Two Professors from Shanghai Jiao Tong University Make the 2022 MIT Technology Review's 'Innovators Under 35' China List

On March 30, 2023, the Global Young Scientists Summit was held in Haidian, Beijing. During the summit, the Chinese edition of the MIT Technology Review, announced its annual list of "Innovators Under 35" (known as MIT TR35) in China. Associate Professor Zhang Zhitao from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Associate Professor Wang Hongze from the Institute of Special Materials at Shanghai Jiao Tong University were included in the list.

Zhang Zhitao

Reason for selection: He has achieved lower cost and higher performance flexible polymer luminescent materials through material design, which are used to construct the next generation of flexible, stretchable, high-resolution electronic skin displays.

Fabrics have excellent integration with the human body. However, the rough and porous structure of fabrics is not suitable as a substrate material for direct use in luminescent devices. An effective strategy is to fabricate luminescent devices onto fiber substrates and integrate them with fabrics through weaving.

Zhang Zhitao achieved, for the first time, luminescent fibers (polymer electrochemiluminescent cells) with a diameter of only 127 micrometers and a length of up to several tens of centimeters using a fully solution-based method. The highest brightness reached approximately 800 cd/m2, which is the highest value among luminescent fibers prepared by a fully solution-based method. The unique one-dimensional structure and ultra-fine diameter of the fiber give it excellent flexibility and weavability, allowing it to display various specific patterns in fabrics.

Wang Hongze

Reasons for Selection: He has revealed the mechanisms of energy absorption and molten pool evolution during laser manufacturing processes, proposed intelligent process control methods, and developed a series of high-performance additive manufacturing metal powders, thus promoting the mass production of laser additive manufacturing.

Wang Hongze, an associate professor on the tenure track at the Institute of Advanced Materials, is a Marie Curie Scholar of the European Union. He is primarily engaged in research related to laser additive manufacturing. He has led seven vertical projects, including the National Overseas Distinguished Young Scholar Program, National Natural Science Foundation projects (General and Youth Programs), and Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) Innovation Fund. As the first author or corresponding author, he has published over forty SCI papers in journals such as Progress in Materials Science and International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture. The research achievements have been widely applied in key enterprises such as Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).

Introduction to the award

"Innovators Under 35" (referred to as TR35) is a global selection initiated by MIT Technology Review on the occasion of its centennial in 1999. The aim is to annually identify top young talents in various cutting-edge technology and industry fields, accelerating global technological innovation. The selection covers emerging technology areas such as new materials, biomedicine, intelligent computing, and renewable energy. It is divided into five categories: Inventors, Entrepreneurs, Visionaries, Humanitarians, and Pioneers.