Professor Denver Li, Assistant Professor from the Department of Physics, has been honoured with this year’s Chen Ning Yang Award (C. N. Yang Award) for his groundbreaking discovery and synthesis of the first nickel oxide superconductors.

High-temperature superconductors hold great promise for applications in industry, such as power transmission and energy storage. For over thirty years, the pursuit of superconductivity in nickel oxides, commonly referred to as nickelates, has represented an unwavering commitment to finding an analogue to the high-temperature superconducting copper oxides.

This milestone was attained by Professor Li in 2019 through the creation of infinite-layer thin-film nickelates, where the electron configuration of the nickel ions closely resembles that of copper ions in cuprates. Recently, a breakthrough was achieved with the discovery of superconductivity reaching 80K in a single-crystalline nickelate under high pressure, making nickelates a promising new material in the club of high-temperature superconductors. Professor Li’s pioneering work on nickel oxide superconductors has opened new frontiers in the quest for high-temperature superconductivity.

The C. N. Yang Award, jointly conferred by the Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies (AAPPS) and the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics (APCTP), is dedicated to celebrating young researchers who have made significant contributions to the field of physics. It aims to foster the development of future leaders in physics in the Asia Pacific region and propel scientific progress on a global scale.

Professor Li is one of this year’s recipients of the prestigious C. N. Yang Award, alongside two other distinguished researchers. He is the sole awardee from Hong Kong this year, solidifying his exceptional contributions to the field of physics. Moreover, Professor Li’s achievement marks the second time that an eminent young physicist from a higher education institution in Hong Kong has received this esteemed honour.