【Haichuan. Pioneers in the Chemical Industry】Yan Dongsheng | The founder of the field of inorganic materials science and engineering

The Legendary Life of Mr. Yan: He studied at Chongde Middle School in Beijing from 1929 to 1935； In 1935, Yan Dongsheng was admitted to the Department of Chemistry at Tsinghua University, as he had hoped. In his first year of university, he received top-notch general education: Wu Youxun and Sa Bendong taught general physics, Zhang Zigao taught general chemistry, Lei Haizong taught the history of China, Xiao Qu taught economics, and Ye Gongchao taught advanced English… This laid a solid foundation for Yan Dongsheng’s strong comprehensive skills. On July 29, 1937, he transferred to Yenching University. She obtained her master’s degree with excellent grades and found love—as well, by marrying her classmate Sun Biyi, who became her lifelong partner. In 1939, Yan Dongsheng graduated from Yenching University and stayed there to pursue a master’s degree while working as an assistant to Professor Zhang Zigao. Under the influence of Zhang Zigao, Yan Dongsheng explored an important fundamental topic in the study of inorganic materials – \"solid-state reactions\". He wrote a research paper titled \"The Mechanism of Solid-State Reactions\" and obtained his master’s degree, taking a solid step toward engaging in material science research on a long-term basis. He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Tsinghua University and Yenching University in 1939 and 1941 respectively, and in 1943 he married his classmate at university, Sun Bimei (who later became a renowned physical chemist at Shanghai Jiao Tong University). In 1941, with the outbreak of the Pacific War, Yenching University was closed, and Yan Dongsheng, along with Professor Zhang Zigao, took up positions at the Private China University. In 1942, he was hired as an engineer at the Kailuan Refractory Materials Factory in Tangshan. Graduated from Yenching University in 1941 with a master’s degree. He went to the United States in 1946 to pursue further studies. In February 1949, he received a Ph.D. in ceramics from the University of Illinois in the United States. Subsequently, a year of postdoctoral research was conducted at the University of Illinois. In 1946, recommended by Dou Weilian, the head of the Department of Chemistry at Yenching University, Yan Dongsheng set off for the United States to pursue his studies. At the University of Illinois, he majored in ceramic engineering and minored in inorganic chemistry. In the spring of 1949, he received his Ph.D. in ceramics with all A grades and was awarded the “Golden Key Award” by four honorary societies, a distinction that is rare among graduates. After graduation, he was invited to stay at the University of Illinois for a postdoctoral position to continue his research on inorganic materials such as ceramics. In 1949, he received a Ph.D. in ceramics from the University of Illinois in the United States. In 1949, Yan Dongsheng received his Ph.D. in ceramics for his doctoral thesis on \"Phase equilibrium in high-temperature oxide systems\" and stayed at the university as a postdoctoral researcher to continue his research on inorganic materials. In the spring of 1949, Yan Dongsheng received his Ph.D. in ceramics from the University of Illinois in the United States with all A grades; he stayed at the university as a postdoctoral researcher, which provided him with excellent conditions to continue his research on the theory and applications of inorganic materials. Due to his outstanding work performance, in the same year Yan Dongsheng was elected as a member of four honorary societies, including Sigma Xi, which was unprecedented among graduates at that time. Upon hearing the news of the founding of New China, he promptly and resolutely resigned from his position at the University of Illinois. Overcoming numerous obstacles, and after more than 40 days of travel, he returned to his homeland in April 1950, carrying only a few belongings and many books and documents.

As a key founder and pioneer in the field of inorganic materials science in our country, Yan Dongsheng, through his unparalleled and extraordinary contributions throughout his life, has illuminated China’s path of scientific progress. He has become one of the iconic figures who have guided China toward realizing its dream of becoming a strong nation, as well as a highly respected master of science. As an outstanding materials scientist, Yan Dongsheng has always closely linked his research efforts to China’s national economy, defense development, and social progress, making many pioneering contributions in the fields of high-temperature material preparation science, material design and microstructure control, and ceramic matrix composites. Yang Jianhua, deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who served as Yan Dongsheng’s secretary for many years and was also his direct student, cannot forget many things related to the scholar. “The framework of inorganic materials science in our country was essentially established by Professor Yan: structural ceramics, functional ceramics, special glasses, synthetic crystals...” In July 2012, CERN, led by Nobel laureate Samuel C.C. Ting, announced the discovery of a new particle whose properties matched those of the Higgs boson, known as the ‘God particle’. The 5,000 high-quality, large-sized new lead tungstate (PWO) scintillation crystals used in the detector’s core – the electromagnetic calorimeter – were the masterpiece of Yan Dongsheng’s team; at that time, Professor Yan was already 90 years old. Throughout his more than 70-year career in scientific research, Mr. Yan maintained a spirit of innovation. When he invented a new type of ceramic-based composite material at the age of 50, no one could have imagined that he would reach even higher scientific heights at the age of 90. Mr. Yan once said that his best years for research were from the age of 60 until he was 90. Yan Dongsheng’s brilliant academic career was shaped by his innovation, his perseverance, as well as his courage and confidence to be at the forefront. “He never confines himself to a narrow field of specialization. ”Mr. Yan is a strategic scientist. Almost everyone says that. Until he was taken to Ruijin Hospital for emergency treatment on September 10, he was still reviewing the latest papers sent to him by his students, and asked questions in a clear manner about the progress of technology transfer in dye-sensitized solar cells. Professor Yan Yanlai, his daughter, described her father as follows: “Dad dedicated his entire life to work and never wasted any time.” ”

In 1985, Yan Dongsheng was studying crystal structures in the laboratory. Photo provided by the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

At the age of 94, Yan Dongsheng remains full of energy

After entering university, Tsinghua’s free yet rigorous academic atmosphere allowed Yan Dongsheng to get a taste of the ways of scholarship. It also helped him clarify the direction for his further academic pursuits in the future. In his first year, the general education courses were not specialized, but he had already developed a strong interest in the chemistry department. And when choosing a major in his sophomore year based on his grades, he was at a loss, holding a test paper with a score of 26. Given Yan Dong’s usual performance, it’s impossible for him to score so low. And if one really gets such a score, there’s no hope of getting into the chemistry department either. Disheartened, he had no choice but to hold onto his last hope and go see the teacher to check his grades. It turned out that his score had been recorded incorrectly; it should have been 82 points. Thus, Yan Dongsheng was able to enter the Department of Chemistry successfully. And this little incident nearly cost the field of materials science a master later on.

But not long after, with the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Tsinghua University was forced to relocate to the south. Yan Dongsheng, on the other hand, found himself in a dilemma. On one hand, there is the opportunity to change one’s fate through education; on the other hand, there is the desire to stay in Beijing to take care of one’s elderly mother. However, he found a third option in that narrow gap – to transfer to the Department of Chemistry at Yenching University under the guidance of Professor Zhang Zigao. After graduating from undergraduate studies, he stayed at the university to pursue a master’s degree.

Yan Dongsheng studying late into the night in the library of Yenching University. Yet in times of war, it was not only daily life that was affected; higher education also faced significant obstacles. In 1941, the Pacific War broke out, and this time even Yenching University was closed down. Yan Dongsheng’s studies had to come to a halt as a result. The war forced him to drop out of school and work as an engineer at a materials factory for several years. After that, he returned to Yanshan University and was given the rare opportunity to study in the United States, where he completed his doctorate in ceramics at the University of Illinois.