The joint Chinese-Russian laboratory team visited Professor Chai Donglang’s lab to explore new avenues for industrial development.
Release time:
2025.04.16
In the most beautiful month of April, a new chapter of cooperation and exchange unfolds! To accelerate the commercialization of major projects from the China-Russia Joint Laboratory and boost the R&D momentum of our team, on April 14, Dr. Lei Li, Executive Director of the China-Russia Joint Laboratory, led the lab’s R&D team to Suzhou to visit Professor Donglang Chai from the Xi’an Jiaotong University Suzhou Research Institute. During the visit, they engaged in in-depth discussions on potential collaborative efforts in the field of light-metal materials. Accompanying Professor Chai were Zhang Jianfeng, Deputy Director in charge of daily operations at the Xi’an Jiaotong University Suzhou Research Institute, Dr. Hong Jin from the School of Nanotechnology, and Dr. Hui Xu.
On the day of the event, Professor Chai delivered a special report titled “Research and Development of Lightweight Materials” to researchers from the Sino-Russian Joint Laboratory and relevant departments at the Xi'an Jiaotong-Suzhou Research Institute. In his presentation, he shared his team’s years of research achievements in lightweight metals and composite materials, outlined a new vision and promising future for lightweight metal materials, and ignited the innovative passion of the young researchers in attendance, providing a powerful boost to the next generation’s efforts to push the boundaries of materials science!
As the unsung hero behind the “Tianwen Mars Exploration” mission, the Tianwen-1 Mars probe has adopted one of the world’s lightest metallic structural materials— a new magnesium-lithium alloy—developed by Professor Chai. “It boasts low density, excellent resistance to electromagnetic interference, radiation, creep, and fatigue...,” said Professor Chai Donglang at the event, enthusiastically listing the alloy’s many outstanding features and performance characteristics. According to Professor Chai’s students, this venerable scholar, though well into his seventies, remains deeply involved in every aspect of his work, tirelessly active on the front lines of scientific research and professional teaching. He is not only an academic giant in the field of materials science but also a role model for educators, inspiring profound admiration in all who know him!
Following the special report, Professor Chai patiently and thoroughly answered questions from the audience regarding the R&D and innovation efforts of the members of the China-Russia Joint Laboratory team. The atmosphere at the scene was lively and engaging. Dr. Lei Li expressed gratitude to Professor Chai for his selfless sharing and generous guidance, as well as for his long-term support and assistance to the China-Russia Joint Laboratory.
Dr. Lei Li stated that the China-Russia Joint Laboratory aligns closely with Professor Chai’s research area in lightweight materials, particularly in the development of light metal materials. The China-Russia Joint Laboratory will also fully leverage its strengths in talent and technology to promote deepened cooperation among industry, academia, and research institutions. It is hoped that under Professor Chai’s guidance, the laboratory team will develop multifaceted application scenarios and launch landmark, exemplary innovative products, thereby facilitating the practical implementation and commercialization of more cutting-edge R&D achievements.
Subsequently, the laboratory team visited Professor Chai’s Nanomaterials Laboratory for Metallic Materials at the Suzhou Research Institute of Xi’an Jiaotong University, the New Materials Technology Laboratory, the Suzhou Key Laboratory for Light Metals and Their Composite Materials, and the Public Technical Service Platform for Testing and Analysis of High-Performance Metallic Materials. Together, they explored new directions for the development of lightweight materials and sought out new opportunities for collaborative growth.
Introduction to Professor Chai Donglang
Professor Chai Donglang is an outstanding Communist Party member and a member of the Party branch for technological innovation at the Suzhou Research Institute of Xi'an Jiaotong University. He serves as the Director of the New Materials Technology Laboratory at the Suzhou Research Institute of Xi'an Jiaotong University and is also the head of the Suzhou Key Laboratory for Light Metals and Their Composite Materials. For over 20 years, Professor Chai has been engaged in research on lightweight high-strength materials, metal-matrix composites, and the mesoscopic mechanical properties of composite materials. He has led and undertaken numerous scientific research projects, including those funded by the National Natural Science Foundation, the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Special Project for Early-Stage Research in Major Basic Studies, the Key Pre-research Program of the Commission of Science and Technology for National Defense, and the Key Pre-research Program of the General Equipment Department.
Professor Chai Donglang has served as the Director of the Technical Committee on Heat Treatment of Typical Parts under the National Society for Heat Treatment, the Director of the Technical Committee on Physical Metallurgy under the National Society for Materials and Heat Treatment, and the Honorary Chairman of the Shaanxi Society for Materials and Heat Treatment. He has received numerous awards, including the Third Prize for National Scientific and Technological Progress, the Second Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress from the Ministry of Education, the Shaanxi Province Outstanding Talent Award in Aerospace Technology, the Special Contribution Award from the Heat Treatment Branch of the Chinese Society of Mechanical Engineering, the First Prize for Excellent Achievements in Teaching Reform at Xi'an Jiaotong University, the First-Class Teacher Model Award from Xi'an Jiaotong University, and the Wang Kuancheng Talent Cultivation Award, among others. He has led the drafting of two national standards and two national military standards, presided over more than 20 projects at or above the national and provincial/ministerial levels, and published over 70 academic papers.
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