Dr Mingrui He

Dr Mingrui He

Postdoctoral Fellow

2011 - 2015 - B.E. in Materials Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Korea 

2015 - 2017 - M.Eng. in Materials Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Korea 

2017 - 2021 - Ph.D. in Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Australia

Engineering
Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering

Mingrui He is an Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP) research fellow at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia, in the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering.

He earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from Chonnam National University (CNU), Korea, in 2015 and 2017, respectively. During his studies, under the mentorship of Prof. Jin Hyeok Kim, Mingrui focused on the development of earth-abundant chalcogenide compounds for use in photovoltaics.

After completing his master's degree in 2017, He continued his academic journey at UNSW for his doctoral studies. There, he expanded his research on earth-abundant compounds, delving into their applications in photovoltaic solar cells and hydrogen fuel technologies, supervised by Prof. Xiaojing Hao.

In October 2021, he began a postdoctoral fellowship in the same research group, focusing on perovskite materials development. By November 2023, he had earned an ACAP research fellowship, aiming to enhance the stability of wide-bandgap perovskite materials.

Location
School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, Tyree Energy Technologies Building (TETB) H6, Level 1 UNSW Sydney, NSW 2033 Australia
  • Journal articles | 2024
    Cong J; He M; Jang JS; Huang J; Privat K; Chen YS; Li J; Yang L; Green MA; Kim JH; Cairney JM; Hao X, 2024, 'Unveiling the Role of Ge in CZTSSe Solar Cells by Advanced Micro-To-Atom Scale Characterizations', Advanced Science, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/advs.202305938
    Journal articles | 2024
    Wang A; Huang J; Cong J; Yuan X; He M; Li J; Yan C; Cui X; Song N; Zhou S; Green MA; Sun K; Hao X, 2024, 'Cd-Free Pure Sulfide Kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 Solar Cell with Over 800 mV Open-Circuit Voltage Enabled by Phase Evolution Intervention', Advanced Materials, 36, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.202307733
    Journal articles | 2024
    Zhang P; Li C; He M; Liu Z; Hao X, 2024, 'The Intermediate Connection of Subcells in Si-based Tandem Solar Cells', Small Methods, 8, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202300432
    Journal articles | 2023
    Baek MC; Jang JS; Suryawanshi MP; Karade VC; Kim J; He M; Park SW; Kim JH; Shin SW, 2023, 'Rear interface engineering via a facile oxidation process of Mo back contact for highly efficient CZTSSe thin film solar cells', Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 935, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2022.167993
    Journal articles | 2023
    Jang JS; Karade VC; Suryawanshi MP; Lee DM; Kim J; Jang S; Baek MC; He M; Kim JH; Shin SW, 2023, 'Improving Long-Term Stability of Kesterite Thin-Film Solar Cells with Oxide/Metal/Oxide Multilayered Transparent Conducting Electrodes', Solar RRL, 7, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/solr.202300199
    Journal articles | 2023
    Liu X; Zheng B; Shi L; Zhou S; Xu J; Liu Z; Yun JS; Choi E; Zhang M; Lv Y; Zhang WH; Huang J; Li C; Sun K; Seidel J; He M; Peng J; Hao X; Green M, 2023, 'Perovskite solar cells based on spiro-OMeTAD stabilized with an alkylthiol additive', Nature Photonics, 17, pp. 96 - 105, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41566-022-01111-x
    Journal articles | 2023
    Suryawanshi MP; Ghorpade UV; Toe CY; Suryawanshi UP; He M; Zhang D; Jang JS; Shin SW; Kim JH; Hao X; Amal R, 2023, 'Earth-abundant photoelectrodes for water splitting and alternate oxidation reactions: Recent advances and future perspectives', Progress in Materials Science, 134, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pmatsci.2023.101073
    Journal articles | 2023
    Wang A; He M; Green MA; Sun K; Hao X, 2023, 'A Critical Review on the Progress of Kesterite Solar Cells: Current Strategies and Insights', Advanced Energy Materials, 13, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202203046
    Journal articles | 2022
    Li J; Huang J; Cong J; Mai Y; Su Z; Liang G; Wang A; He M; Yuan X; Sun H; Yan C; Sun K; Ekins-Daukes NJ; Green MA; Hao X, 2022, 'Large-Grain Spanning Monolayer Cu2ZnSnSe4 Thin-Film Solar Cells Grown from Metal Precursor', Small, 18, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/smll.202105044
    Journal articles | 2022
    Li J; Huang J; Ma F; Sun H; Cong J; Privat K; Webster RF; Cheong S; Yao Y; Chin RL; Yuan X; He M; Sun K; Li H; Mai Y; Hameiri Z; Ekins-Daukes NJ; Tilley RD; Unold T; Green MA; Hao X, 2022, 'Unveiling microscopic carrier loss mechanisms in 12% efficient Cu2ZnSnSe4 solar cells', Nature Energy, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41560-022-01078-7
