Researcher

Dr Will Chen

Biography

Dr. Weijian (Will) Chen -  ACAP fellow at Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP), School of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy Engineering (SPREE), UNSW Sydney.

His research interests focus on spectroscopic technique, numerical methodologies and data analytic techniques for multi-dimensional microscopical imaging characterisation of emerging materials for energy-harvesting and light-emitting applications.

He was awarded Doctor of...view more

Dr. Weijian (Will) Chen -  ACAP fellow at Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP), School of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy Engineering (SPREE), UNSW Sydney.

His research interests focus on spectroscopic technique, numerical methodologies and data analytic techniques for multi-dimensional microscopical imaging characterisation of emerging materials for energy-harvesting and light-emitting applications.

He was awarded Doctor of Philosophy in SPREE of UNSW Sydney, Australia in 2018.

During his PhD candidature, he also worked as a visiting scientist at Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light in 2016, funded by German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

After his Ph.D. graduation, he worked as a post-doc research fellow in Centre for Micro-Photonics and Centre for Translational Atomaterials in Swinburne University of Technology between 2018 and 2020.

During this post-doc appointment at Swinburne, he visited KAUST Solar Center (KSC) for a 3-month cooperation at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia.
 


My Grants

  • ACAP Round 3 Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2020, 2020-2022, $280,000 cash from ACAP + $300,000 in-kind support from host and cooperators;
  • King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) & Swinburne University of Technology, Ultrafast laser spectroscopy & four-dimensional electron Imaging, 2019, 2019, $5,000 for a 3-month visit to KAUST.
  • Postgraduate Research Support Scheme (PRSS), UNSW, Conference Travel Grant, 2017, 2017, $2,300;
  • UNSW/Go8 - Germany Joint Research Cooperation Scheme, III-V based nanostructures as absorbing material in a hot carrier cell concept, 2016, 2016, $ 5,000 for visiting Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light
  • UNSW, Ph.D. Tuition Fee Scholarship for Third Gen Photovoltaics, 2014, 2014-2018, Life Stipend + Tuition Fee Waiver

My Qualifications

  • 2018, Ph.D., School of Photovoltaics & Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Australia.
  • 2017, Certificate of Foundations of University Learning and Teaching Program, UNSW.
  • 2013, University of Western Australia (UWA) Cross-Institutional (Exchange) Undergraduate, Electrical Engineering.
  • 2014, B.ENG., School of Electrical Engineering & Honors School, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), China.

My Awards

  • ACAP Fellowship, Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, UNSW, 2020;
  • Australia Nanotechnology Network Early Career Researcher Award, July 2019;
  • Publication Award, Centre for Translational Atomaterials, Swinburne University of Technology, December 2018.

My Research Activities

Weijian's current project is on the development of optical characterization techniques and recombination analysis routines for understanding carrier dynamics of emerging photovoltaic materials and devices.

These works directly contribute to the research of organic and earth-abundant inorganic thin-film solar cells and optics/characterization by developing advanced spectroscopy characterization methods aiming at analyzing perovskite and other similar kinds of solar cells.

With routinized characterization method aided by numerical carrier dynamical modeling, the techniques developed advance the state-of-the-art solar technologies and prepare for future-emerging novel materials and advanced concepts in photovoltaics, and ultimately deal with the human challenge of dependence on fossil energy sources, energy crisis, and global warming issues.

Research Interests:

  • Photo-physics Characterization & Application of Optoelectronic Materials, particularly mobile ions and charge carriers in perovskites;
  • Ultrafast spectroscopy and time-resolved micro-spectroscopy;
  • Photophysics of (semiconductors, metallic and graphene-based) nanomaterial.

