Topic: Shape memory alloys and elastocaloric green refrigeration 

Speaker: Prof.Qingping SUN 

Chair Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Time: 10:00-12:00, (Mon.) Apr. 27^th, 2026

Venue: Room 356, Lee Hsun Building, IMR CAS

Abstract

Elastocaloric solid-state cooling/heating by harnessing latent heat from stress-induced cyclic phase transition of shape memory alloys (SMAs) attracted considerable interest as a greenhouse-gas-free alternative to conventional vapor-compression refrigeration technology. Developing this disruptive technology involves multidisciplinary synergy and collaborations among the fields of material science, heat transfer, solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, and advanced design and manufacturing. It progressed rapidly over the past decade. Recent breakthroughs in both materials and device levels will further accelerate the low-carbon transformation of the global cooling industry. So far, many different SMA materials have been developed and elastocaloric cooling prototypes have been built based on cyclic phase transition of NiTi SMA under compression, demonstrating great potential of commercializing this technology for future cooling and heating. This talk will present recent progress and challenges in technological development, especially the impacts of developing high-performance caloric materials on this disruptive technology.

报告人简介：

孙庆平，清华大学固体力学博士（1989），材料科学博士后（1989-91），1994年任清华大学工程力学系正教授，1995年赴香港科技大学任教。现为港科大机械与航空航天工程学讲座教授、集成微系统研究中心主任、固态制冷材料与技术实验室主任。曾任港科大机械与航空航天工程系系主任、港科大深圳研究院院长、港科大深港协同创新研究院院长、香港力学学会理事长等职。研究领域为材料科学、固体力学、多尺度与多场耦合、传热、固态制冷/制热材料与增材制造技术。孙庆平教授曾主持国家级人才计划项目、国家杰青项目、国家海外杰青项目以及港府的重大研究项目60余项。作为第一作者和通讯作者在JMPS, IJSS, Acta Materialia, PNAS, Nature, Nature Energy, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Communication, Joule, Science Advances等刊物发表学术论文200余篇。曾受聘于法国巴黎理工、巴黎高师等大学任客座教授以及武汉大学讲席教授等。曾获国家自然科学奖1项、教育部自然科学奖3项、日内瓦国际发明展金奖、特别金奖等。

Brief CV of Professor Qingping SUN

Prof. Qingping SUN received his PhD in solid mechanics from Tsinghua University in 1989. Before joining HKUST, he was a professor of solid mechanics in Tsinghua University, Beijing. He is currently Chair Professor of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Director of the Centre of Integrated Microsystems of HKUST and Director of Elastocaloric Materials and Technology lab of HKUST. He also served as founding Director of InnoHK Space Robotics and Energy Centre. Prof. Sun's primary research area is the mechanics of phase transitions in solids, with special interests in phase transition process in shape memory alloys and its application in elastocaloric cooling and heating. His research work covers a broad spectrum of problems in the interdisciplinary field of mechanics, materials science, solid state physics, heat transfer and energy conversion. Professor SUN is an internationally renowned scholar in mechanics of materials and is distinguished for his seminal contributions in the areas of shape memory alloys, modelling and simulation of multi-field coupling and multi-scaled processes in materials, and SMA-based solid-state refrigeration. He has published over 300 research papers in prestigious journals and conferences in the fields of mechanics, material science and solid-state refrigeration. He has over 20 patents on caloric materials and solid-state refrigerant devices. He received many national and international recognitions for his teaching and research, which include the "Best Engineering Teaching Excellence Award" (2002) from the HKUST; the "Citation Classic Award" from ISI; the "NSFC Outstanding Young Scholars Scheme" (1998) from the Natural Science Foundation of China; the State Natural Science Award of China (1996); the "Overseas Distinguished Young Scholars Award" from the Natural Science Foundation of China (2011). He has been invited to delivered over 50 invited Keynote Lectures and 15 Plenary Lecture in international conferences. Prof. SUN also serves the editorial boards for five international journals and served as the editor for 5 books and conference proceedings. He served as the President of Hong Kong Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Member of the General Assembly of International Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (ICTAM), and the Engineering Panel of Hong Kong Research Grant Council.