Established in 2010 and affiliated with the School of Aerospace Engineering, the Center for Nano and Micro Mechanics (hereinafter referred to as CNMM) is a pilot institution for multi- and cross- disciplinary research at Tsinghua University.

[ Mission] The mission of the CNMM is to be a cross-platform for incubating original research and training talents for innovation. The center focuses on mechanics at the interface on nano- and microscale as well as its intersection with other disciplines (‘mechanics+X’), fu n damen tal research with significant originality, and the training of top-notch talents for innovation in“big engineering”.

[Achievements] For the past ten years, the CNMM has promoted the rapid development of cross- interdisciplinary studies and personnel training in Tsinghua University. This is witnessed by the fruitful results in several fields including multidisciplinary and original research and innovation, cultivation of outstanding personnel, and exploration of future research and education models. The most representative research achievement in CNMM is the scientific discovery and technological innovation about structural superlubricity, which may trigger a surge of major disruptive technologies in the future. In 2017, this series of research results were awarded the National Natural Science Award (second class). In 2018, CNMM also pubished the first superlubricity-related research article in Nature. In the same year, with the strong support of the Shenzhen Municipal Government and Tsinghua University, the Institute of Superlubricity Technology, Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen, the world’s first R&D institution with superlubcirity as its core, was founded to be devoted to the research and development of disruptive technology based on structural superlubricity.

Besides serving as a research center, the CNMM has also become an indispensable support for the Tsien Excellence in Education Program (TEEP) in Tsinghua University. Founded in 2009, TEEP is the sole program directed towards engineering foundamentals among the National Pilot Program for Development of Elite Students in Basic Sciences. TEEP has worked closely with the CNMM for ten years and achieved a lot of noticeable results, the greatest of which is the pioneering training model of talents for innovation in“big engineering”led by the“progressive learning by research system”. Under this system, the aggregation of the necessary factors for innovation and growth is realized, such as the discovery of inner passion, the independent construction of knowledge, mutual recognition between excellent teachers and students, and the grasp of major opportunities. TEEP’s exploration in training talents for science and technology innovation provides valuable insights for a ground-breaking, leading, and popularizable education model in China.

[Members] The Director of the CNMM is Professor Zheng Quanshui, an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Members (listed in alphabetical order by last name) include Professor Lin Li, Associate Professor Lv Cunjing, Associate Professor Ma Ming, Associate Research Fellow Xu Luping, and Professor Zhang Yingying. There are also 50 other joining members, mainly from Tsinghua University and related research areas worldwide.

The Inauguration Ceremony of the CNMM (2010.8) (left: Chen Jining, Former President of Tsinghua University; Right: Prof. Zheng Quanshui)

The 2nd International Workshop on Superlubicity at Nano and Mesoscales Pingshan, Shenzhen; 2019.10

TEEP students are doing experiments in CNMM

TEEP students are doing experiments in CNMM