In the News
To reduce plastic pollution and promote environmental sustainability, scholars from the Lingnan University School of Interdisciplinary Studies (SIS) and their research team developed a successful new eco-friendly bioplastic material. Unlike conventional plastics, it degrades naturally into harmless water and carbon dioxide in as little as 29 days under ambient conditions, and is a practical way to mitigate global plastic pollution. The paper, titled “Sustainable DNA-polysaccharide hydrogels as recyclable bioplastics”, was published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, with Prof Ke Yujie, Assistant Professor from the SIS as the first author, and Prof Chen Xi, Dean and Chair Professor of the SIS as the corresponding author.
Lingnan’s research team has developed Hong Kong’s first live GeoAI (Geospatial Artificial Intelligence) platform for mosquito-borne disease control, which integrates Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) to provide actual and predictive mosquito risk analyses. The platform is now operational at Kwun Lung Lau in Kennedy Town, and there are plans to extend it to Healthy Village in North Point, and Lai Tak Tsuen in Tai Hang - altogether covering eight mosquito monitoring points. It gives frontline property management staff current data to improve mosquito control operations and reduce the risks of mosquito-borne diseases such as chikungunya and dengue fever. Prof Paulina Wong Pui-yun, Head and Associate Professor (Presidential Early Career Scholar) of the Science Unit, who led the development of the GeoAI platform, explained that the initiative began in July 2025 in partnership with the Hong Kong Housing Society. In addition to technical support, Lingnan provides data analytics services, including mosquito species identification from captured samples, and three-day risk forecasts, and generates risk maps for targeted control.
Prof Zhao Xiaofeng, Associate Professor of the Department of Finance and Associate Director of Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies at Lingnan University, in collaboration with researchers from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, has developed a new economic indicator, which uses thermal infrared radiation data to monitor the production and operation of enterprises in real time, and accurately predicts changes in their future profitability in terms of sales growth. The findings were recently featured in the prestigious international finance journal “Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis”, and received support from the General Research Fund of the Hong Kong Research Grants Council amounting to about HKD$400,000.
Scholars from Lingnan University’s School of Interdisciplinary Studies and their collaborators have published a pioneering study online in top-tier, peer-reviewed, scientific journal Advanced Energy Materials. The study introduces a novel “anode-free sodium battery” that, by tuning the salt concentration in the electrolyte, reduces the risks of short circuits and shortened lifespan during fast charging. Laboratory tests have demonstrated that this new type of battery can be charged within minutes while maintaining safety and stability. The research team noted that this breakthrough provides valuable insights into the design of safe and stable anode-free sodium batteries, laying the groundwork for future applications. They hope to extend their findings beyond laboratory-scale prototypes to larger applications in electric vehicles, renewable energy storage such as wind and solar power, and consumer electronics.
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