    Journal articles | 2022
    Yuan X; Li J; Huang J; Yan C; Cui X; Sun K; Cong J; He M; Wang A; He G; Mahboubi Soufiani A; Jiang J; Zhou S; Stride JA; Hoex B; Green M; Hao X, 2022, '10.3% Efficient Green Cd-Free Cu2ZnSnS4 Solar Cells Enabled by Liquid-Phase Promoted Grain Growth', Small, 18, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/smll.202204392
    Journal articles | 2021
    Gang MG; Karade VC; Suryawanshi MP; Yoo H; He M; Hao X; Lee IJ; Lee BH; Shin SW; Kim JH, 2021, 'A Facile Process for Partial Ag Substitution in Kesterite Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4Solar Cells Enabling a Device Efficiency of over 12%', ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 13, pp. 3959 - 3968, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsami.0c19373
    Journal articles | 2021
    He M; Huang J; Li J; Jang JS; Suryawanshi UP; Yan C; Sun K; Cong J; Zhang Y; Kampwerth H; Suryawanshi MP; Kim J; Green MA; Hao X, 2021, 'Systematic Efficiency Improvement for Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 Solar Cells By Double Cation Incorporation with Cd and Ge', Advanced Functional Materials, 31, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202104528
    Journal articles | 2021
    He M; Sun K; Suryawanshi MP; Li J; Hao X, 2021, 'Interface engineering of p-n heterojunction for kesterite photovoltaics: A progress review', Journal of Energy Chemistry, 60, pp. 1 - 8, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jechem.2020.12.019
    Journal articles | 2021
    He M; Sun Y; Tan X; Luo J; Zhang H, 2021, 'Bioinspired oil-soluble polymers based on catecholamine chemistry for reduced friction', Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 138, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/app.50472
    Journal articles | 2021
    He M; Yan C; Li J; Suryawanshi MP; Kim J; Green MA; Hao X, 2021, 'Kesterite Solar Cells: Insights into Current Strategies and Challenges', Advanced Science, 8, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/advs.202004313
    Journal articles | 2021
    He M; Zhang X; Huang J; Li J; Yan C; Kim J; Chen YS; Yang L; Cairney JM; Zhang Y; Chen S; Kim J; Green MA; Hao X, 2021, 'High Efficiency Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 Solar Cells with Shallow LiZn Acceptor Defects Enabled by Solution-Based Li Post-Deposition Treatment', Advanced Energy Materials, 11, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202003783
    Journal articles | 2021
    Jang S; Jang JS; Karade V; Jo E; Kim J; Suryawanshi MP; He M; Park J; Kim JH, 2021, 'Evolution of structural and optoelectronic properties in fluorine–aluminum co-doped zinc oxide (FAZO) thin films and their application in CZTSSe thin-film solar cells', Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 232, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2021.111342
    Journal articles | 2021
    Suryawanshi UP; Ghorpade UV; Lee DM; He M; Shin SW; Kumar PV; Jang JS; Jung HR; Suryawanshi MP; Kim JH, 2021, 'Colloidal Ni2P Nanocrystals Encapsulated in Heteroatom-Doped Graphene Nanosheets: A Synergy of 0D@2D Heterostructure Toward Overall Water Splitting', Chemistry of Materials, 33, pp. 234 - 245, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.0c03543
    Journal articles | 2020
    Duan L; Sang B; He M; Zhang Y; Hossain MA; Rahaman MH; Wei Q; Zou Y; Uddin A; Hoex B, 2020, 'Interface Modification Enabled by Atomic Layer Deposited Ultra-Thin Titanium Oxide for High-Efficiency and Semitransparent Organic Solar Cells', Solar RRL, 4, pp. 2000497 - 2000497, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/solr.202000497
    Journal articles | 2020
    Duan L; Zhang Y; He M; Deng R; Yi H; Wei Q; Zou Y; Uddin A, 2020, 'Burn-In Degradation Mechanism Identified for Small Molecular Acceptor-Based High-Efficiency Nonfullerene Organic Solar Cells', ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 12, pp. 27433 - 27442, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsami.0c05978
    Journal articles | 2020
    He G; Yan C; Li J; Yuan X; Sun K; Huang J; Sun H; He M; Zhang Y; Stride JA; Green MA; Hao X, 2020, '11.6% Efficient Pure Sulfide Cu(In,Ga)S2 Solar Cell through a Cu-Deficient and KCN-Free Process', ACS Applied Energy Materials, 3, pp. 11974 - 11980, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.0c02158
    Journal articles | 2020
    Kim J; Jang J; Suryawanshi MP; He M; Heo J; Lee DS; Jung HR; Jo E; Gang MG; Kim JH; others , 2020, 'Effect of a graphene oxide intermediate layer in Cu 2 ZnSn (S, Se) 4 solar cells', Journal of Materials Chemistry A
    Journal articles | 2020
    Suryawanshi UP; Suryawanshi MP; Ghorpade UV; He M; Lee D; Shin SW; Kim JH, 2020, 'Self-Standing 3D Core-Shell Nanohybrids Based on Amorphous Co-Fe-Bi Nanosheets Grafted on NiCo2O4 Nanowires for Efficient and Durable Water Oxidation', ACS Applied Energy Materials
