MSE Colloquium: Xiong Gong, High Performance Solution-Processed Solar Cells via Novel Materials and Device Engineering

Abstract

Efficiently and economically harnessing the solar energy via photovoltaic (PV) devices presents as one of promising solutions to the global energy crisis. However, over 80% available PVs are silicon-based solar cells and inorganic thin film solar cells, which are expensive and require critical processing techniques. Solution-processed bulk heterojunction organic PVs and perovskites hybrids PVs have shown great potential as novel, high-efficient and low-cost PV devices, which are renewable, economic and green energy sources in the future energy market. In this presentation, I would like to share with you how we approach solution-processed solar cells with high efficiencies.

• By development of novel 2D conjugated polymers to enhance the hole mobility of conjugated polymers, we are able to observe over 10 % efficiency from single-junction polymer solar cells;
• By application of magnetic nanoparticles and external magnetic field into bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells, we are able to observe more than 50 % enhanced efficiency from single junction polymer solar cells;
• In order to facilitate electron extraction efficiency in perovskite solar cells and make it comparable to that of hole, we, for the first time, demonstrate bulk heterojuncion perovskite solar cells with enhanced efficiency and less photo-hysteresis;
• By reengineering the interface of solution-processed perovskite materials, utilizing rare-earth doped perovskite materials and highly electrical conductive hole transporting layer, we are able to demonstrate over 18 % efficiency from solution-processed perovskite solar cells.

Bio

Dr. Xiong Gong is an Associate Professor in the Department of Polymer Engineering of the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering at the University of Akron (UA). He also holds an Adjunct Chair Professor position in the State Key Laboratory of Luminescence Materials and Devices at the South China University of Technology, P. R. China. Dr. Gong received his B. Sc., M. Sc. (both majoring in Chemistry) and Ph. D. (majoring in Physics) from various Universities in China. He did his post-doc fellow with Prof. Alan J. Heeger in the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Prior to join the University of Akron, Dr. Gong was a manager of CBrite Inc. and a senior research scientist in the Center of Polymers and Organic Solids at UCSB from 2005 to 2010. So far, Dr. Gong has accomplished over 160 articles published in the peer reviewed journals, with a peer citation over 16,000 times. He earned an H-index of 49. He also contributed 35 granted/pending patents and 9 book chapters. Dr. Gong received many international and national awards and honors including named the top 1% mostly cited researchers in 2015, the world's most influential scientific minds in 2014 and the top 1% mostly cited scientists in the field of materials science in 2014 reported by Thomson Reuters, National Science Foundation (NSF) Career award (2014) and NSF of China oversea outstanding Chinese youngest scientist award (2008).