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The research project “Scalable fabrication of flexible, ultra-flat diamond films” co-led by Professor Zhiqin Chu in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Professor Yuan Lin in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), has been selected as one of China’s Top 10 Scientific Advances of 2025.  This innovative technology has successfully enabled the large-scale, high-quality preparation of diamond membranes, laying a critical foundation for the development of next-generation electronic and optical devices.

Professor Chu expressed his profound honour upon receiving this prestigious national recognition, stating, "I feel deeply proud to have had the opportunity to collaborate with a national major scientific device team to achieve this recognition. I am also very pleased to see that a scientific breakthrough from Hong Kong can contribute to the broader national technological development, demonstrating the significant potential of local innovation. I firmly believe diamond materials can move beyond traditional applications, such as jewellery or tools, and advance into higher-end fields like semiconductors and quantum technology, thereby enhancing our quality of life."

Professor Lin added, "It is highly gratifying that the fundamental research we are conducting at HKU is providing solutions to major industry bottlenecks. This honour will encourage us to continue pursuing excellence and strive to make even greater contributions to national technological development."

The project was conducted in collaboration with Professor Kwai Hei Li from the Southern University of Science and Technology, and Professor Qi Wang of the Dongguan Institute of Opto-Electronics of Peking University. The team developed an innovative "edge-exposed exfoliation" method that enables the rapid production of scalable, free-standing diamond membranes. Unlike conventional approaches, which are often time-consuming, costly, and limited in size, this novel technique can fabricate a two-inch diamond wafer in just 10 seconds, offering exceptional efficiency and scalability.

The resulting ultra-flat and flexible diamond films are crucial for high-precision micro-manufacturing and open new possibilities for next-generation flexible and wearable electronic and photonic devices. The research team envisions significant industrial applications spanning electronics, photonics, mechanics, thermal management, acoustics, and quantum technologies.

The annual “Top 10 Scientific Advancements” selection is organised by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) to highlight outstanding achievements in basic research, motivate researchers to continue advancing original research and enhance public engagement with science. Since 2005, this annual selection has become a key benchmark for national basic research.

The full paper can be accessed here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08218-x

About Professor Zhiqin Chu
Professor Zhiqin Chu received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Physics from Northwest University (China) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, in July 2008 and July 2012, respectively. After spending one year as a postdoctoral fellow in the same group, he conducted postdoctoral research at The University of Stuttgart in Germany from April 2014 to September 2016. Since November 2018, he has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (with a joint appointment in the School of Biomedical Sciences) at HKU, and was promoted to tenured Associate Professor in November 2024. Since joining HKU, Professor Chu has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Nature, Nature Communications, and Science Advances, and has filed 14 patents related to diamond technology. Professor Chu has received multiple awards, including the Gold Medal at the 2023 International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada (iCAN), the Top 10 Best Invention Award at the 2023 iCAN, the Silver Medal at the 2022 Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days, and the Gold Medal at the 2024 International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva.

About Professor Yuan Lin
Professor Yuan Lin earned his B.S. and M.S. in Engineering Mechanics from Tsinghua University, followed by another M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a PhD in Solid Mechanics from Brown University. He joined The University of Hong Kong in 2008 and is now a full Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His research on cell/tissue mechanics and mechanics of functional materials led to publications in top journals, including Nature, Nature Physics, PNAS, Nature Communications, Science Advances and PRL, as well as awards such as Gold Medals at 2026 International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva and 2023 International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada (iCAN). Professor Lin has served as Chair of the Gordon Research Conference on Nano-Mechanical Interfaces and keynote speaker in numerous international conferences. As the PI or Co-PI, he has secured more than 15 research grants.

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Faculty of Engineering, HKU
Ms Christina Chung (Tel: 3910 3324; Email: chungmc@hku.hk)
Ms Natalie Yuen (Tel: 3917 1924; Email: natyuen@hku.hk)