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Building the Future from the Ground Up – From Atoms to Innovation

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From the building blocks of matter to innovations that shape tomorrow, CMIT drives the innovation and design of materials and technologies for electronics, energy, and sustainability, empowering collaboration and impact.

Rare-Earth Materials

Sustainable Energy Materials

Quantum Materials

AI-Integrated Smart Sensors

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Our Projects

CMIT advances cutting-edge research in advanced materials that translates into practical solutions for electronics, biomedicine, energy, and sustainability

Rare Earth Element Valorisation in Vietnam: An Integrated Sustainability and Computation Approach

Principal Investigators & Key Members:

Chun-Yang Yin, PhD

This project will develop a theoretical proof-of-concept for rare earth mineral processing in Vietnam by evaluating the technical viability of using computationally designed adsorbents to recover trace rare earths from industrial waste. A Life Cycle Assessment( LCA) of current Vietnamese technologies will quantify environmental hotspots and provide data and decision-making tools to guide future low-carbon, high-efficiency REE valorization strategies.

Harnessing Cerium: Smart Rare Earth Catalysts for Solar-Driven Abatement of Toluene in Industrial Effluents

Principal Investigators & Key Members:

Kumar Vikrant, PhD

This project will develop a solar-powered technology to destroy harmful airborne pollutants in Vietnam, using both sunlight and solar heat for high energy efficiency. Using cerium - an abundant local resource - we will create advanced catalysts and apply AI to design smart air-purification systems tailored to industrial conditions. Our goal is to improve Vietnam's air quality and public health through a sustainable, home-grown technology.

Hybrid Physics–AI Digital Twin for smart monitoring and thermal management of Battery Energy Storage Systems in EVCS

Principal Investigators & Key Members:

Pham Hai Hung, PhD

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are essential for Vietnam’s clean-energy transition but face performance and lifetime challenges under tropical conditions. This project develops Vietnam’s first Hybrid Physics–AI Digital Twin for BESS to predict battery health, monitor temperature, and detect early failures. The technology will extend battery life, reduce costs, improve safety and reliability, and support efficient energy systems for EVs, communities, and smart cities.

Plasma treatment of sputtered Au/TiO2 thin films for sustainable chemistry

Principal Investigators & Key Members:

Hoang Van Quy, PhD

This project develops an innovative fabrication strategy for advanced photocatalyst thin films for sustainable energy conversion, including hydrogen generation and C2–C3 hydrocarbon production. By integrating heterostructures, plasma treatment, and advanced synthesis, it creates high-performance photocatalytic devices with superior energy conversion efficiency. The work advances solar-driven chemical conversion, supporting green energy technologies and addressing global energy and environmental challenges.

Leaching efficiency of cobalt from spent NCM batteries

Principal Investigators & Key Members:

Le Pham Phuong Nam, PhD

Rechargeable batteries are vital to the energy transition, with NMC cathodes preferred for fast charging and high capacity, yet large-scale recycling remains economically inefficient. In the Asia–Pacific region, combining recycling with raw mineral extraction shows promise but has not been successfully scaled. This project integrates chemistry and engineering to optimize leaching and separation using reaction kinetics and dynamic process parameters, improving metal recovery while reducing energy use, reagents, and operational time.

Microsphere Lasers Enabled by Microdroplet Microfluidic Devices Fabricated via Thermally Drawn Fibers

Principal Investigators & Key Members:

Lo Nu Hoang Tien, PhD

This project develops a novel fabrication method for microsphere lasers by integrating microfluidics with thermally drawn fiber technology. Built-in microchannels generate and excite uniform, gain-doped microspheres with whispering-gallery modes for highly sensitive environmental detection. The scalable, biocompatible system supports applications in biosensing, bioimaging, and integrated photonics, advancing fiber-based diagnostics and biomedical research.

Enhancing Magnetism and Mechanical Robustness of FeCo-based High-Entropy Alloys

Principal Investigators & Key Members:

Le Van Lich, PhD

This project aims to develop new high-entropy alloys (HEAs) that combine high strength with excellent magnetic performance, we aim to reduce dependence on scarce and expensive rare-earth elements. The outcomes will support the development of more efficient electric motors, generators, and renewable-energy technologies, contributing to a more sustainable and resilient future.

AI for Materials, Materials for AI: An Integrated Framework for Intelligent Materials Design

Principal Investigators & Key Members:

Phan Duc Anh, PhD

This project combines artificial intelligence with physics-based simulations to accelerate the discovery of new materials. Data-driven models will predict key properties and propose new compositions or structures across polymers, alloys, pharmaceuticals, glasses, and photonic or plasmonic materials. It also designs advanced materials for future AI hardware, creating a two-way link between materials discovery and more powerful, energy-efficient AI systems.

Development of all PErovskite Tandem Solar cells towards application in low orbit sATellites (PETSAT)

Principal Investigators & Key Members:

Le Van Quynh, PhD

Most Low Earth Orbit satellites last only 3–5 years, while conventional solar panels are built for decades, making them heavy and costly. This project develops ultra-light, efficient perovskite tandem solar cells suited to space’s dry environment by integrating advanced materials, smart electronics, and rigorous testing. The work will establish Vietnam’s core space technologies, train young innovators, and support sustainable, globally competitive space systems.

