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Honorary Professor Zhi-Gang Chen
Honorary Professor

Zhi-Gang Chen

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Overview

Background

Prof. Dr Zhigang Chen is currently an Honorary Professor in the School of Mechanical & Mining Engineering, the University of Queensland, and a founding director for the ARC Research Hub in Zero-emission Power Generation for Carbon Neutrality (ZeroPC), ARC Future Fellow, Academic Reseach Lead, and a Capacity Building Professor of Energy Materials at the School of Chemistry and Physics, Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Dr Chen received his PhD from the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2008 under the supervision of Professor Hui-Ming Cheng, and Professor Gaoqing (Max) Lu. His research focuses on thermoelectrics for power generation and cooling; next-generation optoelectronic devices and functional System; topological insulators for next-generation chips; and high-speed sensors. In total, Dr Chen received ~A$40,000,000 in research grants to support the research, including one prestigious UQ postdoctoral fellowship (2009), ARC APD Fellowship (2009), five ARC Discovery Grants (four as lead CI, one as ARC APD fellowship, and one as ARC Future Fellowship), two ARC Research hub, four ARC Linkage Grant (one as lead CI), four ARC LIEF Grant, >10 Industry Investments (eight as sole CI), two Queensland Smart Futures Funds (sole CI), and >10 University Grants. Currently, Dr Chen is leading one ARC Research Hub, two ARC discovery projects, one sub project at ARC Research Hub, one ARC Linkage project, and four industry investments. Dr Chen is one Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (Top 0.1% researcher in the world). He has authored over 330 high-impact journal publications including 1 Nature Energy, 1 Nature Nanotechnology; 3 Nature Communications; 1 Chemical Reviews; 2 Progress in Materials Science; 4 Energy & Environmental Science; 1 Joule; 11 Advanced Materials; and 4 Journal of the American Chemical Society. These publications have attracted >35000 times (Scopus, www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57188708630) and an H index of 70. His google scholar citation is >25,000 with an H index of 100 (https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=vkRX_vgAAAAJ&hl=en). Particularly, in the last three years, Dr Chen has published more than 40 articles per year and attracted over 5,000 citations per year. Dr Chen has delivered over 50 plenary/keynote/invited talks in the international/national conferences. Dr Chen has authored four commercialized patents, which have been attracted industry investments.

Availability

Honorary Professor Zhi-Gang Chen is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of the Chinese Academy of Science

Research interests

  • Design inexpensive, abundant, low-toxic and high-efficiency thermoelectric nanomaterials

    Thermoelectric materials directly convert thermal energy into electrical energy, offering a green and sustainable solution for the global energy dilemma. This proposal aims to develop inexpensive, abundant, and low-toxic thermoelectric nanomaterials for high-efficiency energy conversion using novel industry-level approach, coupled with nanostructure and band engineering strategies.

  • Topological Insulators

    High-Speed Hard Drive: Topological Insulators Open a Path to Room-Temperature Spintronics

Research impacts

Thermoelectric materials for power generation and cooling

Identifying new approaches to develop energy-saving methods and tap into new renewable energy sources is set to be the greatest challenge of the 21st Century. Thermoelectric (TE) energy is one of the approaches that offers great promise as it can be used in multiple applications for power generation and refrigeration. It can create electricity from waste heat at any scale, it can significantly improve energy efficiency at a medium industrial scale, including significantly improving vehicular weight and emissions, and it can even generate electricity or cooling at the nanoscale. For instance, it could potentially be used to convert body heat into electricity in clothing or to charge a cell phone. The thermoelecric materials developed by Dr Chen have extremely high hopes for this technology.

Topological insulators for high speed chips

Imagine if the "information superhighway" had HOV lanes so that data could be stored, processed and disseminated many times faster than possible with today's electronics. New topological insulators developed by Dr Chen will be used for this new generation devices, such a speedway for future devices, an exotic type of electrical conductor.

