Recently, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) announced its funding list for Integration Projects under the 2024 NSFC Major Research Plan on the “Foundational Research on High-Performance Materials with Sequentially Structured Functional Units”. The project, “Development and Manufacturing of Sequentially Structured Plastic Ceramics”, led by Professor Zhao Zhisheng from Academician Tian Yongjun’s team at the State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology at YSU, has been approved with a direct funding of RMB11 million. This project represents the first Integration Project for which we have been approved under the NSFC Major Research Plan, following our success in securing approval for the NSFC Regional Innovation and Development Joint Fund Integration Project in December 2024. This approval represents yet another major breakthrough in our foundational research.
Ceramics are known for their exceptional properties, including lightweight, high strength, resistance to high temperatures, and wear resistance. However, they exhibit poor toughness and a lack of plasticity at room or low temperatures, which makes them susceptible to brittle fracture. This critical weakness hinders their engineering applications. Achieving plasticity in ceramics at room (or low) temperatures remains a significant scientific challenge. The recently approved Integration Project is led by YSU, in collaboration with the University of Science and Technology Beijing, Tsinghua University, and the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The project aims to address the longstanding challenge of the lack of plasticity in ceramics at room temperatures that has limited their major engineering applications. The structural design strategy based on “functional units-sequential structuring” will be utilized to develop a range of ceramic materials that exhibit high plasticity at room temperatures. The project will also delve into the formation rules of functional units and sequencing methods, as well as their impact on the strength and plasticity of ceramics. The goal is to create a range of original, sequentially-structured plastic ceramics that are entirely developed by China, and establish core manufacturing technologies with independent intellectual property rights, ultimately enabling the manufacturing, processing, and significant engineering applications of large-sized, sequentially-structured plastic ceramics.
Research Content and Objectives of the Integration Projects
The NSFC Major Research Plan is designed to address critical national strategic concerns and explore scientific frontiers through a cluster of projects with shared objectives and research directions. The Integration Projects build on the planning and achievements of earlier Key Projects and the Incubation Projects under the Major Research Plan, focusing on critical research directions with significant potential for breakthroughs. By pooling top resources, these Projects, as the highest tier of projects that receive the most substantial funding under the Major Research Plan, aim to achieve groundbreaking advancements, placing China at the forefront of research in these fields globally. Leading an Integration Project under the NSFC Major Research Plan highlights YSU’s strong capabilities and prominence in foundational materials science research. This will provide crucial support for advancing the university’s “Double First-Class” initiative and promoting its high-quality development to the fullest potential.
