NPC Deputy Hu Laiyun: Deepen Industry-University-Research Collaboration to Boost Innovation and Upgrading of Superhard Materials Industry

Hu Laiyun, Deputy to the National People's Congress, Chief Technician of Norinco Group, and Head of the Innovation Studio of North Industries Red Arrow, proposed during the Two Sessions that Henan's superhard materials industry is moving from "manufacturing advantage" to "innovation advantage".

Hu Laiyun introduced the team's latest achievements: a 129.4-carat high-quality large single crystal of lab-grown diamond set a domestic record; key preparation problems for 220GHz high-power windows were solved; and breakthroughs were made in the preparation of large single crystals larger than 15mm×15mm.

"Henan is the core area of the superhard materials industry, with an annual output of about 12 billion carats of industrial-grade synthetic diamond, accounting for about 95% of the global total. However, weaknesses remain in high-end applications, and key sectors such as special diamonds urgently need breakthroughs," Hu Laiyun pointed out. This is highly consistent with the requirement of "strengthening industrial base reengineering and tackling key technologies and equipment" in the Government Work Report.

Superhard materials are the cornerstone for upgrading the manufacturing and semiconductor industries and a key pioneer of new-quality productive forces. Hu Laiyun has led his team in the superhard materials sector for years. Focusing on special octahedral diamond (less than 1% of industrial diamonds), a key consumable for chip processing, they broke foreign monopolies and filled the gap of "superhard core materials" in China's chip processing.

"The superhard materials industry is embracing major development opportunities. The 220GHz high-power window developed by our team solves the heat dissipation and insulation challenges of high-power microwave devices, providing key material support for aerospace, 5G communication and other fields," Hu Laiyun said.

Hu Laiyun put forward the following suggestions:

1. Support leading enterprises to establish innovation consortia, conduct collaborative research on bottleneck technologies, promote cross-border integration of superhard materials with new energy, aerospace and quantum sensing, and expand the "diamond+" industrial ecosystem.

2. Strengthen the construction of national key laboratories in the superhard materials sector, grant them greater autonomy in basic research and technology roadmap formulation, and support them in leading the formulation of international standards.

3. Build a national-level open data platform for superhard materials, establish an all-factor innovation support system of "materials-equipment-application", and provide data support and decision-making references for industrial development.

4. Improve the industry-university-research-application collaborative talent training mechanism, support enterprises and universities to jointly build modern industrial colleges, cultivate interdisciplinary talents who understand both materials and equipment, technology and market, so as to provide talent support for high-quality industrial development.

Hu Laiyun believes that Henan has profound industrial foundations and geographical advantages, fully capable of building a core hinterland and backup base for the superhard materials industry, and forging a "superhard barrier" for national industrial and supply chain security. Earlier, the superhard materials metrology project was selected as one of the first "Ten Key Projects" for metrology to support industrial development of new-quality productive forces, providing strong support for industrial growth.