Knowledge Transfer Office

NewsletterTransforming Knowledge Into Practice

www.cityu.edu.hk/kto

No.7, December 2011

Technology Licensing TeamAssociate Vice-President(Knowledge Transfer)Mr H Y WongTel: 3442 6428Email: hy.wong@cityu.edu.hk

Associate DirectorMr David CheungTel: 3442 6733Email: david.cccheung@cityu.edu.hk

Senior Technology Transfer OfficerMr Tomson LeeTel: 3442 6441Email: thmlee@cityu.edu.hk

Technology Transfer OfficerDr Victor LauTel: 3442 6822Email: victolau@cityu.edu.hk

Technologies for Licensing DatabaseBrowse our database to find a technology that suits your needshttp://www6.cityu.edu.hk/kto/Technology-Licensing.html

Enquiries / comments on this newsletterEliza ChanEmail: elizac@cityu.edu.hkTel: 3442 6442Rm 401, Festival Walk Office Tower80 Tat Chee AveKowloon TongHong Kong

Join CUBICCUBIC regularly organizes seminars and gatherings where members can mix and mingle with CityU researchers and industrial leaders. Please scroll to the last page for the membership form.

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NewsletterTransforming Knowledge Into Practice

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Table of ContentsChina hi-tech fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Shenzhen research institute

orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Getting to know CityU’s technology

licensing officers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3InnoCarnival showcases students’

creativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Forum on nanocomposite coating

technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Forum on building and construction

technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6CUBIC interest group gatherings . . . . . . . 6Granted patents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

China hi-tech fair

R esearch projects conducted by CityU researchers were on display at the 2011 China Hi-tech Fair held in the Shenzhen Exhibition

and Convention Centre from 16 to 21 November. CityU was winner of five Excellent Products Awards which recognized the University’s research capabilities.

The winning projects were namelyFlexible organic RFID tags and smart sensors for food safetyPrincipal investigator: Dr A L Roy VellaisamyDepartment of Physics and Materials ScienceBy applying thin film transistors technology, the research team has developed RFID tags and amine sensors made from inexpensive molecular materials. The sensors and tags can be printed en masse.

Staff and students pose in front of the CityU booth.

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Low-cost polymer nano-composite solar modulesPrincipal investigator: Dr A L Roy VellaisamyDepartment of Physics and Materials ScienceThe research team manages to fabricate environmental friendly and recyclable photovoltaic materials by using polymer nanocomposites.

3G real-time video surveillance cloud service systemPrincipal investigator: Prof Jia WeijiaDepartment of Computer ScienceWeZOOM is a software tool that connects 3G mobile network, WiFi, and the internet. With WeZOOM, video surveillance can be accessible via 3G phones, PDAs, and laptops.

Constructed mangrove wetland as sewage treatment technologyPrincipal investigator: Prof Nora TamThe bioremediation project proposes to apply mangrove plantation to alleviate water pollution in Shenzhen Bay to create a healthy and sustainable wetland ecology.

Research on energy-use strategy and construction costs of mangrovesPrincipal investigator: Prof Nora TamThe project compares the energy demand of alien and native mangrove species in the Shenzhen Futian Nature Reserve to evaluate the invasive potential of alien species.

In addition to the Excellent Products Awards, the University also earned one Excellent Organization Award and one Excellent Display Award.

CityU as a member of the Shenzhen Virtual University Park was invited to attend the Assembly of the Shenzhen Virtual University Park, one of the events organized in conjunction with the China Hi-tech Fair. Representing the University were Prof Xue Quan, Associate Vice-President (Innovation Advancement and China Office) and Mr H Y Wong, Associate Vice-President (Knowledge Transfer).

The displayed projects, arranged in alphabetical order by title, are listed below:

Project title Principal investigator Department

A novel ozone catalytic oxidation-based dyeing wastewater treatment technology

Dr Oscar Hui System Engineering and Engineering Management

A rapid identification kit for meat ingredients for enhancing food safety

Prof Cheng Shuk Han Biology and Chemistry

Aerial holographic projection Dr Peter Tsang Electronic Engineering

Bias-free magnetoresistive sensors Dr Antonio Ruotolo Physics and Materials Science

Enhanced dissolution and bioavailability of Western or bioactive components from herbal drugs by molecular encapsulation technique

Dr Cheung Hon Yeung Biology and Chemistry

Flexible organic RFID tags and smart sensors for food safety Dr A L Roy Vellaisamy Physics and Materials Science

Industrialization and application of superhard nanocomposite coatings and their preparation technique

Dr Lawrence Li Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering

Low-cost chemosensing approaches for clinical, food, and environment testing

Dr Michael Lam Biology and Chemistry

Low-cost polymer nano-composite solar modules Dr A L Roy Vellaisamy Physics and Materials Science

