On July 8, the national science and technology award conference, the general assemblies of the members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the 11th national congress of the China Association for Science and Technology were held in Beijing. Two achievements from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences were honored at the ceremony. The achievement "Single-Atom Catalysis" received the First Prize of the State Natural Science Award, while "Key Technologies and Applications of a New Generation of Large-Scale All-Vanadium Flow Batteries" received the Second Prize of the State Technological Invention Award.
Achievement in Single-Atom Catalysis
Heterogeneous catalysis underpins the modern chemical industry and plays an essential role in energy conversion, materials synthesis, environmental protection, and healthcare. At the heart of every catalytic reaction are active sites, where reactants are transformed into products. The number, structure, and chemical environment of these active sites determine catalytic activity and selectivity. Achieving atomically precise control over active sites while maximizing metal utilization has therefore long been a central objective in heterogeneous catalysis research.
Since the 1980s, Prof. ZHANG Tao at DICP has focused on the fundamental science of highly dispersed supported metal catalysts, aiming to understand catalytic processes at the atomic level and enable the rational design of catalysts. After more than two decades of sustained research, his team prepared the world's first practical supported single-atom catalyst, Pt1/FeOx, in 2009. Building on this breakthrough, the team, in collaboration with Prof. LI Jun of Tsinghua University and Prof. LIU Jingyue of Arizona State University, proposed the concept of Single-Atom Catalysis (SAC) in 2011.
The researchers subsequently expanded SAC to a broad range of catalytic reactions, elucidated its fundamental characteristics and reaction mechanisms, and developed theoretical frameworks describing the stability of single-atom catalysts. Together, these advances transformed SAC from a pioneering concept into a well-established research field.
Single-atom catalysts can, in principle, maximize the utilization efficiency of metal atoms. More importantly, single-atom catalysis has advanced the understanding of catalytic active sites from the conventional micro- and nanoscale to the atomic scale, laying the foundation for atomically precise catalysis. SAC has opened a new frontier in heterogeneous catalysis and has significantly shaped the development of modern catalytic science.
Guided by SAC, researchers worldwide have translated the concept into industrial applications, including vinyl chloride production, heterogeneous olefin hydroformylation, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and the production of fine chemicals.
The award-winning SAC achievement comprises three key advances: the introduction of the concept of Single-Atom Catalysis, which established a new research frontier; the exploration of SACs for a broad range of catalytic reactions, together with the elucidation of its fundamental characteristics and mechanisms; and the development of stability theories for single-atom catalysts, along with the discovery of dynamic catalytic behaviors of single-atom catalysis processes.
The achievement was jointly completed by Prof. ZHANG Tao of DICP, Prof. LI Jun of Tsinghua University, and Prof. WANG Aiqin, Prof. QIAO Botao, and Prof. YANG Xiaofeng of DICP, together with their collaborators.
As the cornerstone of this achievement, SAC is an original scientific concept first proposed and systematically developed by Chinese researchers. It is widely recognized as one of the few landmark concepts in the more than a century-long history of catalysis to originate in China and gain broad international recognition.
Achievement in "Key Technologies and Applications of a New Generation of Large-Scale All-Vanadium Flow Batteries"
As renewable energy deployment accelerates worldwide, long-duration energy storage has become essential for reliable, low-carbon power systems. Among various energy storage technologies, vanadium flow batteries (VFBs) are highly promising due to their long cycle life, safety, scalability, and suitability for grid-scale application. However, achieving high performance, affordability, and system reliability has been challenging.
Over recent decades, Prof. LI Xianfeng and his team from DICP have addressed these challenges through continuous innovation. After demonstrating a megawatt-scale VFB system in 2012, the team pioneered a new generation of technologies—ion-exchange membranes, vanadium electrolytes, battery stack design, and system integration.
A key breakthrough was the introduction of the "ion-sieving conduction" concept, which led to the development of high-performance and ion-conducting membranes. Combined with innovations in vanadium electrolyte, stack design, and system integration, these advances established a complete technology platform for next-generation VFBs.
This next-generation VFB technology has moved from laboratory research to large-scale commercial implementation. Over the past five years, more than 30 projects have been deployed globally. Notable achievements include the world's first 100 MW/400 MWh VFB peak-shaving power station and the 200 MW/1 GWh Jimusar photovoltaic-plus-storage project in Xinjiang—the largest VFB installation in the world to date. Collectively, the projects based on this technology exceed 4 GWh of installed capacity, capturing a significant share of the global VFB market.
Additionally, the project has built a strong intellectual property portfolio with more than 200 granted invention patents, including 12 international patents. Multiple technologies have been licensed to industrial partners domestically and internationally. The team also helped develop the first international standard for flow batteries, along with more than 20 national and industry standards, facilitating the standardization and commercialization of large-scale flow battery systems.
By strengthening both the scientific foundations and engineering aspects of VFBs, this effort has sped up the commercialization of long-duration energy storage, enhanced the VFB supply chain, and has supported the large-scale integration of renewable energy into future power systems.
DICP and Rongke Power jointly completed the award-winning project.