Works

Search Professor Zhi-Gang Chen’s works on UQ eSpace

515 works between 2005 and 2025

341 - 360 of 515 works

2018

Journal Article

Enhancing thermoelectric performance of Cu-modified Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 by electroless plating and annealing

Huang, Zhongyue, Zhang, He, Zheng, Kun, Dai, Xueting, Yu, Yuan, Cheng, Hefa, Zu, Fangqiu and Chen, Zhi-Gang (2018). Enhancing thermoelectric performance of Cu-modified Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 by electroless plating and annealing. Progress in Natural Science: Materials International, 28 (2), 218-224. doi: 10.1016/j.pnsc.2018.02.007

Enhancing thermoelectric performance of Cu-modified Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 by electroless plating and annealing

2018

Journal Article

High performance thermoelectric materials: Progress and their applications

Yang, Lei, Chen, Zhi-Gang, Dargusch, Matthew S. and Zou, Jin (2018). High performance thermoelectric materials: Progress and their applications. Advanced Energy Materials, 8 (6) 1701797, 1701797. doi: 10.1002/aenm.201701797

High performance thermoelectric materials: Progress and their applications

2018

Journal Article

Atomic disorders in layer structured topological insulator SnBi2Te4 nanoplates

Zou, Yi-Chao, Chen, Zhi-Gang, Zhang, Enze, Kong, Fantai, Lu, Yan, Wang, Lihua, Drennan, John, Wang, Zhongchang, Xiu, Faxian, Cho, Kyeongjae and Zou, Jin (2018). Atomic disorders in layer structured topological insulator SnBi2Te4 nanoplates. Nano Research, 11 (2), 696-706. doi: 10.1007/s12274-017-1679-z

Atomic disorders in layer structured topological insulator SnBi2Te4 nanoplates

2018

Journal Article

A Novel Hydrogel Surface Grafted With Dual Functional Peptides for Sustaining Long-Term Self-Renewal of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Manipulating Their Osteoblastic Maturation

Deng, Yi, Wei, Shicheng, Yang, Lei, Yang, Weizhong, Dargusch, Matthew S. and Chen, Zhi-Gang (2018). A Novel Hydrogel Surface Grafted With Dual Functional Peptides for Sustaining Long-Term Self-Renewal of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Manipulating Their Osteoblastic Maturation. Advanced Functional Materials, 28 (11) 1705546, 1705546. doi: 10.1002/adfm.201705546

A Novel Hydrogel Surface Grafted With Dual Functional Peptides for Sustaining Long-Term Self-Renewal of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Manipulating Their Osteoblastic Maturation

2018

Journal Article

Enhanced antibacterial property and osteo-differentiation activity on plasma treated porous polyetheretherketone with hierarchical micro/nano-topography

Wang, Shengnan, Deng, Yi, Yang, Lei, Shi, Xiuyuan, Yang, Weizhong and Chen, Zhi-Gang (2018). Enhanced antibacterial property and osteo-differentiation activity on plasma treated porous polyetheretherketone with hierarchical micro/nano-topography. Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition, 29 (5), 520-542. doi: 10.1080/09205063.2018.1425181

Enhanced antibacterial property and osteo-differentiation activity on plasma treated porous polyetheretherketone with hierarchical micro/nano-topography

2018

Conference Publication

Thickness dependence of internal stress in electrodeposited nano-twinned copper

Zhan, S., Yang, Y. L., Peng, W. Y., Chen, J. G., Li, Z. B., Hou, X. J., Feng, L., Suo, G. Q., Chen, Z. G., Zou, J. and Wang, Y. D. (2018). Thickness dependence of internal stress in electrodeposited nano-twinned copper. *, *, *. Sofia, Bulgaria: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Thickness dependence of internal stress in electrodeposited nano-twinned copper

