Authors: M. Eizenberg
Source: Advanced Functional Materials (article, 2020-05-01)
Field: Materials Science — Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials

The Birth of Guangdong Technion–Israel Institute of Technology: Innovative and Sophisticated Education and Research in China The Technion–Israel Institute of Technology was established in 1912 in Haifa (Israel), and it has been always an oasis for cutting-edge knowledge generation and exchange with one common mission: generating social development for a better life. Technion's unique passion for innovation and continuous development has become a reference all around the world, and has made it one of the most respected universities among academics, companies and investors. Now, with the trend of globalization, Technion has started to fulfil the international demands of a more innovative and sophisticated education by establishing two new institutions, one in the United States and one in China. The Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute (JTCI), established in 2011 in New York City (USA), is an independent entity created by Technion and Cornell University with the broad mission of creating pioneering leaders and technologies in the field of computer science for the digital age. The Guangdong Technion–Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), strategically located in the city of Shantou (China) since 2017, is a state-of-the-art university dedicated to multidisciplinary research, environmental conservation, and social prosperity. Both institutions offer disruptive models for graduate education that empower creative thinking by fusing technology with business, and their autonomy allow radical experimentation with novel research, academic programs, and entrepreneurial initiatives. In this special issue, we would like to honor the recent establishment of GTIIT by communicating some of the research activities in the field of advanced functional materials being carried out by the faculty of this newborn university and of its “mother” institute, the Technion. The fundamental properties of different materials are discussed in depth. Ferromagnetism is covered by Prof. Yachini Ivry (article number 1902549), who describes the native structure and dynamic growth of epitaxial TiOX surfaces in ferroelectric BaTiO3 crystals, and Prof. Frank Klose, who presents one full paper on 2D magnets for spintronics (article number 1808270) and one review paper on interfacial ferromagnetism in SrMnO3/LaMnO3 superlattices (article number 1901414). Thermoelectricity, superconductivity, and terahertz photoconductivity are analyzed by Prof. Yaron Amouyal (article number 1901789), Alex Hayat (article number 1807379), and Daniel Grave (article number 1901590), respectively. Mechanical behaviors of different materials are analyzed by Prof. Charles Diesendruck (intramolecular interactions in stretchable polymers; article number 1901806), Prof. Eugene Rabkin (pseudoelasticity in metal nanoparticles; article number 1807554), and Prof. Elad Koren (superlubricity of gold-graphite interfaces; article number 1901138). In the field of dielectrics and solid-state microelectronic devices, Prof. Daniel Tan reviews the status of thin insulators and film scaling up for advanced capacitors (article number 1808567), Prof. Lior Kornblum reviews the status of epitaxial oxides on semiconductors (from fundamentals to new devices) (article number 1901597), Prof. Felix Palumbo presents a review on dielectric breakdown in different dielectric materials, ranging from SiO2 to high-k and two-dimensional (2D) materials, and Prof. Maytal Caspary-Toroker presents a computational study to determine the most suitable dielectric materials for field effect transistors (FET) that employ 2D channels (article number 1808544)—she also presents a progress report related to the employment of artificial intelligence into modeling of diffusion in functional materials (article number 1900778). These works are complemented with one extensive progress report discussing how to engineer FETs that employ 2D semiconducting channels, and Prof. Gitti Frey analyzes the effect of contact resistance in organic FETs by self-generated interlayers (article number 1805617). Also within the context of nanoelectronics, Dr. Fei Hui discusses the most advanced scanning probe microscopy (SPM)-based techniques for electronic materials characterization though two progress reports, one related to advanced SPM characterization methods (including multiprobe techniques), and another one—in collaboration with Prof. Miguel Muñoz from the University of Twentee—related to the study of thermal characterization at the nanoscale (article number 1900892). In the field of biomaterials, which represents a robust research pillar both at Technion and GTIIT, this special issue includes eleven papers dealing with the design, synthesis, characterization, and application of a broad spectrum of advanced materials. Prof. Ashok Patel reviews the use of functional and engineered colloids for structuring the food of the future (article number 1806809), and Prof. Alejandro Sosnik presents the development of novel