The GAO Materials Chemistry Research Group

This dude is too lazy to write anything here, or too busy with science, or a superposition of both.

This dude is too lazy to write anything here, or too busy with science, or a superposition of both.

This dude is too lazy to write anything here, or too busy with science, or a superposition of both.

My main research interests focus on colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals in a variety of shapes and compositions. Specifically, I am working on how chemistry can contribute to both the understanding of the structures through methods such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS), and to a deeper understanding of the reaction pathways that take place in the formation of these interesting structures. In my spare time I like to play sports, cook/eat, and hang out with my lady.

I work on upconversion nanoparticles for enhanced efficiency solar cells. This effect allows us to ‘upconvert’ light whose wavelength is below the band gap of semiconducting solar cell materials into light that is at or above the band gap, extending the useful portion of the solar spectrum.

Research Area:

Mesochemistry: thin films of periodic mesoporous organosilica for use as novel low-dielectric-constant materials in semiconductor microprocessors; periodic mesoporous quartz; periodic mesoporous (organosilica) silica-graphene oxide composite materials.

Other interests include photonics, bionano interface, energy technology, and cleantech.

Favorite Scientist’s Quote

The best way to predict future is to invent it. — Alan Kay

Personal Website: http://wendongwang.info

This dude is too lazy to write anything here, or too busy with science, or a superposition of both.

Research project:
Fabricate TiO2 inverse opals for use as photocatalyst and study the effect of slow photons on the amplification of the photocatalytic efficiency

Contact:

Work: Dept. of Chemistry
University of Toronto
Lash Miller Building
80, St. George Street
M5S3H6 Toronto , Canada
Office: Room LM 328
Phone: 416-978-4735
Email: jchen@chem.utoronto.ca

Education:

• 2004.9 ~ 2009.6 Ph. D. (Inorganic Chemistry, Prof. Geoff. A. Ozin) Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
• 1999.9 ~ 2004.6 B.Sc. and Co-operative Education Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada

Awards and Scholarship

• 2006-2008 NSERC – Postgraduate Scholarship – Doctoral’s
• 2006 Chorafas Foundation Prize
• 2006 Materials Research Society Graduate Student Silver Award
• 2006 F. E. Beamish Prize in Inorganic Chemistry
• 2004-2006 NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s
• 2004 University of Toronto Fellowship
• 2004 Society of Chemical Industry Merit Award
• 2004 Research Education for Undergraduates Award, National Science Foundation
• 2003 Simon Fraser University Chemistry Award
• 2002, 2003 NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award
• 2002 Chemical Institute of Canada Achievement Award
• 2002-2004 Simon Fraser University Open Scholarship
• 1999-2001 Simon Fraser University Dean’s Scholarship in Faculty of Science

List of publications:

• J. I. L. Chen, G. von Freymann, V. Kitaev, and G. A. Ozin, “Effect of Disorder on the Optically Amplified Photocatalytic Efficiency of TiO2 Inverse Opals” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 1196-1202.
• J. I. L. Chen, G. von Freymann, S. Y. Choi, V. Kitaev, and G. A. Ozin, “Amplified Photochemistry with Slow Photons” Adv. Mater. 2006, 18, 1915-1919.
• A. C. Arsenault, D. A. Rider, N. Tetrault, J. I. L. Chen, N. Coombs, G. A. Ozin, and I. Manners, “Block Copolymers under Periodic, Strong Three-Dimensional Confinement” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 9954-9955.
• H.-Y. Guo, J. I. L. Chen, A. S. Arrott and Z.-G. Ye, “Enhanced ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism in La1-xBixCrO3 by Bi3+- substitution” J. Mater. Res. In press (2007).
• J. I. L. Chen, and Z.-G. Ye, “Citrate-Nitrate Combustion Route to the Synthesis of LaCrO3 – BiCrO3 Solid Solution” J. Mater. Sci. In press. (2007).
• J. T. McCann, J. I. L. Chen, D. Li, Z.-G. Ye, and Y. Xia, “Electrospinning of Polycrystalline Barium Titanate Nanofibers with Controllable Morphology and Alignment” Chem. Phys. Lett. 2006, 424, 162-166.
• J. I. L. Chen, M. Mahesh Kumar, and Z. –G. Ye, “A New Ferroelectric Solid Solution System of LaCrO3-BiCrO3” J. Solid State Chem. 2004, 177, 1501-1507.
• J. I. L. Chen, and Z.-G. Ye, “Ferroelectricity in La1-xBixCrO3 Solid Solutions” Ferroelectrics: Proceedings of the 10th European Meeting on Ferroelectricity 2004, 301, 175-177.

Extracurricular Activities:

Piano, badminton and skiing