Dr ZHOU Zhifeng

City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Exchange to Edith Cowan University, Australia

I am a Senior Research Fellow at City University of Hong Kong (CityU). I was awarded an Endeavour Cheung Kong Research Fellowship in 2009 to perform postdoctoral research on nanocomposite materials.

I was honored to be granted the Endeavour Cheung Kong Research Fellowship for 2009. This was the most prestigious award that I had received in my career by far.

With the support of the Fellowship, I performed my research on surface coatings at the School of Engineering and Centre for MicroPhotonic Systems, Edith Cowan University (ECU) from July to December 2009 under the supervision of Dr. Zonghan Xie and Professor Kamal Alameh. This was my first time living and working in Australia, but I didn’t feel like I was in a foreign country. My hosts, as well as other colleagues and students, were very kind, enthusiastic and helpful. We communicated and collaborated very well with each other. I was deeply impressed by the friendly and dynamic atmosphere as well as the state-of-the-art facilities at ECU. With the excellent support of my colleagues, I could concentrate primarily on the research program during the whole exchange period.

My research work focused on the analysis of hard coatings. In particular, the super hard nanocomposite coatings (grain size usually less than 10 nm) with tailored functional properties are increasingly important for applications in many areas, such as automotive, marine, agriculture, as well as biomedical implants, surgical tools and bioceramics, etc. Some scientific papers have been published in international journals and conferences through the collaborative research. More importantly, the research activities have promoted international linkage and cooperation among ECU, Curtin, UWA, UNSW, CityU and industries for the R&D of new materials. I have proposed some new research projects for nanostructure and surface modification of biomaterials. These research topics will be important for the environmental sustainability in Australia as well as people’s health and well-being.

ECU is located in Perth, the sunshine capital of WA. I like this youthful, energetic, and beautiful city. In my spare time, I used to visit various scenic spots near the city, such as Swan River, Kings Park, Scarborough, Cottesloe, Fremantle and Mandurah. I enjoyed the sun, sea, breezes, beaches, parks, gardens, fresh air and wildlife in WA. I took many photos as mementos. I became totally drunk with the natural beauty, which relaxed me and stimulated my creative inspiration. On Sundays, I also went to the Perth Alliance Church with some ECU staff and students to take part in their activities. After attending various social events and making many new friends, I continued to learn more about the culture and religion of Australia. I realized that Australia is a multicultural, peaceful, and hospitable country.

My Endeavour experience in Australia has given me unforgettable memories. I would like to acknowledge the professional support from Ms. Anna Young, my case manager, and the Endeavour Awards team. Their instructions and assistance were always timely and meticulous. I am heartily grateful for all they did. I would like to look for other opportunities to carry out collaborative research in Australia in the future.

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