ME Invention Wins Gold Medal at 2024 Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival

Congratulations to Mr YANG Yi (PhD Student) and Dr RUAN Haihui (Associate Professor of ME) won the Gold Medal at the 2024 Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival (SVIIF). 

SVIIF was held from 26 to 28 July 2024 in Santa Clara, California. It is the largest event of its kind in the United States, this year drew participation from approximately 30 countries and regions, representing a wide array of academic institutions, research institutes and enterprises. Supported and attended by multinational corporations, investors and entrepreneurs, the event serves as a crucial platform for inventors and the business community to explore commercialisation opportunities and seek partnerships.

Learn more: PolyU innovations garner nine awards at the Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival

Gold Medal

Thick Glassy Carbon Manufacturing and Physical Property Adjustment through Heat Treatment

Principle Investigator:

Mr YANG Yi, PhD Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Founder, Discarbonery Technology Limited (a PolyU start-up)

Project description:

Glassy carbon is a carbon material that does not form graphite crystals, and has excellent physical and chemical properties. It can be used in various applications such as glass moulding and the semiconductor industry. However, this material has a number of challenges – such as size limitations, high preparation costs, and high hardness – that make it difficult to process directly.

To overcome these challenges, we have developed a way to produce large, cost-effective, shape-controlled glassy carbon products, and a way to use heat treatment to subsequently adjust their physical properties. These strategies enable us to fine-tune the properties of glassy carbon to suit different applications and extend product lifespan.