On April 9-13, the 19th National Youth Conference on Catalysis (19th NYCC) was held with the theme “Youth Catalysis in the Double-Carbo-Goal Era: From Science to Application”. The event was jointly hosted by the Catalysis Committee of the Chinese Chemical Society and NJU, and co-sponsored by the MOE Key Lab of Mesoscopic Chemistry, Southeast University, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing Tech University, Yangzhou University, Anhui University of Technology, and Jiangsu University.

On the morning of April 10, under the chairmanship of Professor Peng Luming, the conference commenced with a grand opening. Professor Lu Yanqing, Vice President of NJU, delivered a speech on behalf of NJU as the organizer. Professor Fan Fengtao, the Secretary-General of the Catalysis Society of China, delivered a speech on behalf of the Society and read a congratulatory letter from Li Can, Academician of CAS and Director of the Catalysis Society of China. Professor Han Jie, Vice President of Yangzhou University, spoke on behalf of the co-sponsors of the conference. Professor Li Shuhua, Dean of the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of NJU, addressed the conference. They extended a warm welcome to all participants and expressed their wishes for a successful conference.

Lu emphasized NJU’s rich history and tradition in catalysis-related scientific research. Currently, NJU has a well-structured catalytic research team with members of different ages and educational backgrounds, and diverse research interests from theory to experiment, from basic research to industrial applications. The conference has brought together young catalytic researchers from across the country to address key issues related to catalytic research. Lu expressed his hope that the conference will produce brilliant sparks, lead to fruitful results, and make significant progress. He also looked forward to seizing the opportunity to deepen the solid friendship between NJU and its sister universities and institutes. 

After the opening ceremony, the plenary lecture was chaired by Professor Ding Weiping from NJU and Researcher Fan Fengtao from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of CAS. The lectures were given by Professor Lu Junling from the University of Science and Technology of China, Professor Gong Xueqing from East China University of Science and Technology, Professor Yu Yan from University of Science and Technology of China, and Professor Xu Bingjun from Peking University. 

From the afternoon of the 10th to the morning of the 12th, the conference held 9 panels as well as poster sessions, covering topics such as “Catalytic Mechanism and Theoretical Calculation” and “New Catalytic Materials”. On the evening of the 11th, 10 senior experts from the catalytic industry and youth representatives were invited to participate in a special event called the “Youth Catalysis Symposium”, chaired by Professor Ding Weiping. They had a lively and fruitful discussion on the pre-set topic of “technology needs promote the progress of basic scientific research”.

On the afternoon of the 12th, Professors Wang Shuangyin and Zhu Yan from Hunan University and NJU respectively presided over the plenary lecture delivered by Professor Gong Jinlong of Tianjin University, Professor Zhang Qiang of Tsinghua University, Researcher Deng Dehui from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of CAS, and Professor Wang Liang from Zhejiang University.

During the closing ceremony, the “Outstanding Poster Award” was presentated.

The conference aimed to showcase the latest progress and achievements of young Chinese catalysis researchers in both fundamental and applied research in the field of catalysis science. It provided a vital platform for young catalysis researchers to identify the challenges and opportunities, and explore future development directions in the field of catalysis. The National Youth Conference on Catalysis takes place every two years. 

Translator: Zhou Jingxin

Editors: Chen Xing, Guo Ankang, He Yao