Low-cost smart power quality and continuous waveform compression meter for smart metering infrastructure

Dr Norman TseDr Ricky Lau

Building Science and Technology / Electronic Engineering

New technologies for application of advanced materials in structural engineering

Dr Wu Yufei Civil and Architectural Engineering

Plasma-assisted catalytic oxidation (PACO) technology for indoor air purification

Dr Oscar Hui System Engineering and Engineering Management

Replacement lamp driver with universal compatibility Prof Henry Chung Electronic Engineering

Smart picogrid demand response solution for world-class city Dr Tsang Kim Fung Electronic Engineering

Solar heat absorbing window Dr Chow Tin Tai Building Science and Technology

3D sound Dr Peter Tsang Electronic Engineering

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licensing of telecommunications and electronic technologies.

Mr Tomson Lee, Senior Technology Transfer Officer, has a varied career in engineering, sales, marketing and business development

in electronics. He was a Business Development Executive of IBM Research prior to taking up his present position at CityU. Mr Lee looks after the licensing of technologies related to IT, computer and electronics.

Dr Victor Lau joined the University recently. A specialist in material science and chemistry, Dr Lau has over 10 years of experience in flexible electronics manufacturing. On top of flexible electronics, Dr Lau is also interested in molecular electronics, printed electronics, and biomedical engineering. At KTO, he is responsible for

Shenzhen research institute orientation

E xisting and prospective users of the CityU Shenzhen Research Institute Building (CityUSRIB)

participated in an orientation programme held on 11 November 2011 in the building. Over 70 Hong Kong and mainland CityU staff members were present, among them senior administrators, researchers, and representatives from various Colleges and Schools. At the orientation, Prof Gregory Raupp, Vice-President (Research and Technology), Prof Xue Quan,

Associate Vice-President (Innovation Advancement and China Office), and Mr H Y Wong, Associate Vice-President (Knowledge Transfer) gave participants a quick overview of the Shenzhen Research Institute’s (SRI) mission and structure, research opportunities and grants available on the mainland, and the overall administration of the SRI. The participants also visited the facilities of the CityUSRIB, which officially started operation last January.

Prof Gregory Raupp

Mr Tomson Lee

Prof Xue Quan

Getting to know CityU’s technology licensing officers

T echnology licensing, an effective vehicle of knowledge transfer, is popular among many well-

established universities. CityU is no exception. At Knowledge Transfer Office (KTO), a technology licensing team is set up to provide assistance to CityU inventors interested in taking their innovative technologies to a wider public.

At the helm of the licensing team is Mr David Cheung, Associate Director of KTO. Mr Cheung, a veteran business executive, has extensive experience in technology licensing, technical management in R&D, and strategic business development for high-tech companies. Before joining CityU, Mr Cheung was Chief Technical Officer of Chung Nam Electronics Co Ltd. On top of overseeing KTO’s overall licensing activities, he is also responsible for the

a range of fields including coating and materials technologies, electronics, and biotechnology.

“I am extremely delighted to have such a line-up of talent working at CityU. Together the trio bring with them over 80 years of industrial experience covering a wide spectrum of technology areas. Technology licensing requires multiple skills and a diversified base of knowledge. A technology licensing professional has to understand and appreciate the technology to be licensed. He also has to be conversant with patent prosecution process and contract preparation. Last but not least, he has to be good at marketing and business negotiation. The diverse nature of technology licensing makes it a very challenging task, and therefore a resourceful technology licensing team from eclectic backgrounds is essential,” Mr H Y Wong, Associate Vice-President for Knowledge Transfer said.

At the helm of the licensing team is Mr David Cheung, Associate

Dr Victor Lau

Mr David Cheung

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Young children show great interest in CityU exhibits

Future electric vehicle

InnoCarnival showcases students’ creativity

R esearch projects conducted by CityU staff and students were on display at the InnoCarnival

organized by the Innovation and Technology Commission. The InnoCarnival was held in the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks from 5 to 13 November as a key event of ITC’s InnoTech Month 2011. InnoCarnival is an annual event aiming to promote innovation and technology to the general public.

Local universities and organizations promoting science and technology were invited to showcase their innovative inventions at the InnoCarnival. Most CityU projects on display were in fact undergraduates’ final-year project assignments, covering fields such as civil engineering, nanotechnology, energy conservation, biotechnology, and environmental conservation. To qualify for graduation, CityU undergraduates enrolled in most programmes have to conduct final-year projects under the supervision of academic staff.

