Congratulations to Prof. ZHU Yuntian on receiving the 2025 State Natural Science Award (Second Class)
We are delighted to congratulate Prof. ZHU Yuntian, Chair Professor of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, on his remarkable achievement in receiving the 2025 State Natural Science Award (Second Class).
Prof. Zhu played a pivotal role in the award-winning project, “Research on the Strengthening of Heterostructured Metallic Materials,” led by Prof. WU Xiaolei’s team (Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences). This groundbreaking research tackled one of the most challenging issues in materials science: the inherent trade-off between strength and ductility in metallic structural materials. Their key accomplishments include:
- Developed a fundamental framework for heterostructured materials
- Created general fabrication technologies designed for large-scale engineering applications
- Revealed a novel physical mechanism where heterostructured deformation synergy achieves simultaneous enhancements in strength and ductility
This pioneering work has made significant academic and practical contributions. It improved the performance of stay-cable steel wires for the Sutong Bridge and advanced core metallic raw materials for high-end medical devices, bridging foundational research with real-world applications. These achievements have garnered global recognition, driving new research frontiers and establishing leadership in metallic materials innovation, as evidenced by numerous international conferences on heterostructrured materials (https://www.ihsmater.org/c29/index.phtml). Prof. Zhu’s contributions continue to bring recognition to our department and university. We are proud of his success and the impact of his work on the scientific community.
