Prof. Gao Liu is the Group Leader of the Applied Energy Materials Group in the Energy Technologies Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, specialized in energy storage R&D. He received a Bachelor's degree from Beijing University in 1993, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Michigan State University in 2001.

Recently, Yongye Liang’s research group has developed an efficient molecular engineering approach for the improvement of efficiency and accessibility of polymer solar cells (PSCs). This work (“Molecular Engineering on Conjugated Side Chain for Polymer Solar Cells with Improved Efficiency and Accessibility”) has been published online by the journal Chemistry of materials (impact factor: 9.407) of American Chemical Society.

Recently, Yongye Liang’s research group developed a new molecular fluorophore for bioimaging in the second near infrared (NIR-II) window. In collaboration with Prof. Hongjie Dai’s group in Stanford University and researchers from School of Medicine, they successfully applied this fluorophore for noninvasive NIR-II imaging of the mouse’s brain to investigate cerebrovascular injury in a mouse model of traumatic brain injury (TBI). This work has been published in the journal “Advanced Materials” entitled “Traumatic Brain Injury Imaging in the Second Near-Infrared Window with a Molecular Fluorophore”.

On January 15, 2016, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Teaching Office organized outside experts to give a professional assessment on the major of materials science and engineering. Such a professional assessment aimed at summarizing the current situation of this major and figuring out the problems to improve professional education and talent cultivation and accumulate experience for comprehensive assessment of all majors in April this year. Experts participating in this assessment included Professor Chen Lixin (Vice President of the School of Materials Science and Engineering in Zhejiang University), Professor Lin Yuanhua (Vice President of the School of Materials Science and Engineering in Tsinghua University), Professor Zhan Xiaowei (Deputy Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in Beijing university) and Professor Zhu Shenmin (Vice President of the School of Materials Science and Engineering in Shanghai Jiaotong University). These experts fully affirmed the achievements in orientation and teaching staff while pointing out the shortcomings in discipline layout, teaching resources, teaching staff training and curriculum setting.

Recently, Yongye Liang’s research group developed an advanced electrocatalyst for efficient water splitting. He and his colleagues describe a facile synthetic approach for the electrocatalyst in a study ("Facile Synthesis of Nickel–Iron/Nanocarbon Hybrids as Advanced Electrocatalysts for Efficient Water Splitting") published in the journal "ACS Catalysis" (impact factor 9.312).

Background: Microfluidic technology, also called lab-on-a-chip, is a technology featured by fluid control in micrometer scale space that can minimize the basic functions of biological and chemical laboratories to a chip of several square centimeters. In recent years, China has developed microfluidic technology from nothing and has formed research forces spread in main universities and scientific research institutes nationwide. Meanwhile, the practical application prospect of microfluidic technology is also gaining more and more attention from the industry circles.

From November 29 to December 4, 2015, the undergraduate students of Professor Guo Xugang’s research group of SUSTC’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering including Wang Yulun, Zhu Xucheng and Peng Changliang and the undergraduate students of Professor Tian Leilei’s research group including Wei Zixiang and Luan Tianqi were invited to the Materials Research Society 2015 Fall Meeting held in Boston, the United States.

From December 4 to 6, 2015, “2015 Inorganic Nano Energy Materials Seminar”, hosted by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and co-hosted by the Department of Chemistry and Shenzhen Society of Chemistry and Chemical Industry, was held in the 110 Lecture Hall of the Library.

From December 5 to 6, 2015, over 180 domestic and foreign scholars came to our university to attend “2015 Inorganic Nano Energy Materials Seminar” hosted by the Department of Materials Science & Engineering. Vice President Tang Tao met and had an informal discussion with representatives attending the seminar in the Administrative Building on the morning of December 6.

Recently, Yongye Liang’s research group developed a newmolecular engineering approach for highly sensitive polymer photodetectors. He and his colleagues describe the new approach in a study ("Toward highlysensitive polymer photodetectors by molecular engineering") published in the journal "Advanced Materials" (impact factor 17.493).