    Journal articles | 2020
    Zhang K; Yang J; Sun Y; He M; Liang J; Luo J; Cui W; Deng L; Xu X; Wang B; Zhang H, 2020, 'Thermo-Sensitive Dual-Functional Nanospheres with Enhanced Lubrication and Drug Delivery for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis', Chemistry - A European Journal, 26, pp. 10564 - 10574, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chem.202001372
    Journal articles | 2018
    Gang MG; Chalapathy RBV; Kim J; Hong CW; He M; Kim JH, 2018, 'Optimization of CdS Buffer Layer for High Efficiency Earth-Abundant Cu2ZnSn(S, Se)4 Thin Film Solar Cells', Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Letters, 10, pp. 503 - 511, http://dx.doi.org/10.1166/nnl.2018.2687
    Journal articles | 2018
    He M; Kim J; Suryawanshi MP; Ghorpade UV; Gang M; Kim JH, 2018, 'Cu2Sn1-xGexS3 thin film solar cells fabricated from sputtered precursors: Effects of soft-annealing process', Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing, 85, pp. 160 - 167
    Journal articles | 2018
    He M; Kim J; Suryawanshi MP; Ghorpade UV; Gang M; Suryawanshi UP; Kim JH, 2018, 'Improved performance of sputtered Cu2 (Sn, Ge) S3 thin film for photovoltaic application via controlled Ge doping', Materials Letters, 211, pp. 130 - 132
    Journal articles | 2018
    Yan C; Huang J; Sun K; Johnston S; Zhang Y; Sun H; Pu A; He M; Liu F; Eder K; Yang L; Cairney JM; Ekins-Daukes NJ; Hameiri Z; Stride JA; Chen S; Green MA; Hao X, 2018, 'Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cells with over 10% power conversion efficiency enabled by heterojunction heat treatment', Nature Energy, 3, pp. 764 - 764, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41560-018-0206-0
    Journal articles | 2017
    He M; Lokhande AC; Kim IY; Ghorpade UV; Suryawanshi MP; Kim JH, 2017, 'Fabrication of sputtered deposited Cu2SnS3 (CTS) thin film solar cell with power conversion efficiency of 2.39%', Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 701, pp. 901 - 908
    Journal articles | 2017
    Kim J; Lee JY; Jang J; He M; Jeong W-L; Suryawanshi MP; Yun JH; Lee DS; Kim JH, 2017, 'Influence of selenium doping on the properties of Cu2Sn (SxSe1- x) 3 thin-film solar cells fabricated by sputtering', Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 172, pp. 154 - 159
    Journal articles | 2017
    Lokhande AC; Yadav AA; Lee J; He M; Patil SJ; Lokhande VC; Lokhande CD; Kim JH, 2017, 'Room temperature liquefied petroleum gas sensing using Cu 2 SnS 3 /CdS heterojunction', Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 709, pp. 92 - 103, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2017.03.135
    Journal articles | 2017
    Suryawanshi MP; Ghorpade UV; Suryawanshi UP; He M; Kim J; Gang MG; Patil PS; Moholkar AV; Yun JH; Kim JH, 2017, 'Aqueous-Solution-Processed Cu2ZnSn (S, Se) 4 Thin-Film Solar Cells via an Improved Successive Ion-Layer-Adsorption–Reaction Sequence', ACS omega, 2, pp. 9211 - 9220
    Journal articles | 2016
    Lokhande AC; Chalapathy RBV; He M; Jo E; Gang M; Pawar SA; Lokhande CD; Kim JH, 2016, 'ChemInform Abstract: Development of Cu2SnS3 (CTS) Thin Film Solar Cells by Physical Techniques: A Status Review', ChemInform, 47, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chin.201639256
    Journal articles | 2016
    Lokhande AC; Chalapathy RBV; He M; Jo E; Gang M; Pawar SA; Lokhande CD; Kim JH, 2016, 'Development of Cu2SnS3 (CTS) thin film solar cells by physical techniques: A status review', Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 153, pp. 84 - 107, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2016.04.003
    Journal articles | 2016
    Lokhande AC; Gurav KV; Jo E; He M; Lokhande CD; Kim JH, 2016, 'Towards cost effective metal precursor sources for future photovoltaic material synthesis: CTS nanoparticles', Optical Materials, 54, pp. 207 - 216, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2016.02.040
    Journal articles | 2016
    Lokhande AC; Pawar SA; Jo E; He M; Shelke A; Lokhande CD; Kim JH, 2016, 'Amines free environmentally friendly rapid synthesis of Cu2SnS3 nanoparticles', Optical Materials, 58, pp. 268 - 278, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2016.03.032
  • Preprints | 2022
    Li J; Huang J; Ma F-J; Sun H; Cong J; Privat K; Yao Y; Chin R; He M; Sun K; Li H; Mai Y; Hameiri Z; Ekins-Daukes N; Tilley R; Unold T; Green M; Hao X, 2022, Unveiling microscopic carrier loss mechanisms in 12% efficient Cu2ZnSnSe4 solar cells, , http://dx.doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1274090/v1
    Preprints |
    Baek MC; Jang JS; Suryawanshi M; Karade V; Kim J; He M; Park SW; Kim JH; Shin SW, Rear Interface Engineering Via a Facile Oxidation Process of Mo Back Contact for Highly Efficient Cztsse Thin Film Solar Cells, , http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4197801

