On the afternoon of June 30, 2021, the second symposium of the Jiangnan University-KU Leuven-University College London (UCL) Joint Laboratory was held online. Faculty members and students from Jiangnan University, KU Leuven, and UCL gathered to exchangerecentprogressanddiscuss future directionisof the Joint Laboratory.

Professor Tianxi Liu from Jiangnan University, Director of the Joint Laboratory,open thesymposium by introducingJiangnan University andoutliningthe progress made in establishing the Joint Laboratory. He warmly welcomed the distinguished scholars and expressed his hope that the symposium wouldfurtherstrengthen communication and collaboration among the Chinese, Belgian, and British research groups. Subsequently, Professor Johan Hofkens of KU Leuven (Belgium) and Professor Ivan P. Parkin of University College London (UK), both members of Academia Europaea, as well as Professor Dan Brett of University College London, delivered keynote presentations. Their talks were titled “The Power of One: From Single-Molecule Investigations to Materials Research,” “Adventures in Materials Chemistry,” and “Electroacoustic Analysis of Electrochemical Power Sources,” respectively.The first half of the symposium concluded with active discussion and numerous questions from students.

The second half of the symposium featured academic presentations by faculty members and students from Jiangnan University. Professor Longsheng Zhang, Professor Nan Zhang, and Professor Suli Chen delivered high-level presentations on "Design and Synthesis of Conductive Metal-Organic Coordination Polymers for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction," "Efficient N₂Fixation Using Defect-Engineered Bi₂Se₃Nanosheets," and "Design of Solid Polymer Electrolytes and Electrolyte/Electrode Interfaces for Solid-State Sodium-Ion Batteries," respectively. Subsequently, PhD candidate Kaibin Chu and master’s student Jingjing Qin presented their research on "Preparation of Inorganic Perovskite Materials for Electrocatalytic Ammonia Synthesis" and "A Biomimetic Sunflower as a Photocatalytic Reactor." Finally, Professor Tianxi Liu delivered closing remarks,during which heexpressed hissincere gratitude to thedomestic and international experts fortheirinsightful presentations. The symposium provided a valuable platform for faculty and students to engage directly with international professors, stay informed on the latest research developments in materials science, and exchange academic ideas, thereby enhancing the international visibility of Jiangnan University.

The Second Jiangnan University-KU Leuven-University College London Joint Laboratory Symposium

Professor Tianxi Liu giving the opening remarks

Professor Ivan P. Parkin, Professor Johan Hofkens, and Professor Dan Brett delivering academic presentations

Group photo of online participants

Professor Johan Hofkens：Johan Hofkens is a professor at the department of Chemistry of KU Leuven and a member operational management of Chem & Tech and Nano Centre of KU Leuven. He received his Ph.D. from KU Leuven in 1993. His research comprises single molecule spectroscopy and ultrafast spectroscopy with applications in biochemistry/biophysics and material science. Professor Johan Hofkens has published over 500 scientific journal papers including Science, Nature, Cell, Nat. Mater., Nat. Nanotechnol., Nat. Chem., J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Adv. Mater, resulting in an h-index of 80 (WoS). He received the Grammaticakis Neumann award in Photochemistry in 1998, the Proteomass Scientific Society Award in 2016, and the Otto Wolfbeis Fluorescence Prize in 2019. He was elected as a member of the Flemish Academy of Science in 2011 and as a member of Academia Europaea in 2019.

Professor Ivan P. Parkin：Professor Ivan P. Parkin is a Professor of Materials Chemistry at Department of Chemistry, Dean of Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences at University College London. Professor Parkin obtained his BSc and Ph.D. degrees from Imperial College London. His research group is mainly focused on the design of new materials and coatings from chemical vapour deposition and wet chemistry synthesis, for the applications such as antimicrobial coatings, gas sensing, superhydrophobic surfaces and energy materials. He has published over 900 scientific journal papers and an H-index of 85. Professor Parkin is a member of Academia Europaea, Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry and received multiple prestigious awards, such as Tilden Medal, Griffith Medal and Beilby Medal.

Professor Dan Brett: Professor Dan Brett is a Professor of Electrochemical Engineering at Department of Chemical Engineering, UCL. He is the academic co-founder for Electrochemical Innovation Lab at UCL and Faraday Institution. He received the Ph.D. degree from Imperial College London in 1999. His research is in the area of electrochemical engineering and technology. This includes electrochemical energy conversion and storage (fuel cells, batteries, supercapacitors, electrolysers), electrochemical sensors, electroanalysis, hybrid vehicles and micro-generation technologies. He specializes in developing novel diagnostic techniques for the study of high and low temperature fuel cells and their materials. Professor Brett has published over 530 scientific journal papers and an H-index of 57. He was awarded prestigious De Nora Foundation Prize in 2009 and the Baker Medal in 2011 (Institute of Civil Engineers) for his excellent work on fuel cells.