Design and Synthesis of 2D Materials for Spintronic Devices

Principal Investigators & Key Members:

Nguyen Tuan Dung, PhD

This project develops advanced 2D magnetic and spin-active materials for spintronic technologies such as sensors, nonvolatile memory, and energy-efficient logic devices. By integrating material synthesis, device fabrication, magnetotransport measurements, and computer simulations, it studies and optimizes spin ordering, magnetic anisotropy, and spin–charge interactions. The goal is to deliver high-quality materials and device designs for faster, more efficient, and more reliable spintronic performance.

Integrated 2D Semiconductors for Quantum Optomechanical Sensing (i2D)

This project develops ultrathin, ultrasensitive optomechanical sensors for medical and defence applications by integrating Silicon Carbide nanofilms with atomically thin 2D materials and controlling charge-carrier quantum dynamics at heterojunctions. The approach overcomes rigidity and sensitivity limits of current solid-state sensors, enabling advances in ultrasensitive sensing and wearable miniaturisation. The outcomes will strengthen Vietnam’s semiconductor workforce and technical capacity, delivering significant social and economic benefits.

In-situ optical monitoring of monolayer MoS2 via micro-CVD and its application in optoelectronic devices and stabilized high-efficiency perovskite solar cells

Two-dimensional semiconductors like monolayer MoS₂ are crucial for next-generation sensing, computing, and energy technologies, but reproducible synthesis remains a major obstacle. This project uses a micro-CVD system with real-time optical monitoring to visualize growth processes and establish reliable monolayer formation. The resulting high-quality MoS₂ will be integrated into perovskite solar cells and devices such as photodetectors and FETs.

Theory-Guided Design of Spintronic Materials using Advanced Multiscale Analysis

Principal Investigators & Key Members:

Nguyen Tuan Dung, PhD

This project develops advanced 2D magnetic and spin-active materials for next-generation spintronic technologies, including sensors, nonvolatile memory, and energy-efficient logic. By integrating material synthesis, device fabrication, magnetotransport measurements, and computer simulations, the research will study and optimize spin-dependent interactions. The goal is to deliver high-quality materials and device designs with faster, more efficient, and more reliable spintronic performance.

Optimizing the Magneto-Mechanical Performance of Fe40Pd40B20/Fe50Pd50/Nd2Fe14B Permanent-Magnet Microwires

Principal Investigators & Key Members:

Nguyen Thi My Duc, PhD

This project develops high-performance magnetic microwires from Fe₅₀Pd₅₀, Fe₄₀Pd₄₀B₂₀, and Nd₂Fe₁₄B for sensors, motors, medical devices, and renewable energy. Using rapid quenching, controlled heat treatment, and multilayer coatings, it enhances strength, tunable magnetic properties, hardness, durability, and stability while reducing rare-earth dependence. The project establishes design guidelines for compact, energy-efficient magnets enabling sustainable applications in micro-robotics, smart materials, and high-frequency sensing.

Development of SRAS: A Smart Dual-Screening Nano-AI System for Real-time Food and Environmental Monitoring

Principal Investigators & Key Members:

Prof. Phan Manh Huong

This project develops an AI-integrated dual-screening technology combining electrochemical and SERS sensing to rapidly and accurately detect chemical residues in Vietnam’s food and environment. Designed for real-world use in farms, factories, and schools, the system protects public health, supports safe food production, and enhances Vietnam’s global competitiveness through a sustainable early-warning solution.

Our people

At CMIT, we bring together the brightest interdisciplinary minds to deliver our mission: develop state-of-the-art sensing and digital technologies to address environmental challenges and sustainable development. Our Faculty, Environmental Experts, Research Fellows, PhD Students, and Research Assistants are all working together to develop widely applicable tools for environmental monitoring, resource management, and ecological data analysis.

Prof. Phan Manh Huong

Scientific Director

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Le Van Lich, PhD

Associate Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Project: Enhancing Magnetism and Mechanical Robustness of FeCo-based High-Entropy Alloys

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Phan Duc Anh, PhD

Assistant Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Project: AI for Materials, Materials for AI: An Integrated Framework for Intelligent Materials Design

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Kumar Vikrant, PhD

Assistant Professor - Materials Science and Environmental Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Project: Harnessing Cerium: Smart Rare Earth Catalysts for Solar-Driven Abatement of Toluene in Industrial Effluents

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Chun-Yang Yin, PhD

Professor – Materials Science, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Project: Rare Earth Element Valorisation in Vietnam: An Integrated Sustainability and Computation Approach

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Nguyen Dang Tung, PhD

Assistant Professor - Mechanical Engineering Program, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Project: Theory-Guided Design of Spintronic Materials using Advanced Multiscale Analysis

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Le Van Quynh, PhD

Assistant Professor - Electrical Engineering Program, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Project: Development of all PErovskite Tandem Solar cells towards application in low orbit sATellites (PETSAT)

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Tran Ngoc Quang, PhD

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Microfluidics for personalised medicine: from lab on a chip to organ on a chip to micro elastofluidics

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Building the Future from the Ground Up – From Atoms to Innovation

About us

Rare-Earth Materials

Sustainable Energy Materials

Quantum Materials

AI-Integrated Smart Sensors

CMIT Advisory Board

Our Projects

CMIT advances cutting-edge research in advanced materials that translates into practical solutions for electronics, biomedicine, energy, and sustainability

Our people

Center for Materials Innovation & Technology Join us to drive innovations that shape tomorrow

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Center for Materials Innovation & Technology
Join us to drive innovations that shape tomorrow