The 29th Archimedes International Invention Exhibition was held from March 17 to March 19, 2026, at the Amber Plaza Exhibition Center in Moscow. This year’s event featured over 500 innovative inventions from 24 countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Serbia. National Yunlin University of Science and Technology (YunTech) presented five projects, achieving an outstanding result of five gold medals and one special award—a 100% award rate.

Innovative Research Highlights

Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering — Prof. Nien Yu-Hsun’s Team
The team developed an innovative technology: an electrospun fibrous membrane incorporating a visible-light-responsive CuWO₄/TiO₂/coconut shell biochar photocatalyst.
This research successfully produced a highly efficient composite photocatalytic membrane responsive to visible light. By employing a sol–gel method to construct a CuWO₄/TiO₂ heterojunction, the technology overcomes the limitation of conventional titanium dioxide, which absorbs only ultraviolet light, enabling strong redox capability under natural light conditions.

Through electrospinning, the photocatalyst is integrated with polymers to form a “sandwich-structured” nanofibrous membrane. Combined with the high surface area of coconut shell biochar, the system achieves a two-step mechanism of “adsorption enrichment followed by photocatalytic degradation.” This significantly enhances water purification efficiency while addressing challenges such as catalyst recovery and secondary pollution associated with powder-based systems. The innovation offers a practical, low-energy solution for water treatment and was awarded a gold medal.

The team also developed another innovation: in situ self-assembled g-C₃N₄–TiO₂ heterostructured nanofibers via electrospinning for high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells. This approach improves issues such as structural non-uniformity and hindered electron transport caused by g-C₃N₄ nanosheets. The nanofiber structure serves as a scattering layer, enhancing the photovoltaic performance of TiO₂ photoanodes. Applied in dye-sensitized solar cells, the system enables effective power generation under low light intensity. This work received both a gold medal and a special award.

Department of Electronic Engineering — Prof. Hsu Chih-Chieh’s Team
The team developed a hafnium–zirconium oxide (HZO)-based resistive random-access memory (RRAM) device featuring a large memory window and excellent data retention.
The study successfully fabricated a high-performance Cu/HZO/n⁺-Si memory device. As a ternary material, HZO offers a high dielectric constant, effectively reducing leakage current and enabling a wide memory window. By tuning the thickness of the resistive switching layer and the concentration of oxygen vacancies, the device achieved a memory window of up to 10⁵, along with excellent data retention capability.

This research demonstrates the high performance of HZO thin films as an active layer in RRAM devices, providing valuable data and novel insights for future development. The project was awarded a gold medal.

Department of Electrical Engineering — Asst. Prof. Chen Ching-Ju’s Team
The team developed SMART-SWEEP, an intelligent road-cleaning optimization system with dynamic road-weight classification.
Addressing urban sanitation challenges, the system introduces a dynamic scheduling algorithm based on “dirt-weight” metrics. Unlike traditional uniform cleaning approaches, it assigns operational frequency based on regional dust levels (e.g., industrial versus residential areas) and integrates water supply point planning to significantly reduce unnecessary travel.

The system features a Web-GIS visualization platform, allowing managers to preview dynamic routes, detect conflicts, and generate KML navigation files for drivers with a single click. Empirical results show a substantial reduction in idle travel, enabling data-driven, precision urban management while improving scheduling flexibility and fuel efficiency. This project received a gold medal.

Department of Electronic Engineering — Prof. Chen Hsi-Chao’s Team
The team developed a sensing electrode for dopamine detection.
This invention enables rapid and highly sensitive electrochemical detection of dopamine concentrations. The electrode consists of a conductive substrate coated with a dopamine-sensitive layer. The conductive substrate includes a conductive thin film divided into a connection region and a sensing region.

The sensing layer is composed of MIL-101(Fe) metal–organic framework powder combined with noble metal nanoparticles, such as gold nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles, or gold-core/silver-shell nanoparticles. Through localized surface plasmon enhancement, the sensing performance of the magnetic iron-based framework is significantly improved.

This technology provides a fast and highly sensitive solution for dopamine detection and was awarded a gold medal.

Institutional Commitment

YunTech will continue to invest resources in cultivating innovative research teams with strong practical applications. The University actively encourages faculty and students to engage with international platforms, broadening perspectives and enhancing global visibility.

Through participation in international invention exhibitions and competitions, YunTech aims to accumulate academic distinction, strengthen Taiwan’s global presence in innovation, and showcase the University’s research excellence and creative capabilities to the world.

Additional Information

• Organizing Unit: Innovation and Technology Management Division, Office of Research and Development
• Director: Hong-Jen Li
• Contact Person: Yi-Jung Yang
• Tel: +886-5-534-2601 ext. 2513