George Zheng Chen

Biography

George Chen (CChem, FRSC, FRSA, FIMMM) received his Teaching Diploma (Jiujiang Teacher Training College, now Jiujiang University) in 1981, MSc (Fujian Normal University) in 1985, and PhD (University of London) and DIC (Diploma of Imperial College) in 1992. After postdoctoral research in the Universities of Oxford (1992) and Leeds (1994), he moved to the University of Cambridge (1996), taking up positions of Senior Research Associate (1998), and Assistant Director of Research (2001). In Cambridge, he was awarded the Schlumberger Interdisciplinary Research Fellowship (2000) and elected to Official Fellow (2003) of Darwin College. He joined the University of Nottingham as Reader in 2003, and was promoted to Professor in 2009. He was lecturer of Jiangxi University (1985-1988), and also specially invited professor of the University of Mediterranee (2007) and Wuhan University (2000-2010), and senior academic visitor of Fudan University (2014-2016). In Nov 2014, Prof. Chen started his secondment in the University's China Campus in Ningbo (official name: University of Nottingham Ningbo China, UNNC), and is now leading the Electrochemical Technologies Group (ETG) in both the UK and China Campuses. In the UNNC, he is currently Head of the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Head of the Energy Engineering Research Group (EERG), and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies (CSET). Since July 2017, he has been appointed Li Dak Sum Chair Professor of Electrochemical Technologies in the UNNC. He also holds honorary/visiting positions in Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wenzhou University and Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (CAS). Prof. Chen has undertaken various research projects funded by e.g. the EPSRC, Royal Society, MoST (China), MoSTI (Malaysia), E.ON and Ningbo Municipal Government, with the outputs being documented in over 600 of journal, conference and patent publications. Some aspects of his research are being developed by the industry (e.g. The FFC Cambridge Process by Metalysis, and Supercapattery by E.ON). He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the TMS Reactive Metals Technology Award (2001, 2004), the Royal Society Brian Mercer Feasibility Award (2007), the E.ON International Research Award (2008), the Inman Medal (2014), and Specially Invited Expert (1000 Talent Plan) of Zhejiang Province (2015). The OCRiD of Prof. Chen is 0000-0002-5589-5767. On 18 August 2017, Web of Science recorded 206 articles from Prof. Chen with 9600 citations and an h-index of 52, and his record in Google Scholar included 317 publications with 12179 citations and an h-index of 60

