A research team led by Professor Lu Yi-chun, Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), has successfully developed a new high-energy-density nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion battery using an innovative electrolyte. Even under severe mechanical abuse from a nail penetration test, the battery maintains its safety and can achieve up to about 1,000 charge cycles. This breakthrough combines performance and safety, offering a solution for energy storage and electric mobility. The research findings have been published in the leading journal Nature Energy.

The safety risks of high-energy-density batteries limit their practical applications

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in electric vehicles (EV), grid-scale energy storage and consumer electronics. However, their high energy density also poses potential risks, such as thermal runaway, which can lead to explosions. Other options present trade-offs: lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries offer excellent safety but lower energy density, limiting driving range and compactness. Conversely, NMC lithium-ion batteries deliver the high energy density needed for long-range EVs and advanced storage but their safety vulnerabilities remain a major concern. Therefore, developing intrinsically safe lithium-ion batteries has become an urgent priority.

Solvent-relay electrolyte enables both safety and long cycle life

The research team has developed a solvent-relay strategy that automatically suppresses harmful reactions as the battery temperature rises, effectively interrupting the cascade that leads to thermal runaway. In nail penetration tests, the new NMC battery remained stable, while conventional designs ignited within four seconds. This safety innovation does not compromise performance, with the battery achieving about 1,000 stable cycles, a rare combination of high energy density and outstanding safety.

Professor Lu said: “This research opens the door to the reliable deployment of high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries, giving users confidence. We aim to validate our strategy in larger-format cells, laying the foundation for the commercialisation of intrinsically safe high-energy batteries. This breakthrough not only has a profound impact on the electric vehicle industry but also drives safety upgrades for large-scale energy storage systems, reducing public safety risks caused by battery failures. As the world accelerates its energy transition, safe and efficient battery technologies will be key to achieving carbon neutrality. We hope this research will provide the industry with a viable technological pathway and lead the development of next-generation lithium-ion batteries.”

Professor Chen Lian Kuan, Professor of the Department of Information Engineering of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and Professor Xu Jianbin, Choh-Ming Li Professor of Electronic Engineering of the Department of Electronic Engineering and Associate Dean (Mainland Affairs) of the Faculty of Engineering at CUHK, have been elected as 2026 Fellows of Optica.  

Professor Chen is elected for outstanding advances to the research of optical wireless communications for indoor, underwater, and water-air channels; while Professor Xu is honored for his outstanding and sustained contributions to two-dimensional materials in optoelectronics, photonics, plasmonics, and near-field radiative heat transfer.

The Board of Directors of Optica, Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, recently elected 121 members from 23 countries to the Society’s 2026 Fellow Class. Optica Fellows are selected based on several factors, including outstanding contributions to research, business, education, engineering, and service to Optica and the community.

Professor Chen has been with CUHK since 1992. He was the Department Chairman from 2004 to 2006. His research includes visible-light communication, optical wireless communication, next-generation local access networks, transmission systems, optical/electronic signal processing, performance monitoring, and biophotonics. Professor Chen has published more than 300 papers in refereed international conferences and journals. He has served as an associate editor of IEEE Photonics Technology Letters (2005-2011) and Optica/IEEE Journal of Optical Communications and Networking (2012-2015). 

Professor Xu is currently Choh-Ming Li Chair Professor of Electronic Engineering, FIEEE, FHKIE, FEURASC, Associate Dean of Engineering (Mainland Affairs), and Director of Materials Science and Technology Research Center. He has played a pivotal role in nanotechnology and electronics. His research interests include nanoscience and nanotechnology for electron devices and micro/nanoelectronics, namely 2D materials and devices; scanning probe techniques for electronics; advanced energy science and technology; interface engineering for materials and devices; physics and technology of organic semiconductors; functional and electronic oxides, etc. 

Optica (formerly OSA), Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, is the society dedicated to promoting the generation, application, archiving and dissemination of knowledge in the field. Founded in 1916, it is the leading organization for scientists, engineers, business professionals, students and others interested in the science of light. Optica’s renowned publications, meetings, online resources and in-person activities fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate scientific, technical and educational achievement.

List of 2026 Fellows of Optica

A cross-institutional research team supervised by Professor Bei Yu from Department of Computer Science and Engineering at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), in collaboration with National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) and Giga Design Automation Co., Ltd., has won First Place in Problem C at the 2025 ICCAD CAD Contest—one of the world’s most prestigious competitions in Electronic Design Automation (EDA). The team was officially recognized for this outstanding victory during the International Conference on Computer-Aided Design (ICCAD 2025), which successfully concluded on October 30, 2025, in Munich, Germany.

Under the supervision of Dr. Yun Shao, Professor Bei Yu, and Professor Chun-Yao Wang, the team achieved the global championship, ranking #1 among nearly 50 teams worldwide. They competed in Problem C, titled “Incremental Placement Optimization Beyond Detailed Placement: Simultaneous Gate Sizing, Buffering, and Cell Relocation.” Designed by NVIDIA, this topic addressed critical challenges in integrated circuit physical design, tasking contestants with balancing timing, power, and area through a coordinated approach integrating placement optimization, gate sizing, and buffering techniques.

The contest featured a rigorous three-stage evaluation process—Alpha, Beta, and Final tests—where teams were ranked based on the performance of their source code. The joint team’s solution demonstrated exceptional engineering quality and efficient runtime performance across all phases. By implementing novel techniques that fused GPU-based multi-objective optimization with evolutionary algorithms, they secured the First Prize of NT$70,000. This remarkable achievement highlights the strong collaboration between CUHK and NTHU, showcasing the team’s technical excellence, cutting-edge research, and growing global influence in the EDA community.

About ICCAD Contest

The CAD Contest at ICCAD is a challenging, multi-month, research and development competition, focusing on advanced, real-world problems in the field of Electronic Design Automation (EDA). It is open to multi-person teams world-wide. Each year the organizing committee announce three challenging problems in different topic areas provided by industrial companies. Contestants can participate in one or more problems. The prizes will be awarded at an ICCAD special session dedicated to this contest.

Since its inaugural year of 2012, the CAD Contest at ICCAD has been attracting more than a hundred teams per year, fostering productive industry-academia collaborations, and leading to hundreds of publications in top-tier conferences and journals. The contest undoubtedly boosts EDA research and keeps enhancing its impact.

Contest Website: http://iccad-contest.org/
Award link: https://www.iccad-contest.org/2025/Winners.html

Team Members

CUHK

• Fangzhou Liu
• Supervisor: Bei Yu

National Tsing Hua University

• Wuqian Tang
• Bo-Ying Wang
• Han-Wen Tsao
• An-Chieh Shen
• Supervisor: Chun-Yao Wang

Giga Design Automation

• Supervisor: Yun Shao