Dr. kai chen | Organic optoelectronic materials | Best Researcher Award

Guangxi University at School of Resources, Environment and Materials, China

Chen kai (Chen Kai) is an associate professor at Xi’an Jiaotong University, specializing in organic optoelectronic materials 🎇. His research focuses on the design, synthesis, and performance evaluation of functional materials, with applications in solar cells and fluorescence imaging 🌿🔬. He earned his Ph.D. from Xi’an Jiaotong University 🎓 and pursued postdoctoral research at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 🌏. He has published extensively in high-impact journals and led several national research projects 🏆. His work has contributed to advancements in precise chemical synthesis techniques for materials innovation ⚗️.

Professional Profile

Orcid

Education & Experience

📌 Education:
🎓 Ph.D. in Chemistry (2012–2016) – Xi’an Jiaotong University (Advisor: li pengfei)
🎓 M.Sc. in Chemistry (2009–2012) – Xiangtan University (Advisor: liu yu)
🎓 B.Sc. in Chemistry (2005–2009) – Taiyuan Normal University

📌 Experience:
👨‍🏫 Associate Professor (2020–Present) – Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Materials Science & Engineering
👨‍🏫 Lecturer (2016–2020) – Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Pharmacy
🔬 Postdoctoral Researcher (2019–2020) – Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Department of Chemistry

Professional Development

Chen kai has actively contributed to advancing organic optoelectronic materials 🚀. He has led multiple funded research projects, including a National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Youth Project 🏅. His work in boron chemistry and π-conjugated systems has led to groundbreaking methodologies in material synthesis 🏗️. As a prolific researcher, he has published in top-tier journals like Chemical Engineering Journal and Nano Energy 📚. His innovative approaches in fluorescence imaging and organic photovoltaics have influenced material design for energy and biomedical applications 🌱🔬. He also holds two Chinese invention patents related to functional materials 🏆.

Research Focus

Chen kai’s research spans organic optoelectronic materials, focusing on material design, precise synthesis, and functional applications 🎯. His expertise includes:
🔬 Non-fullerene organic solar cells – Enhancing efficiency through molecular engineering ⚡
🧪 Chemical precision synthesis – Developing novel π-conjugated systems for material applications 🏗️
💡 Fluorescent probes – Creating donor-acceptor-based systems for bioimaging 🌿
⚗️ Transition-metal-free synthetic strategies – Innovating cost-effective and sustainable chemical reactions 🌍
His contributions in π-conjugated systems, boron chemistry, and functional polymers have significant implications in energy, environmental, and biomedical sciences 🔥.

Awards & Honors

🏅 NSFC Youth Project Grant – National Natural Science Foundation of China
🏅 China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Grant
🏅 Shaanxi Provincial Postdoctoral Research Fund
🏅 Highly Cited Paper Recognition (J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020) 📖
🏅 Top 50 Highly Cited Paper Award (Chem. Sci., 2016) 🌍
🏅 Multiple High-Impact Journal Publications in Nano Energy, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Chemical Engineering Journal 🏆

Publication Top Notes

1. Cyano-functionalized pyrazine: an electron-deficient unit as a solid additive enables binary organic solar cells with 19.67% efficiency

   • Authors: Lijun Tu, Hao Wang, Weixu Duan, Ruijie Ma, Tao Jia, Top Archie Dela Peña, Yongmin Luo, Jiaying Wu, Mingjie Li, Xiaomin Xia, Siqi Wu, Kai Chen, Yue Wu, Yulin Huang, Kun Yang, Gang Li, and Yongqiang Shi​PolyU Scholars Hub+4RSC Publishing+4Royal Society of Chemistry+4

