Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences hosted a Mid-Autumn Festival cultural exchange event on September 19, bringing together more than 20 international students from countries including Germany, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Iran, along with Chinese graduate students.Under the theme “Connecting Wishes Across Cultures,” the event offered an opportunity for students from different cultural backgrounds to celebrate the festival together and explore the traditions and meanings associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival.The event featured four activities: sharing festival wishes, exploring cultural traditions, interactive games, and making traditional lanterns. At the beginning of the event, participants wrote down their wishes on a wish wall and shared what reunion means to them in their own languages.During the cultural sharing session, participants learned about Mid-Autumn Festival traditions and stories, while Shabana Haneef, an international student from Pakistan, introduced a festival tradition from her home country related to the full moon. The exchange highlighted both the diversity of cultural traditions and the common sentiments that connect people across cultures.Interactive games brought an energetic atmosphere to the event, giving international students an opportunity to practice Chinese while learning more about the language and cultural traditions surrounding the festival. The celebration concluded with a hands-on lantern-making activity, through which participants experienced the creativity and craftsmanship of traditional Chinese folk culture.Cultural exchange brings people closer through shared experiences and mutual understanding. The full moon, a longstanding symbol of reunion in Chinese culture, also provided a shared moment for students from different countries to express their wishes for the future. Through activities like this, DICP continues to provide opportunities for international and Chinese students to learn from one another, appreciate different cultural traditions, and grow together.Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences hosted a Mid-Autumn Festival cultural exchange event on September 19, bringing together more than 20 international students from countries including Germany, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Iran, along with Chinese graduate students.Under the theme “Connecting Wishes Across Cultures,” the event offered an opportunity for students from different cultural backgrounds to celebrate the festival together and explore the traditions and meanings associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival.The event featured four activities: sharing festival wishes, exploring cultural traditions, interactive games, and making traditional lanterns. At the beginning of the event, participants wrote down their wishes on a wish wall and shared what reunion means to them in their own languages.During the cultural sharing session, participants learned about Mid-Autumn Festival traditions and stories, while Shabana Haneef, an international student from Pakistan, introduced a festival tradition from her home country related to the full moon. The exchange highlighted both the diversity of cultural traditions and the common sentiments that connect people across cultures.Interactive games brought an energetic atmosphere to the event, giving international students an opportunity to practice Chinese while learning more about the language and cultural traditions surrounding the festival. The celebration concluded with a hands-on lantern-making activity, through which participants experienced the creativity and craftsmanship of traditional Chinese folk culture.Cultural exchange brings people closer through shared experiences and mutual understanding. The full moon, a longstanding symbol of reunion in Chinese culture, also provided a shared moment for students from different countries to express their wishes for the future. Through activities like this, DICP continues to provide opportunities for international and Chinese students to learn from one another, appreciate different cultural traditions, and grow together.

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) announced the winners of its 2026 Prizes on June 17. The "Bio-hydrogen Cycle with Photocatalysis" team, jointly led by Prof. WANG Feng from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Prof. Paolo Fornasiero from the University of Trieste, Italy, received the 2026 Environment, Sustainability and Energy Horizon Prize: John Jeyes Prize.The award recognizes the team's pioneering work in developing improved photocatalytic approaches for solar powered hydrogen production from sustainable biomass.The team has developed efficient photocatalytic methods to produce hydrogen from biomass while generating valuable chemical products. They also proposed new strategies for converting biomass-derived molecules into hydrogen carriers for storage. In addition, they discovered a new mechanism for hydrogen activation under light-driven conditions, enabling more efficient hydrogen-related reactions under mild conditions.These advances provide a new framework for linking biomass utilization, hydrogen production, and hydrogen storage, and open new possibilities for sustainable hydrogen energy systems.The team members include (in alphabetical order by surname): Prof. CHEN Ruotian (DICP); Prof. Paolo Fornasiero (University of Trieste); Dr. GAO Zhuyan (DICP); Dr. JIN Ping (DICP); Prof. LI Rengui (DICP); Prof. LIU Wei (DICP); Prof. LUO Nengchao (DICP); Associate Professor Tiziano Montini (University of Trieste); Associate Prof. MU Junju (DICP); Dr. REN Puning (DICP); Prof. WANG Guoxiong (Fudan University); Prof. WANG Feng (DICP); Prof. XIAO Jianping (DICP); and Prof. ZHANG Fuxiang (DICP).The Royal Society of Chemistry Prizes, with a history of more than 150 years, recognize outstanding contributions to the chemical sciences. The Horizon Prizes were established to honor groups, teams and collaborations making discoveries and innovations that push the boundaries of science.