sono-responsive hybrid nanomaterials of controlled size for drug encapsulation and delivery and potential application in sonodynamic therapy against cancer (article number 1806146). With a focus on tissue engineering, Prof. Nadav Amdursky's contribution deals with conductive scaffolds for cardiac and neuronal tissue engineering (article number 1901369), Prof. Marcelle Machulf overviews the application of decellularized tissue-derived extracellular matrices (article number 1900386) and Prof. Dror Seliktar presents highly structured acellular gel-within-gel systems of selective cell motility (article number 1807106). In the same research niche, Prof. Shulamit Levenberg developed a high-throughput scaffold system for studying the effect of local geometry and topology on the development and orientation of sprouting blood vessels, which may have implications in the growth of vascularized tissues (article number 1901335). In this context, Prof. Boaz Pokroy describes the synthesis and structural characterization of disordered Ba-calcite (article number 1805028). The use of cutting-edge processing, production and administration technologies is another asset in this field. Prof. Tamar Segal-Peretz reports on a spray-drying method for the selective growth of metal oxides to create functional polymer nanoparticles, polymer-metal-oxide hybrid nanoparticles, and templated metal-oxide nanoparticles with tunable composition, internal morphology, and porosity (article number 1808932), and Profs. Dario R. Dekel and Gideon Graider (article number 1901733) present a joint full paper on electrospun ionomeric fibers with anion conducting properties for application in electrochemical devices. With the same innovative vision, Prof. Amit Meller introduces an automated, ultra-fast, laser-drilling of nanometer scale pores for the fabrication of nanopore arrays in the field of nanopore sensing (article number 1900642) and Prof. Boaz Mizrahi's original paper deals with the design of a hot glue gun for the release of a tissue adhesive, a technology that may pave the way for the more patient-compliant treatment of wounds (article number 1900998). In the field of energy production and storage, Prof. Yair Ein-Eli reviews the most updated technological aspects of Li-O2 batteries, and discusses key aspects such as material requirements, classification and characterization, chemical and electrochemical stability, surface chemistry, and product stability (article number 1808303). Prof. Oz M. Gazit analyzes the recent progress in the design of cooperative heterogeneous catalytic materials for CC bond formation, and comments on the minimum requirements needed to construct efficient cooperative catalytic materials. These two reviews are complemented with a full paper that studies the aging mechanisms of solution-processed vanadium precursors for photoelectrochemical water oxidation (article number 1901385). Technion has landed in China under Nobel Laureate leadership and partners with the wealthy Li Ka Shing foundation to revolutionize college education by imparting its rigorous, innovative, and sophisticated model, and the differences within a short period of four years are already overwhelming. GTIIT offers technical bachelor degrees (taught only in English) in materials science and engineering, biotechnology and food engineering, and chemical engineering, following the demanding study programs of the Technion. The courses, syllabi, exercises, and exams conducted at Shantou by GTIIT professors are identical to those conducted in Haifa by Technion professors, and the students who graduate at GTIIT receive a Technion degree. Remarkably, while GTIIT also pretends to be the home of brilliant Chinese scientists, GTIIT offers one of the highest ratios of non-Chinese professors among all technical universities in the country, which promotes critical and intercultural education. GTIIT students are being continuously exposed to innovative and challenging technical examinations that obligate them to think out of the box, and we are making a fine selection that will result in an elite of Chinese students who will be ready to improve the country and the entire world. Moshe Eizenberg earned his bachelor's and doctoral degrees in physics at the Technion and did his post-doctoral research at Cornell University. He joined as faculty member the Department of Materials Engineering of Technion in 1980. Among many activities and positions he served as Dean of Materials Engineering and as Executive Vice President for Research of Technion. Currently he is heading the Materials Engineering program as well as serving as Dean of Graduate Studies at the Guangdong Technion–Israel Institute of Technology in Shantou, China. Prof. Eizenberg has carried out research in semiconductors, metal surfaces, and thin films, and in dielectric thin films, with the aim of correlating physical properties such as structure and composition with electrical properties. China ; Materials science ; Engineering ethics ; Political science ; Engineering Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials ; Advanced Condensed Matter Physics ; Multiferroics and related materials