Title: Research Progress of Bulk Ferroelectrics over the Past Decade

Speaker: Prof. ZHANG Shujun

Time: 10:00 AM, June22,2026 

Venue: Lecture Hall,Yifu Science Building

Abstract:

Since Valasek first discovered ferroelectricity in Rochelle salt in 1920 and published the first relevant report in 1921, tremendous progress has been achieved in the research of ferroelectric mechanisms and materials. Particularly over the past decade, remarkable breakthroughs have been made in bulk ferroelectrics, spanning multi-scale theoretical calculations, material design and fabrication, as well as emerging applications.

This talk will systematically review the research advances of bulk ferroelectrics over the last ten years across three dimensions: material systems (including lead-free materials, relaxor ferroelectric single crystals and high-entropy materials), material fabrication and processing technologies (such as low-temperature sintering, AC poling and additive manufacturing), and emerging applications (including flexible and wearable medical sensors, implantable devices, portable equipment and interdisciplinary applications). The presentation will conclude with a prospect of future research trends for ferroelectrics in sustainable development, human healthcare and energy-related sectors.

Biography:

Prof. Shujun ZHANG received his B.Sc. (1994) and Ph.D. (2000) in Solid State Chemistry from Shandong University. From 2000 to 2015, he held various academic and research positions—including postdoctoral scholar, research associate, assistant professor, associate professor, and professor—in the Materials Research Institute and Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University, USA. In 2015, he joined the University of Wollongong, Australia, as a professor and was later appointed Distinguished Professor. In 2025, he became Chair Professor of Ceramics in the Department of Chemistry at City University of Hong Kong.

Prof. Zhang's research focuses on electronic materials, with particular emphasis on dielectric and ferroelectric materials for applications in transducers, sensors, electrocaloric, energy harvesting, and energy storage. He has been recognized as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in either Cross-Field or Materials Science since 2021. He has received many awards and honours, including election as an Academician of the World Academy of Ceramics, IEEE Fellow, Fellow of the American Ceramic Society and ARC Future Fellowship. He is the recipient of the visiting Cheung Kong Scholar award, the Ross Coffin Purdy Award from the American Ceramic Society, the NSW Premier’s Prize for Science & Engineering, the Vice-Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award for Researcher of the Year at the University of Wollongong, the IEEE UFFC Society’s Ferroelectrics Young Investigator Award and the Ferroelectrics Recognition Award.

Prof. Zhang served as an elected member of the IEEE UFFC AdCom from 2016 to 2018 and as Vice President for Ferroelectrics of the IEEE UFFC Society from 2021 to 2023. He is the Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief of Microstructures, Section Editor-in-Chief of Crystals, and serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Ceramic Society, IEEE Transactions on UFFC, and Science Bulletin. He has been a long-standing symposium organizer for the Electronic Materials & Applications Conference (ACerS) from 2015 to 2025 and was the General Co-Chair of the 2021 ISAF-ISIF-PFM joint conference held in Sydney. To date, he has delivered more than 170 invited, keynote, and plenary presentations at international conferences, academic institutions, and industry events in the fields of ferroelectric and electronic materials.

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