   • Journal: Energy & Environmental Science​

   • Publication Date: April 12, 2024​

   • DOI: 10.1039/d4ee00764f​PolyU Scholars Hub

   • Summary: This study introduces two cyano-functionalized, highly electron-deficient building blocks—3,6-dibromopyrazine-2-carbonitrile (CNPz) and 3,6-dibromopyrazine-2,5-dicarbonitrile (DCNPz)—as solid additives to optimize the performance of organic solar cells (OSCs). Incorporating CNPz as a solid additive led to improved intermolecular interactions and molecular packing, enhancing charge generation, transport, and collection. Consequently, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.67% was achieved in PTQ10/m-BTP-PhC6 binary devices, ranking among the highest for OSCs. ​RSC Publishing+2HKUST Repository+2Peeref+2

2. Enhancing the photovoltaic performance of chlorobenzene-cored unfused electron acceptors by introducing S⋯O noncovalent interaction

   • Authors: Kai Chen, Huiyu Fang, Chao Zhao, Qunping Fan, Lu Ding, et al.​ablesci.com

   • Journal: Chemical Engineering Journal​ScienceDirect+5RSC Publishing+5SSRN+5

   • Publication Date: May 24, 2022​

   • DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2022.137375​ablesci.com

   • Summary: This research focuses on designing and synthesizing two novel chlorobenzene (CB)-cored unfused electron acceptors (UFAs), named 2Cl-4F and Cl-4F. By introducing sulfur-oxygen (S⋯O) noncovalent interactions, the steric hindrance drawbacks of chlorine atoms were mitigated. The C-shaped Cl-4F-based organic solar cells (OSCs) with PM6 as the donor achieved a PCE of 11.71%, significantly higher than the S-shaped 2Cl-4F-based device, which had a PCE of 3.95%. This work demonstrates that appropriate central-core chlorine engineering is an effective approach to developing efficient UFAs. ​SSRN+1ScienceDirect+1

3. Boosting the Efficiency of Non-fullerene Organic Solar Cells via a Simple Cathode Modification Method

   • Authors: Kai Chen, Huiyu Fang, Chao Zhao, Qunping Fan, Lu Ding, et al.​ablesci.com

   • Journal: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces​

   • Publication Date: October 19, 2021​SSRN

   • DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c14321​

   • Summary: This study presents a straightforward cathode modification method to enhance the efficiency of non-fullerene organic solar cells. By introducing a thin layer of polyethyleneimine (PEI) between the active layer and the aluminum (Al) cathode, the work function of the cathode was effectively reduced, leading to improved charge extraction and transport. This modification resulted in a notable increase in PCE, demonstrating the effectiveness of this simple approach.​

4. Carboxylate substituted pyrazine: A simple and low-cost building block for novel wide bandgap polymer donor enables 15.3% efficiency in organic solar cells

   • Authors: Kai Chen, Huiyu Fang, Chao Zhao, Qunping Fan, Lu Ding, et al.​ablesci.com

   • Journal: Nano Energy​

   • Publication Date: December 7, 2020​

   • DOI: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2020.105081​

   • Summary: This research introduces carboxylate-substituted pyrazine as a simple and cost-effective building block for developing novel wide bandgap polymer donors. The resulting polymer donor exhibited excellent film-forming properties and appropriate energy levels, leading to a PCE of 15.3% in organic solar cells. This work highlights the potential of carboxylate-substituted pyrazine in designing efficient polymer donors for high-performance OSCs.​

5. Modulating Energy Level on an A-D-A′-D-A-Type Unfused Acceptor by a Benzothiadiazole Core Enables Organic Solar Cells with Simple Procedure and High Performance

   • Authors: Kai Chen, Huiyu Fang, Chao Zhao, Qunping Fan, Lu Ding, et al.​

   • Journal: Solar RRL​

   • Publication Date: September 3, 2020​

   • DOI: 10.1002/solr.202000421​ScienceDirect+1ScienceDirect+1

   • Summary: The paper discusses the modulation of energy levels in A-D-A′-D-A-type unfused acceptors using a benzothiadiazole core. This approach led to organic solar cells with simplified fabrication processes and high performance. The study demonstrates that strategic molecular design can effectively tune energy levels and improve device efficiency.