QIN Xiaoying

Dr. QIN Xiaoying, a senior professor of Institute of Solid State Physics (ISSP) and deputy director of fifth laboratory of ISSP , Chinese Academy of Science (CAS). His main interested research areas include: nanomaterials, energy materials and energy technologies.

The current researches mainly involve thermoelectric materials and energy conversion and energy storage technology.

Educational background:

(1)1982, B.S. Degree, Anhui University (solid state physics)

(2)1987, MS Degree, Institute of Solid State Physics, Academia Sinica (solid state physics).

(3)1997, Ph.D. Institute of Solid State Physics, Academia Sinica (condensed matter physics) .

Work experiences:

(1)1982-1984, junior researcher in Institute of Metal Research (Shenyang), Academia Sinica;

(2)1987-1998, assistant professor/associate professor deputy in Institute of Solid State Physics, Academia Sinica;

(3)1998-1999, postdoctor research in Hanyang University of Korea;

(4)1998-2000 Humboldt fellow in University Muenster of Germany;

5)2000- A senior professor in Institute of Solid State Physics, Academia Sinica; 

Research Field:

Thermoelectric (TE) materials have captured extensive attention because of their potential use in direct thermal-to-electrical energy conversion and solid-state refrigeration. The performance of thermoelectric materials can be quantified by a dimensionless figure of merit ZT. Currently, ZT value is too low to be used in a large scale. Hence, it is a great challenge how to raise their ZT value. In addition to enhancing phonon blocking by nanostructuring and nanocompositing, we try, for example, to design material systems with special interface potentials to intensify energy-dependent scattering (energy filtering) to elevating thermopower so as to raise their power factor and ZT value. Besides, we try, for instance, to introduce in the hosts special dopants that not only improve carrier concentration and inhibit lattice thermal conductivity but also causes resonant distortion of electronic density of state (DOS) to enhance thermopower so as to raise their power factor and ZT value. In summary, through improvements and designs of microstructural and electronic structures of the host materials we make great efforts to allow ZT of traditional thermoelectric material systems to achieve larger and larger values.