A groundbreaking study on supranano engineering, led by Professor Lu Jian, Dean of CityUHK's College of Engineering, has been published in Science, showcasing innovations in enhancing the strength and ductility of structural materials. Dr. Luan Junhua, a Research Fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering (MNE), played a key role in this achievement.

The study, titled "Ductilization of 2.6-GPa alloys via short-range ordered interfaces and supranano precipitates" builds on previous breakthroughs by Professor Lu's team, including research featured on the cover of Nature in 2017. By precisely controlling grain structures at the supranano level (below 10 nm), the team achieved a tensile stress of 2.6 GPa and 10% strain, surpassing conventional alloy performance.

Dr. Luan's contributions to APT characterization and data analysis were critical to the success of the project, which has potential applications in aerospace, automotive, and construction industries. The APT is a state-of-the-art micro-analysis technique offering extensive capabilities for both 3D imaging and quantitative chemical analysis with near atomic resolution. Dr. Luan manages the daily operations of the APT facility at MNE. So far, the APT Unit has published over 150 journal papers, including 4 papers in Science, 1 in Nature, 1 in Nature Materials, 6 in Nature Communications, 5 in Materials Today, 2 in Advanced Materials, 1 in PNAS, and 29 in Acta Materialia. The APT has made continued support and remarkable contributions to the materials research at CityU. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and RGC, this work further establishes MNE's reputation for high-impact, interdisciplinary research.

Congratulations to the team on this outstanding accomplishment!

For more details, read the full article in Science and the university's press release.