2023 - Present -  ACAP Fellowship, $65,200

2023 - Present -  ACAP Fellowship

Kesterite Thin-Film Solar Cells

Kesterite is not only a mineral but also represents a class of compounds utilized in thin-film solar cells. These compounds typically have the chemical formula Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) or Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe). Kesterite solar cells are noted for their use of abundant and non-toxic materials, making them an environmentally friendly option in photovoltaic technology. I am engaged in a detailed investigation into the mechanisms underlying the doping/alloying strategy and surface passivation, focusing on their impact on enhancing the device efficiency of kesterite-based solar cells. Simultaneously, my research also encompasses the exploration of novel dopants and passivation agents, specifically tailored for kesterite solar cells.

Perovskite Thin-Film Solar Cells

Perovskite refers to a group of materials sharing a common crystal structure, known as the perovskite structure. In the realm of solar cell technology, perovskite materials are celebrated for their high efficiency and straightforward manufacturing processes. They are particularly renowned in the photovoltaic sector for their rapidly advancing efficiency rates in converting solar energy into electrical power. In my studies, I am addressing the stability challenge inherent in perovskite materials, which currently hinder their commercial viability. This involves employing compositional engineering at the bulk level and enhancing surface quality through passivation techniques. Our goal is to develop stable perovskite structures suitable for both narrow and wide bandgap applications. The fabrication methodology primarily revolves around a two-step process, incorporating an evaporation method for the large-scale fabrication of cells.

Tandem Solar Cells

Tandem solar cells are an innovative approach in photovoltaics, comprising multiple layers of light-absorbing materials. Each layer is engineered to absorb a distinct portion of the solar spectrum. This multilayer composition, often combining materials like silicon with perovskite, enables tandem cells to surpass the efficiency of traditional single-junction solar cells, heralding a new era in solar energy capture. I am engaged in the development of perovskite/Si tandem solar cells, utilizing the stable wide-bandgap perovskite single junctions that have been developed within our research group.

Solar Water Splitting

Solar water splitting is a groundbreaking method where sunlight is harnessed to dissociate water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. This process is typically carried out using photoelectrochemical cells. The hydrogen generated is a viable clean fuel, making this technology a cornerstone in the pursuit of renewable energy and storage solutions. We are endeavoring to utilize earth-abundant chalcogenide compounds as photocathodes for solar-driven water splitting cells. Our approach includes the development of interface engineering techniques aimed at enhancing the stability of these systems.

Guest editor - Energies - MDPI 

Guest editor - Materials - MDPI

My Teaching

Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP): Space Power Systems