23-breakthrough-technologies-for-cancer-treatment-and-energy-saving-developed-by-prof-paul-chu

Professor Paul Chu Kim-ho, Chair Professor in the Department of Physics and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and his research team recently developed breakthrough technologies for effective cancer treatment and energy saving.

Both applications were developed based on the study of photoluminescence and light scattering mechanisms, as well as the plasmonic properties of micro-nanostructures.

This research findings have earned the team, comprising researchers from CityU and Nanjing University in mainland China, the highly prestigious First Class Award (Natural Science) in the 2017 Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards (Science and Technology) of the Ministry of Education, China.

One of the applications involves using intense heat triggered by a photothermal process to kill cancer cells. Professor Chu described the strategy as a “Trojan horse” carrying “bombs”. He said “when the ‘bombs’ interact with near-infrared light, the temperature rapidly increases, killing the tumours.” His team has discovered two effective types of carriers with photothermal agents: Bi2Se3-laden-macrophages and Nile blue dye with black phosphorus. In trials, the tumours in mice were completely destroyed and removed, and there was no recurrence until the end of the experiment. The other application is thermochromic smart coating, which can control the transmission of solar radiation dynamically and automatically in accordance with the ambient temperature and illumination intensity.

Detailed story can be retrieved from CityU News (21 December 2017).

Please click the following links for media coverage:

Breakthrough Technologies for Cancer Treatment and Energy Saving Developed by Prof Paul Chu

Applied Physics