This proceedings book contains selected and expanded contributions presented at the 6th International Symposium on Plasma and Energy Conversion (iSPEC 2025), held in Hong Kong SAR, China, on December 3-6, 2025.
As the world continues to grapple with the pressing challenges of climate change and sustainable energy, iSPEC2025 aims to serve as a global platform for exploring cutting-edge advancements and innovative solutions in plasma and energy conversion. This symposium addresses the critical role of these technologies in achieving international carbon reduction goals and fostering a sustainable future.
iSPEC2025 gathers leading scientists, researchers, and industry experts from around the globe to share their latest research findings, technological breakthroughs, and visionary ideas. Fields covered in this symposium include:
- Renewable energy-driven plasma systems.
- Fundamental processes, diagnostics, and simulations in plasmas.
- Plasma-surface and plasma-interface interactions.
- Synthesis and modification of catalytic and energy-storage materials via plasma techniques.
- Plasma-enhanced catalytic processes: heterogeneous catalysis, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, etc.
- Plasma-assisted H2 energy technologies: production, hydrogenation, fuel reforming, etc.
- Plasma-driven carbon cycle processes: methane activation, CO2 conversion and utilization, etc.
- Plasma-enabled N2 fixation: NH3 synthesis, N2 oxidation, H2O activation, etc.
- Conversion and utilization of biomass, plastics, and waste through plasma technologies.
- Integration of plasma processes in micro-chemical engineering.
- Plasma-enabled clean combustion technologies.
- Emerging plasma-enabled energy conversion technologies.
- Biomedical applications and effects of plasma.
- High-voltage discharge testing.
- Mechanisms and dynamics of electrical breakdown in insulating materials.
- Pulsed power technology innovations and applications in plasma science.
These proceedings are valuable references for researchers and students engaged in studies in all fields related to plasma and energy conversion.
Dr. Yaping Du is Professor in Building Environment and Energy Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) since 2012, after serving as Associate (2002-2012) and Assistant Professor (1995-2001), and Director of the PolyU-China Southern Power Grid Joint Research Institute for the Green and Secure Power Grid. With a Ph.D. from USC (1994), M.Sc./B.Sc. from Shanghai Jiaotong University (1987/1984), and CEng/MIEE (1997) credentials, he excels in lightning protection, electromagnetic compatibility, and high-voltage engineering. By 2025, his funded projects--government-backed on plasma-catalyst CO2/CH4 conversion and lightning surge modeling, industry collaborations with Huawei, MTR, and Shenzhen Power Supply Bureau on EMI shielding and urban shock protection--yielded more than 100 publications.
Dr. Cheng Zhang (M'13-SM'16) was born in Jiangsu, China, in 1982. He received the Ph.D. degree in high-voltage and insulation technology from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China, in 2011. He is currently Professor with the Institute of Electrical Engineering, CAS. From 2015 to 2016, he was Visiting Scholar with the Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Ohio State University. His current research interests include gas discharge and applications. Dr. Zhang is IET Fellow and IEEE Senior Member.
Dr. Xiangen Zhao received his Ph.D. degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and is currently Research Assistant Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His research focuses on plasma-based technologies for CO2 utilization, aiming to contribute to global carbon neutrality and to develop oxygen production solutions for Mars habitats. By 2025, Dr. Zhao authored or co-authored over 20 papers on high-impact international peer-reviewed journals as the first or corresponding author. He received the Young Researcher Award at the 2023 International Colloquium on Lightning and Power Systems and XVII International Symposium on Lightning Protection and the Young Scientist Diploma at both the 35th and 36th International Conference on Lightning Protection.
Shuai Zhang, Ph.D./Postdoctoral Fellow, graduated from Dalian University of Technology with a degree in plasma physics in 2016. Currently, he works as Associate Researcher and Master's Degree Supervisor at the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research interests include plasma source technology and its energy conversion, as well as applications in the fields of disinfection and sterilization. By 2025, he hosted over 10 national-level scientific research projects, published over 40 academic papers, and delivered invited reports at international academic conferences 20 times. He served as Youth Secretary of the Plasma and Applications Special Committee of the China Electrotechnical Society. He received the Second Prize of Natural Science from the Ministry of Education and the Outstanding Young Scholar Award of the Plasma and Applications Special Committee of the China Electrotechnical Society.
