Collaboration between CPE and Nanjing Tech strengthened by further visit to Nanjing

^{Photo: Huai'an cityscape diorama on display in the municipal planning office, showing planned developments to 2030}

Professor Donal Bradley and Dr Paul Stavrinou visited Nanjing Tech in the week commencing 26^th April to continue to develop the collaboration agreed in the MoU signed in October 2014. This visit was partially supported by a grant from the College’s Global Engagements Fund (PI Paul Stavrinou) with additional funding from Nanjing Tech.

The first two days of the visit were spent listening to and discussing presentations from Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM) research staff and students at Nanjing Tech and Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications. These covered a broad range of topics from rare earth nanocrystalline up-conversion emission materials, through nano-structured silicon, novel n-type organic semiconductors for solar cell application, solution processed oxide and nitride materials for photoelectrochemical cells, modified polyfluorenes for stable blue light emission, metal organic framework (MOF) compounds, polymer pen nanolithography, Ir-complex triplet state modifiers,  ‘nanofuse’ molecules with heteroatom substituents, asymmetric triazine molecules with extra long lived emission decay times, thiocyanate doped lead-iodide perovskite solar cells, detailed studies of the temperature dependence of the open circuit voltage in organic solar cells, complex multiple donor - single acceptor copolymers for transistors and solar cells, diketopyrrolopyrrole starburst molecules, donor-acceptor diblock copolymers, bimetallic oxides for supercapacitors, novel beta-phase forming polyfluorenes, self assembled monolayers coupled with porphyrins that control the growth of subsequently deposited organic semiconductors, thermally activated delayed fluorescence materials for electroluminescence, N-N metal complexes, proton exchange membranes to intramolecular excimer emission and phototransistor memory materials.  Many interesting results were presented and discussed.

Another day of the visit was spent in Huai’an, a city of some 5.4 million inhabitants two hours drive from Nanjing, that is designated to become the major urban hub for Northern Jiangsu Province. Huai’an served as a key centre for the ancient Cao Yun canal system and is the birthplace of Zhou Enlai (the premier of China from 1949 to 1976). It has an urban plan for developments up to 2030 (see photograph above) with a very ambitious strategy for economic growth coupled to strong commitments to maintaining the good environmental conditions currently found in the city.  The municipal government is also planning to establish a new comprehensive university to augment the current provision of technology-focused tertiary education. The party secretary of the CPC Huai’an municipal committee, Dr Yao Xiaodong, hosted a dinner for Professor Wei Huang (President of Nanjing Tech and Director of the IAM) and the CPE visitors, also attended by Huai’an Vice Mayor Honghong Wang and other members of the Huai’an municipal government and representatives from Huai’an Institute of Technology.

Nanjing Tech is shortly to commence construction of a 26-storey building on its central South Puzhu Road campus much of which will be occupied by the Institute for Advanced Materials and the Synergistic Innovation Centre for Advanced Materials with both of which CPE collaborates.  The building is expected to be ready for occupation in two years time and will offer great opportunities for joint research activities.

Further detailed discussions were held with Professor Ruidong Xia and Dr Jinyi Lin (IAM, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications) concerning the lasing properties of blends comprising a blue emission host and benzothiadiazole containing green emission copolymer guest and concerning a thermally stable beta-phase structure in modified polyfluorene polymers.

A proposal for specific collaborations is now being developed with Professors Jianpu Wang and Wei Huang and funding will be sought to support its implementation. It is also expected that several visitors from Nanjing will spend time at Imperial College over the coming year.

As usual the hospitality and local support of the IAM staff was exceptional.