The Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2024 list was released recently. Yiyang Liu and Zhiyuan Chen, two alumni of the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), have both made it onto the list.
Forbes' website noted that Yiyang and Zhiyuan co-founded energy storage startup Vastech Energy, focusing on making aqueous batteries. The product differs from lithium batteries in that it uses aqueous electrochemical storage technologies, which have the potential to lower costs, improve safety and be more environmentally friendly.
Vastech Energy is one of the fastest growing energy technology companies in China, securing investment from HongShan, ZhenFund, and other notable investors. Its technology has been recognised by the China Battery Industry Association as having reached an international advanced level. In addition, the team and its partners have demonstrated their expertise by publishing more than 100 papers in prestigious international journals such as Joule, Nat. Commun., and Energy Environ. Sci. They have also been granted dozens of patents both domestically and internationally, underscoring their innovative capabilities. A significant milestone for the company is the development of the world’s first aqueous zinc-ion battery energy storage system product, a breakthrough that has earned them recognition and twice featured coverage on CCTV News Broadcast.
Yiyang and core members of the company’s initial team, including Chenxi Zang, Peichen Wang, Yongqin Liu, and Jinze Liu, are all 2019 graduates of the Chemical Engineering programme at UNNC. During their time at UNNC, they received multidimensional and in-depth academic training. After graduating, taking advantage of UNNC’s first-class international education, some of them pursued further studies at prestigious institutions such as Imperial College London, University College London, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Others joined world-renowned companies like BASF, Fosun Pharma, and AB InBev, gaining strength in both academia and industry. Ultimately, they reunited to bring their researched technologies to fruition, responding to the urgent needs of the industry with technological innovation.
During their university years, they worked together to design a complete chemical factory in the design project module. Now, they are building a real factory with a total investment of several hundred million yuan and a vast construction area, bringing their design to life.
From harnessing technological knowledge to realising product designs and further expanding from single prototypes to large-scale manufacturing, they are poised to embark on the next phase. Carrying the flames ignited at UNNC, they aim to unleash the strong power of technological innovation across the globe.
Published on 12 June 2024