One example of prototypes produced by CityU students was a climbing robot for inspecting cables of suspension bridges. The climbing robot was the brainchild of Simon Tsui, Michael Leung, Peter Chu and Chloe Cheng, who were enrolled in the mechatronics (BEMTE) programme under the supervision of Dr Luk Bing Lam of the Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering.

When asked how did the climbing robot distinguish itself from other climbing robots on the market, Simon Tsui said, “Our robot is specially designed for inspecting the cables of suspension bridges. It is low-cost, compact in size, and easy to set up, and may be the first of its kind in Hong Kong. To achieve the advantages I mentioned, we adopted a multi-robot cooperation strategy.

Inventors of the climbing robot: (from left to right): Michael Leung, Simon Tsui, and Chloe Cheng (Peter Chu not present)

Actually, we were inspired by the social behaviour of ants, which always work together as a unified entity to achieve difficult and complex tasks.”

The most difficult part of the research process, according to Michael Leung, was coming to an agreement over robot designs.

“We had to try our best to listen to one another’s views and I’d say communication played a key role in our research process,” Leung said.

The team had a steep learning curve over the year past. One of the challenges the young inventors had to overcome was budget constraints. On top of a tight

budget, the students also had to create their own substitutes for out-of-stock software and hardware parts.

Alike the climbing robot, the future electric vehicle was the fruitful result of an undergraduate final-year project. The vehicle was developed by Poon Hung Piu under the supervision of Dr Robin Li of the Department of Electronic Engineering. A major feature of the electric vehicle is its ability to stabilize itself when travelling or swerving at a high speed. The batteries of the vehicle can be recharged in wireless charging mode. Mr Poon said he was intent on inventing technologies that would put passengers’ safety and comfort first, and that he would keep on improving his invention beyond graduation.

The InnoTech Month 2011 started from 21 October through 3 December, featuring roadshows, exhibitions, conferences, seminars, and workshops. Last year’s InnoTech Month attracted over 130,000 participants.

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Forum on nanocomposite coating technologies

T he forum, held in the CityU Shenzhen Research Institute Building on September 16,

showcased CityU’s latest nanocomposite coating technologies, and attracted about 60 participants, most of whom were industrialists and business executives stationed in the Pearl River Delta region. The CityU scientists invited to speak at the forum were Dr Zhang Wenjun, Dr He Bin, Dr Zhou Zhifeng, and Dr Sam Shum.

Dr Zhang is a member of the Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films and Associate Professor of the Department of Physics and Materials Science, while Dr He is Research Fellow of the department. They gave a thorough account on the synthesis and applications of cubic boron nitride films. Cubic boron nitride (cBN)

is structurally analogous to diamonds, which are valued for their ability to withstand extreme temperatures, hardness, and heat conductivity. Recent studies have suggested that cBN is potentially superior to diamonds as a semiconducting material. In their presentation, Dr Zhang and Dr He introduced new approaches to improve the thickness, crystallinity, and adhesion of cBN films, as well as the applications of cBN films in the mechanical, electronic, and optoelectronic fields.

The second presentation by Dr Zhou Zhifeng, Senior Research Fellow of the Advanced Coatings Applied Research Laboratory (ACARL), centred on the engineering and mechanical applications of hard / superhard nanocomposite coatings. The wear and tear through daily use not only shortens the

lifespan of mechanical tools and parts but also increases energy consumption. To address this problem, ACARL has developed a multifunctional physical vapour deposition (PVD) system for producing nanocomposite superhard coatings. Dr Zhou also gave an overview of the advanced coatings developed by ACARL for industrial use, and he was optimistic that new coatings would revolutionize the manufacturing industry in the next five to 10 years.

Dr Sam Shum, Research Fellow of ACARL, talked in length about a novel laser patterning approach capable of increasing the hydrohobicity of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings, which are used to minimize sticking

phenomena on the surface of surgical tools. The proposed approach is simple and effective, and will not bring about any changes to the original properties of the coatings. The patterning of steel surface, followed by DLC coating deposition, is a novel method to enhance the non-stick quality of surgical tools, as well as other medial devices. In particular, Dr Shum expounded on a laser patterning method to improve the wear performance of the DLC coatings. The results showed that the DLC coatings with appropriate patterns have better wear performance in terms of soft friction coefficient, wear rate and wear life, as compared to un-textured DLC coatings. Those results can probably shed light on a new direction to reduce the friction and wear of a surface other than pure coatings.

Prof Xue Quan, Associate Vice-President (Innovation Advancement and China Office), welcomes the audience

(From left to right) Dr He Bin, Dr Zhou Zhifeng and Dr Sam Shum

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(From left to right) Dr Wu Yufei and Dr John Cheung

Forum on building and construction technologies

I n the Technology Transfer Forum held on 28 September, two CityU scientists were invited to present

CityU’s achievements in building and construction.

