Dr. Zhifeng Ren, M.D. Anderson Chair Professor

College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Department of Physics and TcSUH

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• Areas of expertise

  • High performance thermoelectric materials and devices
  • Solar energy conversion
  • Catalysts
  • Surfactant for enhanced oil recovery
  • Thermal management
  • Mechanics of carbon nanotubes and other nanowires, and nanocomposites
  • Bio agent delivery and bio sensors
  • Superconductivity

• Awards

  • Recipient, Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Science from The Academy of Medicine, Engineering & Science of Texas (TAMEST), 2014
  • Fellow, National Academy of Inventors, 2013
  • Ranked as the 49th of the World’s Top 100 Materials Scientists of the Decade (2000-2010), 2011
  • Thousand Talent Program Awardee, China, 2010
  • Guangdong Province Inaugural Leadership Award, 2010
  • Changjiang Visiting Professorship, Nanjing University, China, 2009
  • R&D 100 Award for the Development of High Performance Thermoelectric Materials, 2008
  • Distinguished Senior Research Award, Boston College, 2006
  • Outstanding Overseas Chinese Young Investigator, Nanjing University, China, 2005

  More awards in faculty website above or CV below.

• Publications

  • Daniel Kraemer, Qing Jie, Kenneth McEnaney, Feng Cao, Weishu Liu, Lee Weinstein, James Loomis, Zhifeng Ren, and Gang Chen, “Concentrating solar thermoelectric generators with a peak efficiency of 7.4%", Nature Energy 1, 16153 (2016).
  • Bing Han, Qiang Peng, Ruopeng Li, Qikun Rong, Yang Ding, Eser Metin Akinoglu, Xueyuan Wu, Xin Wang, Xubing Lu, Qianming Wang, Guofu Zhou, Jun-Ming Liu, Zhifeng Ren, Michael Giersig, Andrzej Herczynski, Krzysztof Kempa, Jinwei Gao, “Optimization of hierarchical structure and nanoscale-enabled plasmonic refraction for window electrodes in photovoltaics”, Nature Communications 7, 12825 (2016).
  • Haiqing Zhou, Fang Yu, Yufeng Huang, Jingying Sun, Robert J. Nielsen, William A. Goddard III, Shuo Chen, Zhifeng Ren, “Efficient hydrogen evolution by ternary molybdenum sulfoselenide MoS_2(1-x)Se_2x particles on self-standing porous NiSe2 foam”, Nature Communications 7, 12765 (2016).
  • Jing Shuai, Huiyuan Geng, Yucheng Lan, Zhuan Zhu, Chao Wang, Zihang Liu, Jiming Bao, Ching-Wu Chu, Jiehe Sui, and Zhifeng Ren, “Higher thermoelectric performance of Zintl phases (Eu_0.5Yb_0.5)_1-xCa_xMg₂Bi₂ by band engineering and strain fluctuation”, PNAS 113, E4125-E4132 (2016).
  • Dan Luo, Feng Wang, Jingyi Zhu, Feng Cao, Yuan Liu, Xiaogang Li, Richard C. Willson, Zhaozhong Yang, Ching-Wu Chu, and Zhifeng Ren, “Nanofluid of graphene-based amphiphilic Janus nanosheets for tertiary or enhanced oil recovery: High performance at low concentration”, PNAS 113, 7711-7716 (2016).
  • Hee Seok Kim, Tianbao Wang, Weishu Liu, and Zhifeng Ren, “Engineering thermal conductivity for balancing between reliability and performance of bulk thermoelectric generators”, Adv. Func. Mater. 26, 3678-3686 (2016).
  • Zihang Liu, Yumei Wang, Jun Mao, Huiyuan Geng, Jing Shuai, Yuanxu Wang, Ran He, Wei Cai, Jiehe Sui, and Zhifeng Ren, Lithium doping to enhance thermoelectric performance of MgAgSb with weak electron-phonon coupling”, Adv. Energy Mater. 6, 1502269 (2016).
  • Jing Shuai, Yumei Wang, Zihang Liu, Hee Seok Kim, Jun Mao, Jiehe Sui, and Zhifeng Ren, “Enhancement of thermoelectric performance of phase pure Zintl compounds Ca1- xYbxZn2Sb2, Ca_1-xEu_xZn₂Sb₂, and Eu_1-xYb_xZn₂Sb₂ by mechanical alloying and hot pressing”, Nano Energy 25, 136-144 (2016).
  • Qian Zhang, Eyob Kebede Chere, Yumei Wang, Hee Seok Kim, Ran He, Feng Cao, Keshab Dahal, David Broido, Gang Chen, Zhifeng Ren, “High Thermoelectric Performance of n-type PbTe1-ySy due to Deep Lying States Induced by Indium Doping and Spinodal Decomposition”, Nano Energy 22, 572-582 (2016)

