Institute of Metal Research Chinese Academy of Sciences

What Institute of Metal Research Chinese Academy of Sciences does

The Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMR CAS) is a government research institute founded in 1953 and headquartered in Shenyang, China, with 1,001–5,000 employees. It operates the Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science (SYNL) under the oversight of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and conducts fundamental and applied research across metals, alloys, advanced energy storage, catalysis, semiconductors, and nanomaterials. The institute does not sell commercial products; it generates research outputs — scientific publications, patented technologies, and collaborative outcomes — funded primarily through government grants, institutional support, and international research partnerships.

Core technical capabilities include an alkaline all-iron flow battery achieving over 6,000 charge-discharge cycles without measurable capacity decay and 99.4% coulombic efficiency using iron-based materials over 80 times cheaper than lithium; rhodium-cobalt and palladium dual-atom catalysts delivering turnover frequencies 1.6 times higher than Rh single-atom baselines and 93.2% ethylene selectivity in acetylene semihydrogenation; a wafer-scale 2D semiconductor growth method roughly 1,000 times faster than conventional CVD, producing monolayer tungsten silicon nitride films at 1.4 by 0.7 inches; a solid-state battery polymer electrolyte delivering 350 Wh/kg and an 86% improvement in ion transmission efficiency; and the 3D-OMiTEM electron microscopy technique, which received the Microscopy Today 2012 Innovation Award. IMR also maintains an extensive international collaboration network spanning Peking University, Chongqing University, Tsinghua University, Johns Hopkins University, the Technical University of Denmark, Korea University, KIMS, NIMS, and the Physical-Technical Institute of Belarus, including the newly established China-Belarus Joint Laboratory.

IMR's business model is non-commercial: it does not maintain a pricing model or paying customer base, with funding flowing through government appropriations via CAS, competitive grants, and institutional research agreements. Research is disseminated through academic publications, the Lee Hsun Lecture Series, hosted workshops such as the Diamond Workshop, the KIMS-NIMS-IMR joint symposium series, and technology transfer to industry partners.

Name

Institute of Metal Research Chinese Academy of Sciences

Legal name

Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Website

https://english.imr.cas.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences is a Shenyang-based government research institute that conducts fundamental and applied research in metals, alloys, batteries, catalysts, semiconductors, and nanomaterials. It operates the Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science and serves the global research community through publications, international collaborations, and technology transfer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Materials Science Research

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADANAE

Accreditation & Metrology Cooperation (Calibration, Measurement Standards)

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Standards, Policy & Regulatory Cooperation

SECONDARYHLAGADAJ

Elemental Impurities & Trace Metals (ICP-MS)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Laboratory Testing & Analytical Services

SECONDARYIMAKAEAK

Precious Metals Assaying, Metallurgical Testing & Certification

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Metals & Mining/Precious Metals Mining & Refining (Gold, Silver, Platinum Group)

Keywords

• Materials science research
• Advanced alloys development
• Energy storage research
• Catalysis engineering
• Nanomaterials synthesis

Headquarters

HQ city

Shenyang

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMR CAS) is a government-funded research institute that conducts fundamental and applied research in materials science and engineering. It focuses on developing advanced materials including metals, alloys, battery technologies, catalysts, semiconductors, and nanomaterials, producing research breakthroughs and scientific publications rather than commercial products. The institute operates the Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science (SYNL) and supports international collaborations, graduate education, and technology transfer.

Product overview

The Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMR CAS) is a research institution focused on materials science and engineering. It conducts fundamental and applied research across various domains including battery technology, catalysts, semiconductors, superalloys, and advanced materials. IMR does not appear to offer commercial products or services in the traditional sense; rather, it produces research breakthroughs, scientific publications, and collaborative research outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Alkaline All-Iron Flow Battery Technology
• Rhodium-Cobalt Dual-Atom Catalyst
• Palladium Dual-Atom Catalyst
• 2D Semiconductor Wafer-Scale Growth Method
• Solid-State Battery Polymer Electrolyte
• 3D-OMiTEM Technology

