Wang Group Honours Projects

 Supervisor Dr Bin Luo

Effective energy storage system plays an important role in the renewable energy utilisation and electric vehicles. Metal-sulfur batteries has been recognised as promising candidates for next generation energy storage devices. This project aims to develop new sulfur cathodes, separators or solid electrolyte for high-capacity metal (Li, Al)-sulfur battery with high capacity and long cycling life.

 Supervisor Professor Lianzhou Wang & Peng Chen

Photovoltaic cells refer to optoelectronic devices that can harvest sunlight energy to generate electricity for daily life and industrial production. Recently, the emerging perovskite solar cells have attracted tremendous attention across the photovoltaic research community due to their unprecedented progress in power conversion efficiency, increasing from 3.8% to 25.5% in only one decade. However, due to the imperfect crystal growth in the low-temperature solution fabrication protocol, there remain quite a number of defects at the surface and grain boundaries of polycrystalline perovskite thin films, leading to undesired voltage losses of their photovoltaic devices. This project aims at the development of novel interfacial materials that can passivate the interfacial defects and simultaneously regulate the growth of polycrystalline perovskite thin films. Such an interfacial engineering strategy is expected to minimize voltage losses and improve power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells towards their theoretical limit.

 Supervisor Professor Lianzhou Wang &  Dr Miaoqiang Lyu

The advent of the era of electronics has witnessed increasingly booming trends in developing printed electronics and the Internet of Things (IoT) devices, with broad applications in next generation of flexible sensors, medical devices, wearable/implantable electronics, etc. In most of these printed electronics, the flexible thin-film battery is an integral component with a predicted market of USD 1.72 billion by 2025 (Grand View Research, Inc.). These large emerging markets have attracted tremendous attention from industries, leading to companies such as Imprint Energy (USA), Enfucell (Finland), Semiconductor Energy Laboratory (Japan) and Printed Energy (Australia), etc. Among these companies, developing low-cost, non-toxic and roll-to-roll printable thin-film batteries is strategically important for taking leadership in the emerging markets in printed electronics. Supported by the Advance Queensland Fellowship and Printed Energy company, this project will be focusing on developing low-cost rechargeable zinc thin-film batteries for next-generation IoT devices.

 Supervisor  Professor Lianzhou Wang &  Dr Miaoqiang Lyu

Efficient solar energy conversion systems can significantly promote sustainable and low carbon-emission economy. Supported by ARC DECRA funding, this project aims to rationally design low-toxic and stable metal halide perovskites for efficient solar hydrogen conversion. The key concept is to design stable lead-free metal halide perovskite semiconductors with superior photophysical properties for solar-driven valuable chemical production. Expected outcomes include new generation advanced materials and proof-of-concept technologies for efficient solar hydrogen generation.

 Supervisor  Dr Bin Luo

This project aims to develop a new solar battery as a sustainable power source for future stationary energy storage. The research will develop solar rechargeable flow batteries for the direct storage of solar energy. Expected outcomes include new classes of solar flow batteries, functional energy materials, as well as new knowledge generated from collaborations across materials science, photoelectrochemistry and nanotechnology disciplines.