2018

Journal Article

Achieving high Figure of Merit in p-type polycrystalline Sn0.98Se via self-doping and anisotropy-strengthening

Shi, Xiaolei, Chen, Zhi-Gang, Liu, Weidi, Yang, Lei, Hong, Min, Moshwan, Raza, Huang, Liqing and Zou, Jin (2018). Achieving high Figure of Merit in p-type polycrystalline Sn0.98Se via self-doping and anisotropy-strengthening. Energy Storage Materials, 10, 130-138. doi: 10.1016/j.ensm.2017.08.014

Achieving high Figure of Merit in p-type polycrystalline Sn0.98Se via self-doping and anisotropy-strengthening

2018

Book Chapter

High-performance thermoelectric materials for solar energy application

Yang, Lei, Chen, Zhi-Gang and Zou, Jin (2018). High-performance thermoelectric materials for solar energy application. Emerging materials for energy conversion and storage. (pp. 3-38) edited by Kuan Yew Cheong, Giuliana Impellizzeri and Mariana Amorim Fraga. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-813794-9.00001-6

High-performance thermoelectric materials for solar energy application

2018

Journal Article

Formation mechanism of titania based opacified glaze with novel core-shell nanostructure

Zhan, Hongquan, Wu, Chuanqi, Deng, Ce, Li, Xiaohong, Xie, Zhipeng, Wang, Changan and Chen, Zhi-gang (2018). Formation mechanism of titania based opacified glaze with novel core-shell nanostructure. Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 39 (4), 1668-1674. doi: 10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2018.12.013

Formation mechanism of titania based opacified glaze with novel core-shell nanostructure

2017

Journal Article

Mechanically driven grain boundary formation in nickel nanowires

Wang, Lihua, Kong, Deli, Zhang, Yin, Xiao, Lirong, Lu, Yan, Chen, Zhigang, Zhang, Ze, Zou, Jin, Zhu, Ting and Han, Xiaodong (2017). Mechanically driven grain boundary formation in nickel nanowires. ACS Nano, 11 (12), 12500-12508. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.7b06605

Mechanically driven grain boundary formation in nickel nanowires

2017

Journal Article

Granular nanostructure: a facile biomimetic strategy for the design of supertough polymeric materials with high ductility and strength

Song, Pingan, Xu, Zhiguang, Dargusch, Matthew S, Chen, Zhi-Gang, Wang, Hao and Guo, Qipeng (2017). Granular nanostructure: a facile biomimetic strategy for the design of supertough polymeric materials with high ductility and strength. Advanced Materials, 29 (46) 1704661, 1-7. doi: 10.1002/adma.201704661

Granular nanostructure: a facile biomimetic strategy for the design of supertough polymeric materials with high ductility and strength

2017

Journal Article

Attaining ultrahigh thermoelectric performance of direction-solidified bulk n-type Bi2Te2.4Se0.6 via its liquid state treatment

Zhu, Bin, Huang, Zhong-Yue, Wang, Xiao-Yu, Yu, Yuan, Yang, Lei, Gao, Na, Chen, Zhi-Gang and Zu, Fang-Qiu (2017). Attaining ultrahigh thermoelectric performance of direction-solidified bulk n-type Bi2Te2.4Se0.6 via its liquid state treatment. Nano Energy, 42, 8-16. doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2017.10.034

Attaining ultrahigh thermoelectric performance of direction-solidified bulk n-type Bi2Te2.4Se0.6 via its liquid state treatment

2017

Journal Article

Enhanced Thermoelectric Properties of Ag-Modified Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 Composites by a Facile Electroless Plating Method

Cao, Shen, Huang, Zhong-Yue, Zu, Fang-Qiu, Xu, Ju, Yang, Lei and Chen, Zhi-Gang (2017). Enhanced Thermoelectric Properties of Ag-Modified Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 Composites by a Facile Electroless Plating Method. ACS applied materials & interfaces, 9 (42), 36478-36482. doi: 10.1021/acsami.7b11989

