7 SEE Faculty Shine at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva
City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) achieved remarkable success at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (IEIG), held from 11 to 15 March 2026, winning a total of 27 awards. Among these, awards were received by seven of our distinguished faculty members from the School of Energy and Environment (SEE): Prof. Wei Wu, Prof. Jin Shang, Prof. Jian Wang, Prof. Carol Lin, Prof. Charles Xu, Prof. Sam Hsu, and Prof. Patrick Lee, in recognition of their outstanding contributions. Their achievements highlight SEE’s global impact in advancing sustainability, energy innovation, and environmental research.
IEIG is a premier global stage for innovators. This year’s edition featured over 1,000 inventions from 35 countries and regions, evaluated by an international jury of specialists.
Prof. Wei Wu was honored with two Gold Medals, including the prestigious Gold Medal with Jury Congratulations. His PhD students Weitao Zeng and Guangda Liang contributed to the award‑winning invention “Electricity‑free Smart Water Production and PV Cooling Device”, which utilizes spectrally selective and thermo‑responsive hydrogels to boost photovoltaic efficiency while harvesting atmospheric water without condensation. This breakthrough offers a promising solution for renewable energy collection and carbon neutrality goals, with two U.S. patents already filed.
PhD students Weitao Zeng (left) and Guangda Liang (right) from Prof. Wu’s team
Prof. Jin Shang’s team, with support from Prof. Wu’s group, received a Gold Medal for the project “AI‑smart heat pump‑integrated adsorption direct air capture system for carbon‑negative data center operations.” Prof. Wu’s team contributed to the design and optimization of the heat pump, strengthening the system’s efficiency and impact. The project team included PhD student Mr. Boyu Zhang and co‑supervised PhD student Mr. Guangda Liang (from Prof. Wu’s group), whose contributions were instrumental to the success of this award‑winning innovation. With the rapid growth of AI, data centers consume vast amounts of electricity and generate significant carbon emissions, yet scalable decarbonization solutions remain limited. To address this challenge, Prof. Shang’s team developed a heat pump–assisted direct air capture (DAC) system that harnesses waste heat from data centers to capture CO₂ under ambient conditions. The innovation enables energy‑efficient CO₂ capture using physisorbents, provides synergistic cooling and dehumidification for server operations to reduce energy demand, and scales naturally with the expansion of AI services, delivering progressively greater carbon reduction benefits over time.
Prof. Jian Wang and his team were honored with a Gold Medal for their project “Upcycling Spent Battery Materials into Water-splitting Electrodes for Next-generation Green Hydrogen Production”. By applying surface modification techniques to cathode materials from spent lithium batteries, the team created electrocatalysts that can be integrated into AEM electrolyzers to continuously produce green hydrogen. This approach not only addresses the recycling challenge of spent batteries but also reduces the cost of hydrogen catalysts through a simple, environmentally friendly process. The project has already achieved practical laboratory success, producing 2L of hydrogen per hour for over 1,400 hours, secured two U.S. patents, and developed a large-scale kW‑level electrolyzer.
SEE faculty members also earned two Silver Medals and two Bronze Medals, underscoring their innovative contributions across diverse fields and further highlighting the School’s strength in advancing cutting‑edge solutions.
| Awards | Inventors and Team members | Project |
| Silver Medals |
Prof. Carol Sze Ki LIN Ms. Miao Yahui Dr. Wang Huaimin Mr. Di Wu School of Energy and Environment, CityUHK |
Integrated bioreactor design and operation optimization for efficient organic waste enzymatic hydrolysis |
|
Prof. Charles Xu Chunbao
Dr. Wu Dan Dr. Armin Rezayan School of Energy and Environment, CityUHK Prof. Zhang Yaning Dr. Fan Sichen Harbin Institute of Technology |
Upcycling polyolefin plastic waste to produce aromatic-rich blendstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by microwave-assisted in-situ catalytic pyrolysis |
|
| Bronze Medals |
Prof. Sam Hsu Hsien-yi Mr. Tong Haihang Ms. Wang Shuang Mr. Wang Zhe Mr. Jiang Cong School of Energy and Environment, CityUHK |
Perovskite photovoltaic-photoelectrochemical tandem platform for carbon neutrality and green synthesis |
|
Prof. Patrick Lee Kwan-hon Dr. Lim Chee Kent School of Energy and Environment, CityUHK Prof. Kwok Chun Kit Ms. Liew Shiau Wei Department of Chemistry, CityUHK |
Rapid and sensitive one-pot CRISPR/Cas12a-based detection of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli |
Special Recognition
In addition, Prof. Carol Lin received an Appreciation Award from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, presented by the Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences in Dhahran, in recognition of her distinguished participation in the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions and her valuable contributions to innovation and scientific advancement.
The outstanding performance of SEE faculty and students at the IEIG reflects the School’s commitment to pioneering research and impactful innovation. These achievements showcase SEE’s leadership in addressing global sustainability challenges and continue to strengthen CityUHK’s reputation as a hub for cutting‑edge solutions that drive a more sustainable future.