June.

A new fabrication technique for substantially enhancing the prospects of commercialising perovskite solar cells through improved stability, reliability, efficiency and affordability is underway at CityUHK.

CityUHK research team addressed a challenge for scientists for over a decade with creative material science solutions. The team demonstrated an effective strategy to enhance the long-term stability of perovskite-organic tandem solar cells, which can be mass-produced at a speed comparable to newspaper printing, with a daily output of up to 1,000 solar panels.

Five research projects from CityUHK were granted funds from the HKSAR Government’s RAISe+ Scheme. This demonstrates CityUHK’s commitment to promoting excellence in high-quality research and innovation, driving the transformation of the University’s world-class scientific research into applications, thereby creating commercial and social value.

Zinc-nitrate batteries are a primary non-rechargeable energy storage system that utilizes the redox potential difference between zinc and nitrate ions to store and release electrical energy. A research team co-led by chemists from City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) have developed a high-performance rechargeable zinc-nitrate/ethanol battery by introducing an innovative catalyst. They successfully designed and synthesized an efficient tetraphenylporphyrin (tpp) modified heterophase rhodium-copper alloy metallene (RhCu M-tpp). This bifunctional catalyst exhibits remarkable capabilities in both the electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) and ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) in a neutral medium, overcoming the monofunctional limitations of traditional metal-based solid catalysts and providing a valuable reference for the design of sustainable energy storage in the future.

Electrocatalysis plays a vital role in developing clean energy, greenhouse gas removal and energy storage technologies. A study co-led by City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) researchers found that single-walled carbon nanotubes are excellent substrates for enhancing greenhouse gas conversion through molecular curvature. By using these nanotubes as support to induce strain on an electrocatalyst, the efficiency of carbon dioxide reduction to methanol can be significantly improved. This breakthrough opens avenues for developing curved molecular electrocatalysts to efficiently convert carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the key greenhouse gases, into useful chemicals and fuels, thus reducing carbon emission .