Topic: Innovative Materials Technology and Engineering Applications Aligned with Dual-Carbon and Sustainable Development Goals

Speaker: Prof. Liqun Zhang

Host: Prof. Ben Zhong Tang

Date: Monday, April 28, 2025

Time: 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Venue: SIN Wai Kin International Conference Centre (W201), Administration Building

Language: Chinese

Abstract: 

Against the backdrop of global efforts to achieve "dual carbon" goals and sustainable development, the rubber industry, as a high-carbon-emission sector, urgently needs green transformation. In this report titled "Original New Material Technologies and Engineering Applications for the Dual Carbon and Sustainable Development Strategy", Academician Liqun Zhang will systematically introduce the team's original bio-based itaconate rubber and bio-degradable polyester rubber, two types of novel synthetic rubber, as well as the latest progress in alternative natural rubber represented by dandelion rubber. In terms of rubber recycling, the twin-screw desulfurization regenerated rubber technology developed by Academician Liqun Zhang's team has been implemented in 20 production lines, processing 150,000 tons of waste tires annually. These innovative technologies not only contribute to the greening of the rubber industry but also provide sustainable material solutions for sectors such as automotive and energy, showcasing China's global competitiveness in the field of green rubber.

Speaker Profile:

Professor Liqun Zhang, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, currently serves as the President of Xi'an Jiaotong University. He previously held positions as Vice President of Beijing University of Chemical Technology and President of South China University of Technology. He is recognized as a Member of the European Academy of Sciences, Academician of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Materials Science, and Fellow of multiple prestigious organizations including the Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, Chinese Chemical Society, and China Invention Association. He also serves as Vice Chairman of Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, Chairman of the Presidium of the China Rubber Industry Association, and Director of the Expert Committee of the China Synthetic Rubber Industry Association.

Professor Zhang has led his research team in making groundbreaking contributions to rubber nanomaterials, special functional rubber materials, and green rubber technologies. His work has significantly advanced rubber science and engineering globally. He has authored (as lead/corresponding author) over 400 SCI-indexed papers in top journals including Macromolecules, Polymer, Advanced Materials, Nature Sustainability, Nature (Inside View) and Progress in Polymer Science, edited two books and authored chapters in 8 scientific monographs. His exceptional scholarship earned him recognition in Stanford University's 2024 Top 2% Leading Scientists (Career Impact) list and seven consecutive years (2014-2020) on Elsevier's China Highly Cited Researchers list. Professor Liqun Zhang serves as the Honorary Editor-in-Chief of Advanced Nanocompanites and an Editorial Board Member for leading journals such as Composites Science and Technology, Nano Materials Science, and Advanced Fiber Materials. He Has delivered over 100 keynote/invited lectures at international conferences and served as (co-)chair for more than 40 conferences or sessions. With an H-index of 102 and total citations exceeding 43,900, Professor Zhang holds the top-ranked research position globally in rubber science and technology.

He and his research team hold over 300 domestic and international patents, with more than 30% commercialized. They have established deep industry-academia-research integration partnerships with dozens of leading rubber enterprises worldwide, co-founding joint R&D centers. Collaborating companies have contributed scholarships and grants exceeding 3 million yuan annually, positioning their work as a national model for university-industry collaboration and technology transfer.

Professor Liqun Zhang has received numerous prestigious international and national awards. Notably, he twice received the National Technology Invention Award (Second Class) and once the National Science and Technology Progress Award, both as the first completer. In 2006, he was awarded the Ninth China Youth Science and Technology Award, followed by the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Prize for Scientific and Technological Innovation – Youth Innovation Award in 2011. The year 2012 saw him earn three distinguished accolades: the SCEJ Asia Research Award from the Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan, the Sparks-Thomas Award from the ACS Rubber Division in the United States, and the Ninth Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Youth Award. His international acclaim continued with the Morand Lambla Award from the International Polymer Processing Society in 2014, the IRCO Medal from the International Rubber Conference Organization in 2018, and the Zhao Yonggao Science and Technology Innovation Award from the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation in 2020. Further cementing his global stature, he received the Colwyn Medal from the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (UK) in 2021, an Honorary Doctorate from France’s Université de Lorraine in 2022, and most recently, the 2024 Technical Award from the International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers (IISRP) in 2025.