Research Interest

On 18 August 2017, Web of Science and Google Scholar reported 9600 and 12179 citations of Prof. Chen's publications, and an h-index of 52 and 60, respectively. His Researcher ID, ORCID and Scopus Author ID are respectively A-4577-2009, 0000-0002-5589-5767 and 7407503328. He is now undertaking secondment in the University's China Campus, namely the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, taking up positions of Director of the Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies (CSET, May 2015), Head of Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (July 2016), and Head of Energy Engineering Research Group (EERG, January 2017). He is also associated with the International Academy of Marine Economy and Technology (IAMET) in the China Campus (Ningbo), Advanced Materials Research Group (Nottingham), and the Energy Technology Research Institute in the UK campus (Nottingham). His recent and ongoing research is summarised below. 1. Electrochemical science, engineering and technologies for materials, energy and environment Clean technologies are the necessity of the 21st century and beyond. Fuel cells, batteries and electrochemical capacitors are clean for the energy consumption of human activities. Electrolysis, electro-synthesis, and electrochemical machining are clean for the production of materials and devices supporting human activities. The efficient use of these clean techniques, however, rely strongly on materials that enable and accommodate the relevant electrochemistry and also on innovations that further improve these techniques. In the electrochemical technologies group led by Prof. Chen in both the UK and China campuses of Nottingham University, methods are being developed for (1) the electrochemical production of engineering and functional materials (metals, ceramics, polymers, nano-materials, supramolecules and composites) and (2) the applications of novel materials in electrochemical devices, including fuel cells, supercapacitors, supercapatteries, rechargeable batteries, sensors, switchable membranes and etc. In particular, a core topic in Prof. Chen's research is further understanding, improvement and application of the Fray-Farthing-Chen Cambridge Process. The electro-extraction of reactive, refractory and rare earths metals (pure or alloyed forms of Si, Ti, Zr, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Nd, Sm and etc.) via the FFC Cambridge Process is being investigated in parallel with specialty devices or their components for medical and electrochemical applications. Another core research area is the indirect electro-reduction of carbon dioxide in molten salts to produce fuels and materials with the process design for utilisation of solar energy. Carbon based advanced materials, such as carbon nanotubes, electrically conducting polymers, and their composites, are another direction of Prof. Chen's research. Currently, composites of carbon nanotubes and functional materials (e.g. polypyrrole, manganese oxide, titanium dioxide) are being researched. In particular, the composites are and will be used to fabricate a new type of energy storage device, supercapattery, that combines the merits of supercapacitor and rechargeable battery. Collaboration with experts of power electronics is ongoing to develop intelligent interfaces between for example the electric power grid and banks of supercapatteries. Prof. Chen is also researching on the preparation of other organic and inorganic materials based nano-composites (or hybrids) and their applications for energy efficiency and environment cleanup. More recent work has succeeded in efficient photo-electro-catalytic degradation of organic pollutants in water and simultaneous removal of heavy metals or production of hydrogen gas. 2. Liquid salts innovations Liquid salts refer to "liquids of ions or ionic matters" disregarding temperatures, and hence include the traditional high temperature molten salts and the relatively new room temperature ionic liquids. By convention, molten is a state resulting from heating, and liquid is a condensed fluid under ambient conditions. The facts that both are salts in nature and work only in the liquid state have led the academic community to search for a common term for both, but such a term has not yet been universally accepted due to a number of reasons. Prof. Chen prefers the term of liquid salts because both words are well known to the general public. Prof. Chen's research in ionic liquids (liquid salts at room temperatures) started in mid 2000, and has already made some meaningful progresses. Modulation of composition and structure in the composites of polymer and ionic liquid can lead to thermochromic behaviour in response to temperature variation. In Prof. Chen's recent work in collaboration with Wuhan University, China, these novel composites changed colour in the temperature range (e.g. 30 ~ 80oC) that is readily achievable under direct or indirect sunlight, and hence termed as solar-thermochromic composites. This finding signifies applications in many areas, but particularly the built environment for improved energy efficiency. For example, these materials may be applied in truly smart windows that can, at high summer temperatures, automatically reduce light transmittance through windows and hence the energy consumption for air conditioning and refrigeration. Prof. Chen has also ongoing investigation on using liquid salts for (1) carbon capture and reclamation (CCR), conversion (CCC) or utilisation (CCU), (2) solar heat transfer and storage, and (3) high voltage supercapacitors. 3. Fundamental understanding of new electrochemical processes and devices is a long term research interest of Prof. Chen. In this aspect, his research team has been studying (1) charge transfer at the three-phase interlines (3PIs) which are the main reaction sites in many electrochemical processes involving three or more phases of solids and liquids, (2) ion conduction mechanisms in polymer-nanomaterial composite membranes, (3) reference electrodes for liquid salts applications, particularly at elevated temperatures, and (4) materials based photo-electrochemical, thermo-electrochemical, piezo -electrochemical, and photo-thermochemical phenomena. Past Research The outcomes from Prof. Chen's past research have been been documented in various publications (700+), including patents (20+), refereed research and review articles in journals and book chapters (210+), invited and contributed presentations at seminars and conferences (360+), plus postgraduate theses (120+). His research has been well recognised by international colleagues, receiving >9600 citations with h-index = 52 as recorded in the Web of Science, and >12100 citations with h-index = 60 in Google Scholar (18 August 2017). Future Research Prof. Chen's future research will continue from his current work on electrochemical science, engineering and technologies for materials, energy and environment, focusing on liquid salts assisted innovations. National and international collaboration will play a key role to progress his research into greater width and depth. For updated information about Prof Chen and his research activities, see http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~enzgzc/GZChen.htm.