On May 27, The Royal Society announced the full list of new Fellows for 2026, with 93 Fellows and one Honorary Fellow elected. Prof. LI Can from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).Prof. LI has long been engaged in research on catalytic materials, catalytic reactions, and spectroscopic characterization, with a focus on the conversion and utilization of solar energy. His research covers photocatalytic and electrocatalytic water splitting, artificial photosynthesis for CO₂ conversion, and next-generation solar cells. He discovered the heterojunction effect in photocatalysis and the facet-dependent separation effect of photogenerated charges. He also developed ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy, short-wavelength chiral Raman spectroscopy, and spatiotemporally resolved imaging techniques for photogenerated charges, revealing the microscopic mechanism of overall photocatalytic water splitting. In addition, he demonstrated the "liquid sunshine" project in China for the large-scale production of liquid solar fuels through the catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 utilizing green hydrogen from photocatalytic water splitting and photovoltaic-powered water electrolysis, which is now widely recognized as one of the most practical routes for decarbonization.Prof. LI was elected a Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2003, a member of the Academy of Science for Developing Countries (TWAS) in 2005, and a Foreign Member of the Academia Europaea in 2008.Founded in 1660, The Royal Society is the United Kingdom’s national academy and the world’s oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. It enjoys tremendous prestige in the international scientific community. Election to the Fellowship of the Royal Society is highly selective and recognizes scientists worldwide who have made pioneering contributions in their respective fields. Distinguished Fellows throughout history include Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, Charles Darwin, James Clerk Maxwell, Albert Einstein, Paul Dirac, and Stephen Hawking.To date, 14 Chinese scientists have been elected Fellows of the Royal Society. Prof. YANG Xueming from DICP was elected in 2025.