Enhanced Thermoelectric Properties of Ag-Modified Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 Composites by a Facile Electroless Plating Method

2017

Journal Article

High-tensile-strength and ductile novel Ti-Fe-N-B alloys reinforced with TiB nanowires

Huang, Liqing, Qian, Ma, Wang, Lihua , Chen, Zhi-Gang, Shi, Zhiming, Nguyen, Van and Zou, Jin (2017). High-tensile-strength and ductile novel Ti-Fe-N-B alloys reinforced with TiB nanowires. Materials Science and Engineering A, 708, 285-290. doi: 10.1016/j.msea.2017.09.136

High-tensile-strength and ductile novel Ti-Fe-N-B alloys reinforced with TiB nanowires

2017

Journal Article

Superconductivity and magnetotransport of single-crystalline NbSe2 nanoplates grown by chemical vapour deposition

Zou, Yi-Chao, Chen, Zhi-Gang, Zhang, Enze, Xiu, Faxian, Matsumura, Syo, Yang, Lei, Hong, Min and Zou, Jin (2017). Superconductivity and magnetotransport of single-crystalline NbSe2 nanoplates grown by chemical vapour deposition. Nanoscale, 9 (43), 16591-16595. doi: 10.1039/c7nr06617a

Superconductivity and magnetotransport of single-crystalline NbSe2 nanoplates grown by chemical vapour deposition

2017

Journal Article

Eco-friendly SnTe thermoelectric materials: progress and future challenges

Moshwan, Raza, Yang, Lei, Zou, Jin and Chen, Zhi-Gang (2017). Eco-friendly SnTe thermoelectric materials: progress and future challenges. Advanced Function Materials, 27 (43) 1703278, 1703278. doi: 10.1002/adfm.201703278

Eco-friendly SnTe thermoelectric materials: progress and future challenges

2017

Journal Article

Thermoelectric performance of Se/Cd codoped SnTe via microwave solvothermal method

Wang, Lijun, Chang, Siyi, Zheng, Shuqi, Fang, Teng, Cui, Wenlin, Bai, Peng-Peng, Yue, Luo and Chen, Zhi-Gang (2017). Thermoelectric performance of Se/Cd codoped SnTe via microwave solvothermal method. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 9 (27), 22612-22619. doi: 10.1021/acsami.7b06083

Thermoelectric performance of Se/Cd codoped SnTe via microwave solvothermal method

2017

Journal Article

Enhancing the thermoelectric performance of SnSe1-xTex nanoplates through band engineering

Hong, Min, Chen, Zhi-Gang, Yang, Lei, Chasapis, Thomas C., Kang, Stephen Dongmin, Zou, Yichao, Auchterlonie, Graeme John, Kanatzidis, Mercouri G., Snyder, G. Jeffrey and Zou, Jin (2017). Enhancing the thermoelectric performance of SnSe1-xTex nanoplates through band engineering. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 5 (21), 10713-10721. doi: 10.1039/c7ta02677c

Enhancing the thermoelectric performance of SnSe1-xTex nanoplates through band engineering

2017

Journal Article

Using intrinsic intracrystalline tunnels for near-infrared and visible-light selective electrochromic modulation

Wang, Zhen, Zhang, Qingzhu, Cong, Shan, Chen, Zhigang, Zhao, Jinxiong, Yang, Mei, Zheng, Zuhui, Zeng, Sha, Yang, Xuwen, Geng, Fengxia and Zhao, Zhigang (2017). Using intrinsic intracrystalline tunnels for near-infrared and visible-light selective electrochromic modulation. Advanced Optical Materials, 5 (11) 1700194, 1700194. doi: 10.1002/adom.201700194

Using intrinsic intracrystalline tunnels for near-infrared and visible-light selective electrochromic modulation