In the first presentation, Dr Wu Yufei of the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering introduced an innovative method to improve the ductility of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) concrete structures. The ductility of concrete structures is vital to structural safety, and Dr Wu pointed out that by inserting a ductile block in the compression zone of an FRP reinforced concrete structure, the ductility of the structure can be significantly enhanced. Dr Wu also developed a new technology to avoid debonding between FRP sheets and concrete structures for structural rehabilitation works. To rehabilitate existing structures, FRP sheets or bars are affixed to concrete structures by using epoxy resin but the bonding effect is far from satisfactory. To address the problem, Dr Wu has developed a special but simple mechanical fastener that can augment the bonding between the FRP materials and concrete structures. Finally, he presented a new technology that applies nanomaterials to structural rehabilitation. In a joint research project with Prof Jian Lu, CityU’s Dean of the College of Science and Engineering,

SMATed steel plates were developed for the strengthening of concrete structures. This new technology can overcome the critical shortage of FRP materials for structural rehabilitation, as well as tackle the brittleness of failure and debonding. Two new US patents have been filed as a result of this joint project.

The succeeding presentation by Dr John Cheung of the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering focused on various special features and capabilities of CityU’s wind tunnel facility for structural modelling and air ventilation assessment. In addition to facilitating fundamental wind engineering research and educational training, CityU’s wind

tunnel allows designers to test whether a built structure and its cladding could withstand strong extreme winds or whether there is adequate ventilation in built-up areas. By using scaled boundary layer flows to simulate natural wind, the wind tunnel can help engineers evaluate wind loading and assess likely environmental wind conditions. The facility not only contributes to the design and operation of safe buildings, but also ensures acceptable wind environment for pedestrians’ comfort and dispersion of airborne pollutants. The presentation was concluded with a visit to the wind tunnel facility.

CUBIC Interest group gatherings

I n the tea gathering that took place on June 17, two seasoned industrialists, Dr Measure Hung and Mr Devin Siu, talked respectively about investing in South Africa and the impact

of Apple products on the market. Dr Measure Hung, Chairman of Mobicon Group Limited, explained why his company invested in South Africa, although most companies would prefer expanding into mainland China. Dr Hung pointed out that low labour cost, low exchange rates, and no limitation on funds transfer were among the advantages of investing in the nation. Mr Devin Siu, Marketing Director of Leisure Technology Limited, outlined the evolvement of Hong Kong’s consumer electronic industry over the past three decades. Mr Siu illustrated by statistics how trend setters such as smartphones and tablets displaced or challenged other electronic devices.

Dr Measure Hung

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In yet another gathering held on July 22, two veteran telecommunication professionals were invited to speak on network neutrality and the future development of innovation and technology in Hong Kong. Mr Au Man Ho, former Director-General of the Telecommunications Authority, discussed whether or not network neutrality constituted a cause for concern in Hong Kong. The succeeding presentation by Legislative Councillor Dr Samson Tam touched on the prospects and challenges facing Hong Kong’s industry. Dr Tam pointed out that Hong Kong should tap into the business opportunities offered by the Internet, especially e-finance, e-logistics, and e-marketplace.

Granted patentsIsolation enhancement technique for dual-polarized probe-fed patch antennaProf Luk Kwai ManUS patent 7994985The invention relates to an isolation enhancement technique that can be used in any type of dual-polarized patch antenna with feeding probes. By using this technique, the drawbacks of the probe feeding method can be avoided without affecting its regular features. Another advantage of this invention is the reduction of the strong coupling between the feeding probes of different polarizations within each array element and between different array elements. As a result, high input port isolation can be acquired over a wide range of frequencies. Implementing this isolation enhancement method only requires the mounting of thin and small vertical walls on the ground plane and does not need a feeding network. The method proposed is therefore easy to implement, low-cost, and effective.

Apparatus and method for calibrating a variable phase shifterProf Xue QuanUS patent 7915942Phase shifters are widely used in wireless communications, however error in the signal phase may lead to reduction in maximum gain and power efficiency. This invention facilitates the automatic alignment of variable phase shifters so as to prevent accumulation of the signal phase error. A phase shifter, either analogue or digital, can be controlled electrically, magnetically, or mechanically. This apparatus can be installed with a controller for controlling the switch and for calibrating one or both variable phase shifters so that the phase shifters can be controlled on the basis of the output of the phase comparator. The invention can be used in devices such as antenna arrays, circularly polarized antennas, image rejecting mixers, and quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) receivers so as to improve the performance of these devices.

Dr Samson TamMr Au Man Ho.

Mr Devin Siu

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