Prof. Nianjun Yang from Hasselt University, Belgium, a recipient of the 2025 Lee Hsun Research Award, conducted an academic visit to the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMR, CAS) from May 19 to June 2, 2025.

During his stay, Prof. Nianjun Yang delivered an academic lecture titled "CARE: Carbon materials for Energy applications" focusing on advanced carbon-based solutions for energy conversion and storage. Prior to the presentation, Prof. CHEN Xingqiu, Party Secretary and Deputy Director, presented Prof. Yang with the plaque of Lee Hsun Lecture Series in a ceremony chaired by Academician CHENG Huiming.

In his lecture, Prof. Yang addressed the critical global challenge of energy scarcity by introducing his group’s research strategies for designing functional materials, particularly porous carbon materials and their composites. He demonstrated their applications in electrochemical energy conversion, such as hydrogen production and carbon dioxide reduction. Furthermore, he highlighted their use in high-performance electrochemical energy storage systems, including batteries and supercapacitors. The presentation garnered enthusiastic responses among IMR researchers and students.

Throughout his vist, Prof. Nianjun Yang also engaged in-depth discussions with researchers from the Department of Advanced Carbon Materials and the Joint Research Department, sharing insights on electrochemical energy materials and technologies.

Prof. Nianjun Yang specializes in the development of carbon-based functional materials and their electrochemical applications. He has led or participated in nearly 10 international or national projects funded by the EU and Germany, and serves as a reviewer  for various grant agencies in the EU, Asia, and Africa. To date, he has published over 256 academic papers (with total citations exceeding 10,300 and an H-index of 59), independently edited 1 book series, and authored 10 book chapters. He has served as a Guest Editor for journals including Acc. Chem. Res., Acc. Mater. Res., Adv. Funct. Mater., Micro Nano Lett., InfoMat, Small, Carbon, and Nanoscale. Prof. Yang currently holds editorial roles for nearly 10 journals, such as Carbon, Nano Res. Energy, Carbon Future, Sci. Rep., and Diam. Relat. Mater. As a committee member for the Hasselt Diamond Workshop and the International Conference on Diamond and Carbon Materials,he has organized over 10 international conferences.

Prof. CHEN Xingqiu, Party Secretary and Deputy Director of IMR presents the plaque of Lee Hsun Lecture Series to Prof. Nianjun Yang. (Image by IMR)

Prof. Nianjun Yang delivers a lecture. (Image by IMR)