Nov. 19th, 2019, Dr. Chen was identified to be one of the world’s most influential researchers in the field of materials science by the Web of Science Group, and on the global list of Highly Cited Researchers together with the other 11 Full Professors in the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering. Read More from [UCLA Samueli Newsroom] and [UCLA University News].
Sep 12th, 2016, our work on smart textile for simultaneously harvesting solar and mechanical energy was published in Nature Energy. It reported a lightweight, wearable, foldable and sustainable power source with simple transport and storage. This work was selected as a Nature Research Highlights (Fabric Harvests Two Energy Forms, Nature 2016, 537, 283), and reported around the world over 200 times, including [ScienceDaily][YaHoo][People] [NanoWerk][Materials Today][Xinhua Net][GeorgiaTech News][Big News Network].
Feb 9th, 2018, the large-scale radiative cooling fabric work was published in Nature Sustainability. It is a nanophotonic structure textile with tailored infrared property for passive radiative cooling, which lowered human skin temperature by 2.3 °C, corresponding to more than 20% saving on indoor cooling energy (Scaling Up Textiles that Cool Down, Science 2018, 360, 616). The related patent was licensed and filed around the world, including USA, China, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Brazil, European Associates, Mexico, India, Canada, Indonesia, Spain, and so on.
Mar 4th, 2014, our work on radial-arrayed rotary triboelectric nanogenerator for high-performance mechanical energy harvesting was published in Nature Communications. It enables a high output power density of 19 mW/cm² at an efficiency of 24%. This work was selected as a Nature Research Highlights (Shake to Make Power, Nature 2014, 507, 143), and reported around the world over 100 times, including [Sinc] [Phys.org] [China Science Daily][Naukas] [Radio-Canada] [Mother Nature Network][World Industrial Reporter].
Feb 26th, 2015, the first configuration of triboelectric nanogenerator networks configuration for large-scale blue energy harvesting was published by ACS Nano. It is capable of floating on the surface of the water and converting the slow, random and high-force all-directional oscillatory water wave motions into electricity. An average power output of 1.15 MW is expected to be generated from a one-kilometer square water surface in nature. This work was highlighted by Nature (Catch Wave Power in Floating Nets, Nature 2017, 542, 159).
Nov 6th, 2018, our work on epidermis-inspired ultrathin 3D cellular sensor array for self-powered biomedical monitoring was published in ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, and highlighted as the Front Cover story. Structurally mimicking the human epidermis, the wearable three-dimensional cellular sensor array was demonstrated to successfully measure the human heartbeat, and detect the eyeball motion for sleeping monitoring in a self-powered operation manner. It represents a substantial advancement in the wearable electronics for healthcare.
Jun 1st, 2018, Dr. Chen was interviewed by ScienceNews Magazine and covered in a story entitled “Future Smart Clothes Could Pack Serious Gadgetry.” This article was highlighted as Front Cover of the SN Magazine. It is said “…Engineers are getting creative to make lightweight, flexible devices that keep clothing comfortable and still perform as well as their clunky counterparts...But fashionistas and gearheads can look forward to a future where electronic clothes are in vogue…” “…Primarily made of synthetic polymers and wool fibers, the fabric is lightweight, flexible and breathable. A 4-by-5 centimeter piece worn for a run in the sun can charge up a cell phone”.