On the afternoon of December 11, 2023, Professor Dewei Chu from the University of New South Wales, Australia, visited DGUT at the invitation of the university for academic exchange. The session was held in Conference Room A10 of the Interdisciplinary Science Research Center at DGUT and was chaired by Professor Wang Anding of the School of Materials Science and Engineering. The report was conducted in a hybrid format combining online and in-person participation, with dozens of faculty members and students from the School of Materials Science and Engineering attending.
Professor Dewei Chu delivered an academic presentation titled "Bio-inspired Nanoionic Materials for Energy & Information Related Flexible Devices Applications." In his report, Professor Chu introduced a series of novel nanoionic materials and devices that simulate the functions of the brain and skin at low power consumption by regulating ion migration. First, he presented a new artificial sensory system that integrates ZnO-based synaptic devices with Pt/carbon nanofiber-based strain sensors for stimulus detection and information processing. In addition, inspired by electric eels, Professor Chu developed a graphene oxide/polyvinyl alcohol (GO/PVA) generator with high output power by employing a simple strategy of acid treatment to modify the oxygen-containing groups of graphene oxide, which holds promise for ushering in a new era of energy supply for wearable electronic devices. Finally, Professor Chu also introduced the latest research progress on flexible zinc-ion batteries for energy storage devices and silver nanowires for transparent conductive electrodes.
The report was rich in content and presented in an accessible yet in-depth manner, not only broadening the horizons of faculty and students but also providing new insights and ideas for their scientific research, generating keen interest among the attendees. Following the report, Professor Chu engaged in discussions with the participating faculty and students on relevant academic topics.
Biography:
Dewei Chu is a professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Australia. He currently leads the Ion Materials Group at UNSW, which comprises 33 researchers. His main research areas focus on the application of nanoionic materials in information and energy storage/conversion devices, with a particular emphasis on developing solution-processable, printable, and flexible nanoionic materials for cost-effective and energy-efficient wearable electronics and IoT devices. He maintains strong collaborative relationships with international companies such as Panasonic, TOTO, Baosteel, and Wilmar Mining. He has been granted 12 patents, authored 4 book chapters, and published over 230 journal papers. Since 2011, he has secured competitive research funding totaling over 30 million US dollars from various Australian higher education, government, and industry organizations. He has been awarded numerous prestigious fellowships, including the JSPS Fellowship, the Australian Research Council APD Fellowship, the Future Fellowship, and the Mid-Career Industry Fellowship.
Draft: Tan Tingyuan / First Review: Liu Zhao / Second Review: Li Runxia / Third Review: Wang Biao
