Advanced Materials Research Center (AMRC)

Advanced Materials Research Center (AMRC)

Introduction

The Advanced Materials Research Centre (AMRC) is a key hub for research in materials development and innovation both in China and globally. It aligns with global strategic priorities, including improving electronics and communication systems’ performance and advancing medical and clean energy technologies. It also aligns with China’s strategic planning (14th Five-Year Plan) to strengthen technological capabilities and support transition to a high-quality development model.

The Centre? specialises in developing innovative materials with advanced properties and applications, including semiconductors, biomaterials, and materials for energy and the environment. It draws knowledge, expertise, and resources from XJTLU Schools and Academies located both on the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) campus and at the XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang) (XEC). These include the School of Science, School of Advanced Technology, Design School, Academy of Pharmacy, and XJTLU-JITRI Academy at SIP and the School of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Computing and School of CHIPS at XEC.

The AMRC collaborates with leading universities and research institutions in China and abroad. Additionally, it works with industry partners to ensure the commercialisation and application of new materials in industries including electronics, health care, and energy. It uses advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data analytics to accelerate the discovery and development of new materials.

Furthermore, AMRC serves as a platform for teaching, training, and research, nurturing a collaborative environment where students and researchers from various disciplines – such as physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, computing, and engineering – work together on cutting-edge projects. By combining expertise and resources, the Centre tackles complex challenges in materials research and development, pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge to benefit society globally.

 

Objectives

The objectives of the AMRC are to:

· establish a comprehensive research programme in materials science including synthesis, characterisation, processing, and applications of advanced materials ;

· build a research infrastructure with advanced laboratories, specialised equipment, and computational resources to support cutting-edge research;

· recruit and retain talented researchers and students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to foster an inclusive and collaborative research environment;

· establish partnerships with industry and government agencies to support research and development activities and facilitate technology transfer and commercialisation of research results; and

· promote education and training through workshops, seminars, and courses to disseminate knowledge and skills in advanced materials research.

 

Research themes (divisions)

The AMRC has identified the following research themes, represented as research divisions, during its initial development.

1. Research division on Dual Carbon Strategic Materials .

Focuses on advancing the understanding of materials science and engineering by studying new materials and their properties through techniques like simulation and experimentation. Potential areas of focus are:

· new energy materials;

· catalytic materials;

· biomaterials;

· additive manufacturing of materials; and

· sustainable materials.

2. Research division on Information Materials .

Concentrates on areas leveraging XJTLU resources and expertise, supported by hiring and content development at undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD levels. Potential areas of focus are:

· advanced nanofabrication techniques;

· advanced materials for semiconductor devices; and

· artificial intelligence hardware.

3. Research division on Frontier New Materials .

Aligns with the fundamental research conducted within the AMRC. Potential areas of focus are:

· quantum materials for energy: investigating materials with quantum properties for more efficient energy conversion and storage solutions, including quantum dots for photovoltaics;

· nanomaterials in catalysis: exploring nanomaterials’ catalytic properties for sustainable chemical reactions and processes;

· nanomedicine: exploring nanomaterials for targeted drug delivery, diagnostics, and therapeutics in healthcare and personalised medicine;

· superconducting materials: exploring novel superconducting materials that operate at higher temperatures to enable practical applications in power transmission and medical imaging;

· quantum computing materials: investigating and designing materials with tailored quantum properties for the development of quantum computers and quantum information processing;

· nanoelectronics: exploring novel nanoscale materials and devices for high-performance transistors and sensors and other electronics, such as nanowires, nanotubes, and 2D materials like graphene; and

· graphene-based technologies: researching the use of graphene in energy storage devices, flexible electronics, ultrasensitive sensors, and advanced materials due to its exceptional electrical conductivity and mechanical strength.

 

Current Key Project

At present, the Advanced Materials Research Center has established close cooperation with the State Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry (PIC) at the University of Science and Technology of China ( USTC). The two sides will carry out a series of practices around laboratory co construction, joint training of graduate students, data and resource sharing, and jointly promote new breakthroughs in scientific research in artificial intelligence and chemical innovation.

The main personnel research information of the PIC, USTC is as follows:

 

Prof. Zhenyu Li
Research Focus: Theoretical and Computational Chemistry.
Major Achievements:

  • Designed quantum algorithms for efficient electronic structure simulations of molecular and solid-state systems.

  • Unveiled growth mechanisms of graphene on metal surfaces and general principles of high-temperature surface chemical reactions.

  • Theoretically proposed novel systems such as 2D suspended electron gases, high-efficiency photovoltaic materials, and single-atom catalysts.

 

Prof. Wenwan Zhong
Research Focus:

  1. Development of?in vitro?detection technologies for high-throughput rapid discrimination of target molecules.

  2. Innovative separation techniques to advance molecular omics for disease prediction and monitoring.

  3. Investigation of nano-bio interfaces to elucidate nanoparticle biocorona formation and its regulatory effects on nanomaterial toxicity.

  4. Analysis of intermolecular interactions for designing host-guest sensor arrays, combined with machine learning to discern subtle structural changes in biomacromolecules and decode structure-function relationships.
    Publications: Work published in?Nature Chemistry, J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Nucleic Acids Research, etc.
    Awards: NSF CAREER Award, Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research (UC Riverside).
    Service: Reviewer for NSF, NIH, and Hong Kong Research Grants Council; session organizer at international conferences.

 

Prof. Jun Jiang
Research Focus: Theoretical and Intelligent Chemistry.

  • Developed AI- and big data-integrated quantum chemical methods for simulating electron dynamics in complex systems.
    Awards: Tang Aoqing Young Theorist Award in Chemistry (2015), Japan Society for Asian Chemistry Lectureship Award (2020).
    Innovation: Holds 20+ patents in quantum devices and intelligent chemistry; led the development of five computational software packages widely adopted in academia and industry.

 

Prof. Zhuoying Zhu (Special-Term Professor)
Research Focus: Data-driven high-throughput materials computation and automated workflow design for novel energy/thermoelectric materials.
Publications: 20+ papers in?Nature, Energy Environ. Sci., Adv. Energy Mater., etc., including 9 highly cited works (total citations exceeding 2,200).

 

Dr. Xiaobo Li (Special-Term Researcher)
Research Focus: AI-robotics-automation-guided high-throughput development of (photo)catalysts.
Publications: Corresponding author in?Nat. Chem.?(2024),?Nat. Synth.?(2024),?Nat. Nanotechnol.?(2023),?J. Am. Chem. Soc.?(2023, 2021).

 

Dr. Yuan Cai (Special-Term Researcher)
Research Focus: AI-assisted organic synthesis using machine learning, automation, and high-throughput experiments to accelerate catalyst design.
Publications: 10+ first-author papers in?J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.; 1 authorized patent.

 

Dr. Daobin Liu (Special-Term Researcher)
Research Focus: Spectroscopic techniques and energy materials chemistry.

  • Developed synchrotron-based?in situ?spectroscopic methods to resolve catalytic material dynamics.
    Publications: 17 first/corresponding-author papers in?Nat. Energy, Adv. Mater., Energy Environ. Sci., etc. (H-index: 44; total citations: 9,300).
    Grants: NSFC Youth Program, JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship.

 

Dr. Liang Zhang (Special-Term Researcher)
Research Focus: AI-driven “machine scientists” for intelligent development of optical porous materials.
Publications: 17+ papers in?Nat. Commun., J. Am. Chem. Soc., Adv. Mater., etc.

 

Contact Us

For collaboration inquiries or joint training programs, please reach out to:
AMRC@gdsqbz.com

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