Selected Publication as lead-author:​​​​

  • Chen, W., ..., & Wen, X. (2021). Spectroscopic Insight into Efficient and Stable Hole Transfer at the Perovskite/Spiro-OMeTAD Interface with Alternative Additives. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (10.1021/acsami.0c19111).
  • Chen, W., ..., & Wen, X. (2020). Revealing Dynamic Effects of Mobile Ions in Halide Perovskite Solar Cells Using Time-Resolved Micro-spectroscopy. Small Methods, 202000731.
  • Zheng, F.#, Chen, W.#, ... & Wen, X. (2019). Triggering the Passivation Effect of Potassium Doping in Mixed‐Cation Mixed‐Halide Perovskite by Light Illumination. Advanced Energy Materials, 1901016.         (Equal contributed first-author. Highlighted as Inside Front Cover.)
  • Chen, W., ..., & Wen, X. (2019). Tracking Dynamic Phase Segregation in Mixed‐Halide Perovskite Single Crystals under Two‐Photon Scanning Laser Illumination. Small Methods, 1900273.
  • Chen, W., ...,& Wen, W. (2019) Long-Distance Ionic Diffusion in Cesium Lead Mixed Halide Perovskite Induced by Focused-Illumination. Chemistry of Materials31(21), 9049-9056.
  • Vu, T. H. Y.#, Chen, W.#,  ... & Wen, X. (2019). Visualizing the Impact of Light Soaking on Morphological Domains in an Operational Cesium Lead Halide Perovskite Solar Cell. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 11(1), 136-143.        (Equal contributed first-author. Co-supervised Ph.D. student as co-first author.)
  • Chen, W.; ... & Conibeer, G. (2018) Free Charges versus Excitons: Photoluminescence Investigation of InGaN/GaN Multiple Quantum Well Nanorods and Their Planar Counterparts. Nanoscale 10 (11), 5358–5365.
  • Chen, W., ... & Conibeer, G., (2016) Nanoscale characterization of carrier dynamic and surface passivation in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells on GaN nanorods. ACS applied materials & interfaces, 8(46), pp.31887-31893.

Other professional activities:

  • Organizing committee of the 2019 and 2020 International Conference on Nanomaterials and Atomaterials Science and Applications. (https://lniconference.com.au/);
  • Topic Editor of the journal Crystals
    • (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/crystals/topic_editors);
  • Review Editor of the journal Frontier in Photonics
    • (https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/1155053/overview);
  • Review Editor of the journal Micro Machines 
    • (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/micromachines/submission_reviewers)
  • Academic journals reviewer for journals include: Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, APL Photonics, ACS Applied Materials & Interface, Applied Surface Science, Scientific Reports
    • (https://publons.com/researcher/1469906/weijian-chen/)

My Research Supervision


Supervision keywords


Areas of supervision

1. Photoluminescence (PL)-spectroscopy characterization routine methods & numerical models developed for perovskite, kesterite, and other adamantine thin-film solar cells with superior temporal, spatial and spectral resolutions, and methodological generalization for other adamantine thin-films in operational single-junction solar cells and tandem silicon solar cells.

2. Understanding of the photogenerated carrier relaxation pathways in emerging PV absorber materials by combining PL, absorption spectra, confocal microscopy and numerical models.


Currently supervising

Accredited to supervise Masters & Doctoral students as joint-supervisor, and available to supervise honours students.

Co-supervised two Ph.D. candidates:

  • Ms. Chunhua Zhou (Ph.D. Thesis Submitted) in Swinburne University of Technology
  • Ms. Thi-Hai-Yen Vu, (first-year Ph.D. candidate) in Swinburne University of Technology, transferred to Monash University.

Under the supervision and advice to their research works, 4 first-authored journal articles published by these students in prestigious journals:

  • Advanced Optical Materials,
  • ACS Applied Materials Interface;
  • Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters.

My Teaching

Course Assistant Coordinator & Tutor

  • Course: GSOE9010 Engineering Postgraduate Coursework Research Skill

  • Course: SOLA5057 Energy Efficiency

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Location

123WS12, L1, TETB
H6, UNSW Sydney