Professor Hongxia Wang

Doctor of Philosophy (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Broad Area of Research Interest: Energy conversion and storage materials and devices and beyond. Charge Transport mechanism in solar cells, ionic conductivity materials.

My Google Scholar citations are available via the link below http://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=LR5t1MkAAAAJ&hl=en

PhD project available: We are seeking highly motivated and creative individuals with solid background in chemistry, physics and materials to join our dynamic research team.  Please contact me for more information (hx.wang@qut.edu.au)

Main Research Area: Our research is focused on development of cost-effective optoelectrical devices (solar cells, light emitting diodes, photodetectors), supercapacitors, batteries, solar fuels as well as related integrated devices for variable environmental conditions both on earth and in outer space through innovative materials design and synthesis, device architecture design as well as in-depth understanding of the fundamental mechanism of the materials in devices.

(i) Perovskite based solar cells (PSCs) and light emitting diodes

• Efficient charge extraction materials of PSCs
• High stability PSCs
• Perovskite materials with tailored properties for PSCs and LED applications
• Cost-effective electrode materials for PSCs

(i) Sensitized solar cells

• Solid state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) with novel fast ion transport electrolyte.
• Metal oxides (TiO2, ZnO, SnO2) with unique 1D properties for DSCs.
• Kinetics of charge transport and recombination of DSCs
• Quantum dots sensitized solar cells

(iii) Earth-abundant thin film solar cells

• Synthesis of copper-zinc-tin-sulfide (Cu2ZnSnS4, CZTS) light absorber films through cost-effective chemical approach
• High performance CZTS thin film solar cells through novel device architecture

(iV) Supercapacitors and batteries

• Novel electrode materials for supercapacitors and batteries.
• Wearable supercapacitive materials
• Integrated solar driven photocapacitors
• membrane coating materials for long cycle life betteries.

Awarded Grants:

• 2022-2025, ARC Linkage Grant. LP210100217. "Industrially Viable Routes for Fabrication of Perovskite Solar Cells".
• 2023-2024, ARC LIEF Grant.  LE230100070. "Integrated high-throughput material synthesis and characterisation system".
• 2021-2022, ARC LIEF Grant. LE220100034, "A platform for upscaled demonstration of emerging photovoltaic materials"
• 2021-2024, ARC Discovery Grant. DP210102580. "High Performance Monolithic Photocapacitors".
• 2021-2022,  ARC LIEF Grant. LE210100036. "A customised triple-beam microscope for precise fabricating/characterising".
• 2019-2022,  ARC Discovery Grant. DP190102252.  "Green Synthesis of Organometal Perovskite Solar Cells".
• 2018-2020, ARC Discovery Grant. DP180101098. "Antibacterial Impact Assessment of Nanopillar surfaces on Titanium Implants".
• 2015-2017,  Queensland government-Chinese Academy of Science Science Collaborative Fund (Q-CAS)  " Clean, Low Cost Solar Electricity".
• 2014-2015, ARC LIEF grant, “A New Integrated Photo-electrochemical Device Fabrication & Testing System”, $190K
• 2012-2016, ARC Future Fellowship Grant. “Quantum dot-sensitized solar cells: Can efficiency beyond the Shockley-Queisser limit be achieved?”.
• 2008-2011, ARC linkage grant. “Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells-New Cathode Materials and Systems “.

Prizes and Awards:

• Fellow of Australian Chemical Institute (FRACI).
• Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC).
• World's Top 2% Scientist   (Stanford ranking. 2020, 2921, 2022).
• Highly Cited Author in Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Journal, 2020.
• Australian Research Council (ARC) College of Expert (2020-2023).
• QUT Vice-Chancellor Performance Award__Research (2017)
• "Solar Energy Journal Best Paper Award". (2017)
• QUT Vice-Chancellor Performance Award__Research. (2017)
• ARC Future Fellow. Australian Research Council (ARC), (2012)
• ARC Australian postdoctoral Fellowship – industry (APDI) (2007).

Patents:

To date, I am the inventor on four patents on materials and solar cells:

(1) “An improved perovskite based solar cells” (Australian provisional patent 106276AUV00);

(2) “A new composite electrolyte and its applications”, CN02159047.8, 2004 (granted).

(3). “Preparation of a new solid state electrolyte and its applications”, CN03137666.5, 2003 (granted).

(4). “A novel method to prepare TiO2 paste”. CN 2003101132508, 2003 (granted.)

Commercial outcomes:

My work at Dyesol Ltd Australia during my employment as an industrial postdoc fellow on solid-state electrolytes for dye-sensitised solar cells led to the development of a successful commercial product in the company, ‘High performance gel electrolyte’.

Career Path:

• 2019-present: Professor, Queensland University of Technology.
• 2014 – 2019 : Associate Professor, Queensland University of Technology.
• 2012 – 2014: Senior Lecture, Queensland University of Technology.
• 2010 – 2012: Vice-Chancellor Senior Research Fellow, Queensland University of Technology.
• 2007 – 2010: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Bath, UK.
• 2006 – 2007: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Dyesol Ltd, Australia.
• 2005 – 2006: Visiting Scholar, Shizuoka University, Japan.
• Sep-Nov. 2005, Senior Material Engineer, Ampere Technology Limited (ATL).

Projects (Chief investigator)

• Precursors for Perovskite Solar from an Australian Minerals Supply Chain

Additional information