EDUCATION

1993–1998, Ph.D., Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University

1986–1990, B.S., Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2021–present, Professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University

2012-2020, Professor, College of Engineering, Peking University

2006-2012, Professor, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

2003-2006, Research Scientist, Department of Chemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology

2002-2003, Research Associate, Department of Chemistry, University of Arizona

2000-2002, Associate Professor, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

1999, Visiting Scholar, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

1998-2000, Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

RESEARCH INTERESTS

This group devotes to frontier research in the field of organic electronics through multidisciplinary approach of chemistry, materials science, energy and information fields. We design and synthesize novel high-performance conjugated organics and polymers, especially nonfullerene acceptors, for example, we pioneered fused-ring electron acceptors represented by the milestone molecule ITIC. We explore applications of these new materials in renewable energy and information technology, especially fabrication of organic solar cells, perovskite solar cells, light-emitting diodes and photodetectors.

HONORS & AWARDS

Fellow of the Chinese Chemical Society (2023)

First-Class Natural Science Award of Ministry of Education of China (2022)

Second-Class Natural Science Award of Beijing Municipality (2022)

Polymer Science Lectureship Award of Chinese Chemical Society (2019)

Highly Cited Researcher (2017-2024, Clarivate Analytics)

Excellent Graduate Advisor of Chinese Academy of Sciences (2014-2015)

Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2014)

National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (2010)

Youth Chemistry Prize of Chinese Chemical Society (2002)

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

1. Zihan He, Wei Wang, Zepang Zhan, Lingxuan Jia, Yutao Ge, Zitong Zhan, Peiyao Xue, Weijie Wang, Lanyi Xiang, Yingqiao Ma, Yawen Li, Zhiyi Li, Xiaojuan Dai, Dekai Ye, Liyao Liu, Fengjiao Zhang, Ye Zou, Yuze Lin, Xiaowei Zhan*, Daoben Zhu and Chong-an Di*, In-pixel colour correction with organic self-adaptive transistors, Nat. Photonics, 2026, 20, 194–201.

2. Yao Ma, Xinglu Xu, Tengfei Li, Zemin Wang, Nan Li, Xin Zhao, Wei Wei, Xiaowei Zhan* and Liang Shen*, Amplified narrowband perovskite photodetectors enabled by independent multiplication layers for anti-interference light detection, Sci. Adv., 2025, 11, eadq1127.

3. Jiayu Wang, Yuan Xie, Kai Chen, Hongbin Wu*, Justin M. Hodgkiss* and Xiaowei Zhan*, Physical insights into non-fullerene organic photovoltaics, Nat. Rev. Phys., 2024, 6, 365–381. (Cited 276 times)

4. Jiayu Wang, Peiyao Xue, Yiting Jiang, Yong Huo and Xiaowei Zhan*, The principles, design and applications of fused-ring electron acceptors, Nat. Rev. Chem., 2022, 6, 614-634. (cited 453 times)

5. Cenqi Yan, Stephen Barlow, Zhaohui Wang, He Yan, Alex K.-Y. Jen, Seth R. Marder and Xiaowei Zhan*, Non-fullerene acceptors for organic solar cells, Nat. Rev. Mater., 2018, 3, 18003. (cited 3290 times)

6. Pei Cheng, Gang Li*, Xiaowei Zhan* and Yang Yang*, Next-generation organic photovoltaics based on non-fullerene acceptors, Nat. Photon., 2018, 12, 131-142. (cited 2077 times)

7. Shuixing Dai, Fuwen Zhao, Qianqian Zhang, Tsz-Ki Lau, Tengfei Li, Kuan Liu, Qidan Ling, Chunru Wang, Xinhui Lu, Wei You and Xiaowei Zhan*, Fused nonacyclic electron acceptors for efficient polymer solar cells, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2017, 139, 1336–1343. (cited 944 times)

8. Yuze Lin, Fuwen Zhao, Qiao He, Lijun Huo, Yang Wu, Timothy C. Parker, Wei Ma, Yanming Sun, Chunru Wang, Daoben Zhu, Alan J. Heeger, Seth R. Marder and Xiaowei Zhan*, High-performance electron acceptor with thienyl side chains for organic photovoltaics, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2016, 138, 4955-4961. (cited 1083 times)

9. Yuze Lin, Qiao He, Fuwen Zhao, Lijun Huo, Jiangquan Mai, Xinhui Lu, Chun-Jen Su, Tengfei Li, Jiayu Wang, Jingshuai Zhu, Yanming Sun*, Chunru Wang and Xiaowei Zhan*, A facile planar fused-ring electron acceptor for as-cast polymer solar cells with 8.71% efficiency, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2016, 138, 2973-2976. (cited 1014 times)

10. Yuze Lin, Jiayu Wang, Zhi-Guo Zhang, Huitao Bai, Yongfang Li, Daoben Zhu and Xiaowei Zhan*, An electron acceptor challenging fullerenes for efficient polymer solar cells, Adv. Mater., 2015, 27, 1170-1174. (cited 4632 times)