Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Through Nanotechnology

Ling Zang, Ph.D., is a USTAR professor of nanotechnology at the University of Utah, with expertise in the fields of nanomaterials and molecular devices. Dr. Zang’s current research focuses on nanoscale imaging and molecular probing, organic semiconductors and nanostructures, optoelectronic sensors and nanodevices, with the long-term goal of achieving real applications in the areas of national security, renewable energy, and clean environment. Before moving to Utah in 2008, Dr. Zang was an associate professor at Southern Illinois University. He was previously an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at Erlangen-Nuremberg University in Germany, an NSF CAREER Award winner, and a K. C. Wong Foundation Research Fellow. He also holds an adjunct professorship at the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, and serves on the editorial board of several scientific journals including the Journal of Nanoengineering and Nanosystems, the Journal of Nanoscience Letters, and Imaging Science and Photochemistry. Dr. Zang has been awarded various federal grants to support his broad range of research in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Beyond the regular faculty duty on campus, Dr. Zang also remains active in organizing and chairing the nanotechnology sessions of various national and international conferences, e.g., Beckman Frontiers of Science Symposium, National Academy of Sciences, AIChE Annual Meeting, NanoUtah Annual Conference, etc.  Dr. Zang earned his B.S. in physical chemistry from Tsinghua University in 1991 and his Ph.D. in chemistry from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1995.

• 1. Enhancement of Si Based Solar Cell Efficiency via Nanostructure Integration.- 2. Organic and Hybrid Solar Cells Based on Small Molecules.- 3. Organic Solar Cells with Inverted and Tandem Structures.- 4. Organic Solar Cells and Their Nanostructural Improvement.- 5. On the Importance of Morphology Control for Printable Solar Cells.- 6. Development of Low Band Gap Polymers for Roll-to-Roll Coated Polymer Solar Cell Modules.- 7. Nanoarchitectured Electrodes for Enhanced Electron Transport in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.- 8. Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Using Natural Dyes and Nanostructural Improvement of TiO2 Film.- 9. Nanotube and Nanorod Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.- 10. Nanostructured Materials by Molecular Layer Deposition for Enhanced Solar Energy Utilization with Optical Waveguides.- 11. Nanomaterials for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells.- 12. Mechanical Energy Harvesting Based on PZT Nanofibers.- 13. Nanostructured Materials for Photolytic Hydrogen Production.- 14. (Oxy)nitrides and Oxysulfides as Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalysts for Overall Water Splitting.- 15. Heterogeneous Photocatalytic Conversion of Carbon Dioxide.- 16. Nanostructured Electrodes and Devices for Converting Carbon Dioxide Back to Fuels: Advances and Perspectives.- 17. Nitrogen Photofixation at Nanostructured Iron Titanate Films.- 18. Photoreduction of Nitrogen on TiO2 and on TiO2-Containing Minerals.- 19. Photocatalytic Degradation of Water Pollutants Using Nano-TiO2.- 20. Advanced Photocatalytic Nanomaterials for Degrading Pollutants and Generating Fuels by Sunlight.- 21. Lithium-based Batteries for Efficient Energy Storage: Nanotechnology and Its Implications.- 22.  Computational Nanostructure Design for Hydrogen Storage.- 23. Use of Nanostructures for High Brightness Light Emitting Diodes.- 24. Dielectric Physics Approach for Improvement of Organic-Field Effect Transistors Performance.- 25. Aerogels for Energy Saving and Storage.- 26. Window Glass Coatings.