To enhance the energy conversion efficiency between heat and electricity, the thermal conduction of materials needs to be suppressed, and the microscopic mechanisms must be better understood. Thermal conduction in solids is closely related to lattice vibration, which is conventionally characterized by phonon propagation; however, diffuson-like thermal transport can become predominant in materials with ultralow thermal conductivity. New strategies for a simultaneous suppression of both propagative and diffusive thermal transports will be discussed in this talk. Zintl compounds were recently found to exhibit exceptional thermal energy conversion efficiency. The electrical and thermal transports and the carrier properties of Zintl compounds will be presented. It will be shown that a high thermoelectric figure of merit over a broad temperature range can be realized through the suppression of the carrier excitation.
Professor Chen studied at Oxford University and Beihang University, and received his PhD degree in 2010. After completing his postdoctoral training at Columbia University in the City of New York, he joined The University of Hong Kong as an Assistant Professor in 2014, being promoted to Associate Professor in 2020. Professor Chen’s research focuses on the materials physics for electrical and thermal transports, including electronic structures and lattice dynamics. He has authored more than 180 peer-reviewed journal publications and presented invited papers around the globe. He is the recipient of the Outstanding Young Researcher Award from The University of Hong Kong.
Clean water and clean air are vital for public health. This project focuses on developing high-efficiency and environmentally sustainable filters for removing harmful air/water pollutants. The team has developed novel architectures and functionalities for the filters to achieve high permeance, high removal efficiency, and excellent reusability.