  More publications in faculty website above or CV below.

• Patents

  • Z. F. Ren, Z. P. Huang, J. H. Wang, and D. Z. Wang, "Free-Standing and Aligned Carbon Nanotubes and Synthesis Thereof", US 6,863,942 B2, issued on Mar 8, 2005.
  • R. Schlaf, Z. F. Ren, J. G. Wen, and D. L. Carnahan, “Method of Producing a Branched Carbon Nanotube for Use with an Atomic Force Microscope”, US 6,871,528 B2, issued on Mar 29, 2005.
  • Z. F. Ren, J. G. Wen, J. Y. Lao, and W. Z. Li, “Reinforced Carbon Nanotubes”, US 6,911,260 B2, issued on June 28, 2005.
  • S. O. Kelley, J. Fourkas, M. J. Naughton, and Z. F. Ren, “DNA-Bridged Carbon Nanotubes Arrays”, US 6,958,216 B2, issued on Oct 25, 2005.
  • Z. F. Ren, J. G. Wen, J. H. Chen, Z. P. Huang, and D. Z. Wang, “Coated Carbon Nanotube Array Electrodes”, US 7,147,966 B2, issued on Dec 12, 2006.
  • W. Z. Li, J. G. Wen, and Z. F. Ren, “Varied Morphology Carbon Nanotubes and Methods for Their Manufacture”, US 7,157,068 B2, issued on Jan 2, 2007.
  • Z. F. Ren, G. Chen, B. Poudel, S. Kumar, W. Z. Wang, and M. S. Dresselhaus, “Methods for Synthesis of Semiconductor Nanocrystals and Thermoelectric Composites”, US 7,255,846 B2, issued on Aug 14, 2007.
  • Z. F. Ren, J. Y. Lao, and D. Banerjee, “Metal Oxide Nanostructures with Hierachical Morphology”, US 7,294,417 B2, issued on Nov 13, 2007.
  • Z. F. Ren, J. G. Wen, J. H. Chen, Z. P. Huang, and D. Z. Wang, “Coated Carbon Nanotube Array Electrodes”, US 7,442,284 B2, issued on Oct 28, 2008.
  • Z. F. Ren, J. G. Wen, J. Y. Lao, and W. Z. Li, “Reinforced Carbon Nanotubes”, US 7,442,414 B2, issued on Oct 28, 2008.

  More patents in CV below.

• Grants and Funded Research

  • $1,155,281 from DTRA for Vibration Spectrometer for Detecting Single Atoms Using Carbon Nanotube Resonator Arrays. 05/01/13-04/30/18
  • $960,000 from DOE for EFRC: Solid-State Solar-Thermal Energy Conversion Center (S³TEC Center). 08/01/14-07/31/18 
  • $90,000 from BSU for Nanostructured Bulk Thermoelectric Generator for Efficient Harvesting for Self-Powered Sensor Networks. 07/01/15-12/31/17
  • $561,275 from DOE for High Performance Bulk Thermoelectric Materials and Flexible Transparent Electrodes.  11/15/15-11/14/18
  • $115,000 from Toyota to Search for Novel Solid-solid Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage. 03/01/16-02/28/17
  • $1,350,000 from MURI/ONR for Ultrahigh Thermal Conductivity Materials. 06/01/16-05/31/21.

   More grants and funded research in CV below.

• Curriculum Vitae

  • Zhifeng Ren CV

• Contact information