Quantifiable outcome

• All-iron flow battery achieving over 6,000 charge-discharge cycles without measurable capacity decay, equivalent to approximately 16 years of daily use
• +4 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Physical-Technical Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of BelaruscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Joint research collaboration in metal forming, special alloy development, and coating applications. Established China-Belarus Joint Laboratory with Dr. Vladimir Petrenko serving as Belarusian Director. Collaborative work has evolved from initial project-based cooperation to joint research laboratory establishment.
• Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2008General Collaborative Agreement signed for cooperation on materials sciences and engineering. KIMS-IMR Workshop on Advanced Materials held with approximately 40 participants. Joint symposiums on Magnesium and Titanium Alloys conducted.
• Korea UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 December 2007Signed MOU on collaborative research in advanced carbon materials. Both sides agreed to promote academic cooperation on exchange students, research scholars and education in materials, with joint research projects encouraged.
• Peking UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research team developed rhodium-cobalt dual-atom catalyst for nitrile hydrogenation under mild conditions.
• Chongqing UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research team developed rhodium-cobalt dual-atom catalyst for nitrile hydrogenation under mild conditions.
• National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular joint symposium participation. Part of the 5th Joint Symposium of KIMS, NIMS and IMR.
• Technical University of Denmark (DTU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational co-development of 3D-OMiTEM technology - Three dimensional orientation mapping in the transmission electron microscope.
• Tsinghua UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational co-development of 3D-OMiTEM technology.
• Johns Hopkins UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational co-development of 3D-OMiTEM technology.
• Chinese Academy of SciencescoreOthersParent institution providing oversight, funding, and institutional framework.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Tsinghua University School of Materials Science and Engineering: Top Chinese academic institution for materials science. Emerging/collaboration peer — Tsinghua co-developed the 3D-OMiTEM technology with IMR and represents a leading academic counterpart in materials research. While a university rather than a dedicated research institute, it competes for talent and research funding within the same ecosystem.
• Technical University of Denmark (DTU): Danish technical university with strong materials and engineering research. Emerging/collaboration peer — DTU co-developed the 3D-OMiTEM technology with IMR, making it a close research collaborator rather than competitor. Comparable in its focus on advanced materials characterization.

Direct peers

• Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (formerly Max Planck Institute for Metals Research): German research institute historically focused on metals research and now broader materials/intelligent systems. Direct peer — listed as an institutional partner on IMR's website and represents a comparable European national-level institute focused on fundamental materials science.
• National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS): Japan's premier national laboratory for materials science research. Direct peer — both are government-funded national materials research institutes with similar missions covering metals, alloys, semiconductors, and energy materials. IMR and NIMS jointly participate in trilateral KIMS-NIMS-IMR symposiums.
• Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS): South Korea's leading government materials research institute. Direct peer — IMR signed a General Collaborative Agreement with KIMS in 2008, and the two jointly conduct workshops and symposiums on magnesium, titanium alloys, and advanced materials. Both serve as national materials science centers in their respective countries.
• Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences: Sister CAS institute focused on ceramics and advanced materials research. Direct peer — both are CAS-affiliated materials research institutes in China with comparable scale, structure, and funding models. SIC operates in Shanghai while IMR operates in Shenyang, both serving as key nodes in CAS's materials research network.

Broad incumbents

• MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering: Leading global academic materials science program. Broad peer — MIT's DMSE is a globally recognized leader in materials research and serves as an indirect peer for talent, publication impact, and research benchmarks, though its academic structure differs from IMR's dedicated research institute model.
• Argonne National Laboratory: US Department of Energy national laboratory with strong materials science and battery research programs. Broad incumbent peer — comparable in scale and scope to IMR as a government research institute, particularly relevant given Argonne's leadership in battery R&D that overlaps with IMR's iron flow and solid-state battery work.
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory: US Department of Energy national laboratory with extensive materials science research programs. Broad incumbent peer — both are government-funded multipurpose national laboratories with significant materials science capabilities, though ORNL operates at a broader scope including nuclear, computing, and energy research.
• Brookhaven National Laboratory: US Department of Energy national laboratory with active materials science and catalysis research. Broad incumbent peer — comparable scale as a government national lab, with similar research breadth spanning materials characterization, catalysis, and energy storage technologies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute of Metal Research Chinese Academy of Sciences