The 6th International Congress on Catalysis for Biorefineries (CatBior 2026) was held from April 25 to 28 at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, bringing together leading scientists and industry representatives to explore the future of sustainable biomass utilization under the theme "Biorefinery Beyond Boundaries".In his opening remarks, conference chair Prof. ZHANG Tao from DICP emphasized a paradigm shift in catalysis—from maximizing conversion efficiency to optimizing atomic economy and minimizing carbon footprint. He highlighted biorefinery as a central pathway toward achieving carbon neutrality goals and encouraged young researchers to transcend disciplinary, national, and intellectual boundaries, calling for closer global collaboration within the catalysis community.Conference secretary-general Prof. WANG Feng reviewed the development of the CatBior series since its inception in 2011. He said that CatBior 2026 marked the first in-person gathering following disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and DICP's second time hosting the event since 2013, underscoring its renewed significance for international exchange.The program featured four plenary lectures, nine keynote presentations, 39 invited talks, eight contributed oral presentations, 24 young investigator forum talks, and 47 poster presentations. Topics spanned catalytic conversion of lignocellulosic biomass, biobased polymers and materials, and upcycling of plastic waste. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on catalytic mechanisms, process scale-up, carbon-neutral pathways, and industrial policy. Eight young researchers received Outstanding Poster Awards supported by the Royal Society of Chemistry.During the conference, scholars from 12 countries jointly launched the Global Biorefinery Alliance (GBA), an initiative aimed at fostering global collaboration across academia, industry, and research institutions. The alliance seeks to promote resource sharing, capacity building, and technological innovation to accelerate the transition toward sustainable biorefinery systems.At the closing ceremony, Prof. WANG noted that the field has progressed from asking whether biomass can be converted to focusing on how to achieve selective, sustainable conversion within closed carbon cycles—signaling the maturation of biorefinery research. He added that the GBA could become a lasting platform for cross-border and cross-disciplinary collaboration, while the creativity and initiative demonstrated by young scientists provide strong momentum for future advances.Finally, Prof. WANG announced that the next CatBior conference will be hosted by the National University of Singapore, and encouraged participants to sustain collaboration and friendship in advancing biorefinery research for global sustainability.The 6th CatBior 2026 was jointly organized by DICP and the Chinese Journal of Catalysis, and hosted by the Liaoning Key Laboratory of Biomass Conversion for Energy and Material and the Dalian Key Laboratory of Catalysis for Biorefineries. Supporting organizations included the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts and Green Carbon.The conference attracted more than 200 participants from 14 countries, including leading experts such as Chunbao Xu (City University of Hong Kong), Licheng Sun (Westlake University), Bert F. Sels (KU Leuven), Chao-Jun Li (McGill University), Ning Yan (National University of Singapore), Joseph S. M. Samec (Stockholm University), Keiichi Tomishige (Tohoku University), and so on.

Recently, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) ZHANG Tao from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP), CAS has been honored with the Humboldt Research Award, presented by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany.In the nominator’s project description, the Foundation highlighted that Professor Zhang is an internationally leading chemist and a pioneer of single-atom catalysis. His work has had a lasting impact on sustainable chemistry, energy conversion, and advanced catalytic materials. In Germany, he will further advance collaborative research on single-atom catalysts to deepen mechanistic understanding and enable more efficient and selective catalytic processes.The Humboldt Research Award, also known informally as the Humboldt Prize, is an award given by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany to internationally renowned scientists and scholars who work outside of Germany in recognition of their lifetime's research achievements. Recipients are "academics whose fundamental discoveries, new theories or insights have had a significant impact on their own discipline and who are expected to continue producing cutting-edge academic achievements in the future".

Recently, The Chromatographic Society announced that Prof. XU Guowang from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has been awarded the 2026 Martin Medal, becoming the first Chinese scientist to receive this award.The Martin Medal was established in 1978 and named after UK chemist Archer Martin. Martin, together with Richard Synge, received the 1952 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their pioneering work on partition chromatography. The Martin Medal is awarded to scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of separation science.Daniel Meston, the Chair of the Society's Awards Committee, said "after a lengthy nomination and evaluation process, I am very pleased to offer you the 2026 Martin Medal for your enormous contributions to chromatographic and -omics research."Prof. XU has long focused on chromatography and metabolomics research, particularly on liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) techniques and their applications in complex systems. He has led his team in method development, analytical platform construction, and applied research, establishing metabolomics and lipidomics platforms widely used in the field. He also developed pseudo-targeted metabolomics and modified metabolomics approaches, providing technical support for studies on metabolic reprogramming, biomarker discovery, and food safety analysis.Prof. XU has published several hundred scientific papers and holds over a hundred authorized patents. He previously received the 2020 CAIA Science and Technology Award (Special Prize) and the 2025 CAIA Analytical Science Award (First Prize).Prof. XU has actively promoted the internationalization of Chinese chromatography research. He has presented his work at multiple High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and International Symposium on Chromatography (ISC) meetings and served as a permanent scientific committee member of the HPLC from 2008 to 2024. He has also served as editor or editorial board member for journals including Journal of Chromatography B, Analytical Chemistry, and TrAC- Trends in Analytical Chemistry, contributing to academic exchange and collaboration between domestic and international chromatography communities.