Recently, the results of the 11th Guangdong Patent Awards were unveiled. South China University of Technology (SCUT) secured one Patent Gold Award, and two professors received the Guangdong Outstanding Inventor Award. Notably, SCUT led all Guangdong universities in total awards and was the only higher education institution to win a Patent Gold Award this year.

The Gold Award project, titled “A High-Magnetic-Induction Magnetic Powder Core Based on Amorphous Crystallization-modulated Bifunctional units and Its Preparation Method and Applications”, was developed primarily by the research team led by Professor Yang Chao of SCUT’s School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering. High-end magnetic powder cores are critical soft magnetic materials used in 5G communications, new energy vehicles, and other fields. For years, the industry has faced two major challenges: balancing the performance requirements of high-end magnetic powder cores and overcoming technological constraints imposed by foreign competitors. Against this backdrop, the patented technology introduces a design approach that uses bifunctional units to formulate iron-based amorphous powders. Through temperature-controlled stepwise crystallization, this approach produces a nanocrystalline composite microstructure, thereby addressing the performance imbalance in magnetic powder cores. Furthermore, this technology is compatible with existing production lines and can be manufactured at scale, thereby facilitating the localization of high-performance soft magnetic materials.

In addition, Professors Hong Xiaobin and Li Yuanqing were recognized as Outstanding Inventors. Professor Hong has conducted extensive research in intelligent measurement and control and high-end equipment, and holds more than 50 granted invention patents. His research achievements have been successfully applied across multiple industries, including marine engineering and nuclear power, generating more than RMB 1.2 billion in economic value. Professor Li specializes in brain-computer interface (BCI) research, which has been successfully commercialized through the incubation of a company that develops BCI-based smart ward solutions. These solutions enable people with physical disabilities to control various smart devices using brain signals, making the company a leading provider of BCI-based smart ward solutions in China.