2017

Journal Article

Arrayed van der Waals broadband detectors for dual-band detection

Wang, Peng, Liu, Shanshan, Luo, Wenjin, Fang, Hehai, Gong, Fan, Guo, Nan, Chen, Zhi-Gang, Zou, Jin, Huang, Yan, Zhou, Xiaohao, Wang, Jianlu, Chen, Xiaoshuang, Lu, Wei, Xiu, Faxian and Hu, Weida (2017). Arrayed van der Waals broadband detectors for dual-band detection. Advanced Materials, 29 (16) 1604439. doi: 10.1002/adma.201604439

Arrayed van der Waals broadband detectors for dual-band detection

Funding

Past funding

  • 2018 - 2021
    High Performance, Low-cost Integrated System for Low-grade Wast Heat Recovery
    HBIS Group Co, Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2018
    Development of High Performance Nanostructured (Bi, Sb)2Te3 Nanomaterials
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2015
    Smart Futures Fellowship (Early): Development of high-efficiency thermoelectric nanowire arrays for power generation devices
    Queensland Government Smart Futures Fellowships
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2013
    Queensland International Fellowship: Towards power generation devices for converting waste heat into power energy
    Queensland International Fellowships
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2012
    Epitaxial Growth of Nanostructured Thermoelectric Zn4Sb3 p-n Junction Heterostructure Arrays for Power-Generation Devices
    UQ Foundation Research Excellence Awards - DVC(R) Funding
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2012
    An integrated system for measuring thermoelectric properties of advanced materials
    ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    Development of Nanostructured Sensors for Ultra-sensitive, Label-free and Selective Detection of Biological and Chemical Species
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2010
    Development of Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials for Power-Generation Devices
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2012
    Development of silicon nanowire sensors for detection of chemical species
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2011
    Epitaxial growth of Zn-VI/III-N nanowire-based structures for future device applications
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Honorary Professor Zhi-Gang Chen is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Design low-cost, low-toxic and high performance thermoelectric materials

    The direct energy conversion between heat and electricity, based on thermoelectric effects without moving parts, has been considered as a green and sustainable solution to the global energy dilemma. This project aims to develop novel band-engineered metal selenides for high-efficiency energy conversion using novel microwave assisted wet chemistry approach, coupled with nanostructure and band engineering strategies. The key breakthrough is to design high performance metal selenide thermoelectrics for satisfying the high efficiency solid-state devices. The expected outcomes will lead to an innovative technology that waste heat recovery and refrigeration, which will place Australia at the forefront of practical energy technologies.

  • Design low-cost and high performance two dimensional topological insulators

    Superfast information technology had HOV lanes so that data could be stored, processed and disseminated many times faster than possible with today's electronics. This project aims to develop new topological insulators using chemical vapor depostion and coupling unique nanostructure and band engineering strategies. The ultimate target is to be used for this new generation devices, such a speedway for future devices, an exotic type of electrical conductor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Development of High-Performance Thermoelectric Materials and Devices for on-chip Applications

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Matthew Dargusch, Emeritus Professor Jin Zou

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Design high-performance fiber-based thermoelectrics for wearable electronics

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Matthew Dargusch, Emeritus Professor Jin Zou

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Development of thermoelectric materials

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Jin Zou

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Development of thermoelectric materials

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Jin Zou

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Advanced Microscopy Technique for High-performance Thermoelectric Materials

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Jin Zou

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Understanding the structural characteristics for two-dimensional nanostructure heterojunction

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Jin Zou

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Atomic scale phase transition study in two-dimensional material heterostructures by in-situ transmission electron microscopy

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Jin Zou

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Atomic scale phase transition study in two-dimensional material heterostructures by in-situ transmission electron microscopy

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Jin Zou

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

Contact Honorary Professor Zhi-Gang Chen directly for media enquiries about:

  • Engineering
  • Light electronics
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  • Nanomaterials
  • Nanostructures
  • Optoelectronic devices

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