Research Centre for Power Internet of Things

1) Main Research Topics:

1.       Device Level Research

a)     Smart sensing technology for Power Internet of Things

b)     Next generation power device packaging for high efficient power conversion

c)     Multi-physics modeling of power device, thermal/cooling device, magnetic components to enable more reliable and efficient design

2.       Circuit Level Research

a)     High efficient wireless power transfer

b)     High density power conversion for renewable generation, electrified transportation, Data centers, etc.

c)     Power converters to enhance the flexibility of urban energy systems

(a)                                  (b)

Fig.1 (a) Modeling and optimization of magnetic components (b) Compact design of power converter in electrified transportation system

3.       System Level Research

a)     Intelligent sensing and decision making for resilient urban energy systems

b)     Decentralised real-time control for intelligent and resilient urban energy systems

c)     Resilience and fault management for urban energy systems

Fig 2. Researches in smart urban energy system

2) Key members

1.       Philip Krein

2.       Hao Ma

3.       Chushan Li

4.       Ong Wee Liat

3) Typical research projects

1.       NSFC-UKRI_EPSRC Project: Interactive Operation and Resilient Control to Support Power Electronics Based Smart Urban Energy Systems

2.       NSFC Project: Researches on Topology Derivation Method and Composited Frequency Modulation Technology for Multi-Material-Devices based Multilevel Converter

3.       Industrial Project: MV/LV isolated power conversion subsystem validation

4.       Industrial Project: Subsea High Voltage DC power conversion

能源集成与转换研究中心

Energy Integration and Conversion (EIC) research center

2) Key research focus

Energy enables civilizations and drives progress in our modern world. Our insatiable need and over-reliance on inexpensive fossil fuels have culminated in an affordable energy security crisis, pollutive environment, and a warming planet that threatens the survival of humanity. 

Here in ZJUI, our Vision is to create a sustainable energy future through a series of energy breakthroughs. Our Mission is to evolve the way energy is created, converted, stored, distributed, and used. To do this, we are focusing on four key areas:

 CONVERSION: Enhancing clean energy generation/conversion efficiency and cost-effectiveness through the discovery of new generation architectures, new materials, and overall system integration. Focus on optimizing novel clean energy sources, recovery of energy from high temperature heat sources using gas turbines, and green materials for power generations.

STORAGE: Using all the state-of-the-art batteries available today, we can only store 10 minutes of our annual demand for electricity. To modulate the daily fluctuations in generation-demand of electricity from renewable energy sources, we will require several orders of magnitude breakthrough in high-density energy storage technology.

DISTRIBUTION: Collaborating with other research centers in ZJUI, we will develop a future-ready, intelligent, and secured power distribution network for clean energy. We will innovate on ways to directly tap heat for powering devices, create novel methods for long-distance power transmission, and secure power grid from high energy EM burst.

USAGE: We will tackle energy optimization in Industrial, Building (In collaboration with the Sustainability center in ZJUI), and Transportation that have significant potential for energy savings. Cooling of buildings consumes 50% of the generated electricity using air conditioning units with outdated high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants that, at best, operate at 14% of the maximum theoretical efficiency. Server farms can save energy using energy efficient processors and efficient heat dissipation microstructures. Electric vehicles are limited by energy consumption due to cabin comfort and battery thermal management. Clean energy can be harnessed for powering industrial processes like desalination, metal forming, and waste treatment to reduce carbon footprint and enable carbon capture. Novel coatings that can improve the performance and energy efficiency of devices. 

Finally, monitoring the global environment is the key to understanding our impact. Through researching and deploying optical, hyperspectral, and microwave remote sensing approaches, we can measure our actions reliably and scientifically on a global scale.

3) Key members

ZJUI: Chen Wenchao, Cui Jiahuan, Li Chushan, Oleksiy Penkov, Ong Wee Liat, Tan Shurun, Wang Aili, Wang Hongwei, Xiao Yan

ZJU: Prof Yu Zitao (College of Energy Engineering), Prof Fan Liwu (College of Energy Engineering), Prof. Fan Xiulin (School of Materials Science and Engineering).

UIUC: Prof Nenad Milijkovic (MechSE), Prof Lee Chia-Fon (MechSE)

4) Typical research projects

1.  Investigation into mechanism and effect of molecular rotations on phonons and heat transfer as well as their application in phononic devices, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Main Project (2019 - 2022)

2.  Investigation of the mechanism in controlling molecular dynamic motions for improving solar and thermoelectric applications, Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, Key Project (2019 – 2022)

3. Machine learning for turbulence modelling, Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, Youth Project (2018 – 2021)

Research Center for Ubiquitous Sensing and Intelligent Chip

泛在感知与智能芯片研究中心

Research Focus:

Information is becoming a fundamental infrastructure/support for our future world like the role of power, water, and transportation in our current world. The Ubiquitous Sensing and Intelligent Chip research center focuses on the fundamentals and frontiers of information science and engineering, such as information acquisition and perception, ubiquitous interconnection and communication, intelligent chips for beyond Moore and non-Von Neumann computing, and advanced heterogenous integration, etc. We aim to revolutionize the information science and engineering and break information barriers in other critical infrastructural systems including communication, transportation, manufacturing, computation, health care, food, water, energy, and environments, etc.

We push forward the technology advancement in the following directions:

·       Developing intelligent sensing devices, platforms, systems, and algorithms to enhance the quality of life and to support sustainable development, including but not limited to smart wave-functional materials, intelligent sensors, advanced distributed sensor networks, quantum sensing, energy efficient integrated circuits, implantable and wearable devices, super-resolution microwave and optical imaging techniques, active lidar systems, remote sensing technology for food, water, energy, environment, and space, traffic monitoring and smart cities.  

Developing techniques that enable future intelligent connectivity, mobility, and communication, including but not limited to beyond 5G wideband and ultra-high-speed communication techniques through microwave, terahertz, and quantum optics, space-borne networks, internet of things, connected vehicles, smart homes and cities, and innovative computer-brain interfaces.

·       Developing techniques that enable design and integration of neuromorphic and brain-like intelligent chip and quantum computing, including but not limited to spiking neural networks, novel architectures for cognitive computing, neuromorphic sensing, intelligent chips for healthcare, communication and sensing, power efficient digital chip design, and electromagnetic integrity and security associated with artificial intelligent chip.

·       Developing advanced heterogeneous integration technologies for complex devices, circuits and systems, including but not limited to advanced semiconductor fabrication techniques, micro-electromechanical systems, system in a package and system on a chip, high-speed interconnections, and advanced EDA tools and methods to ensure electromagnetic compatibility, security, and signal integrity.

·       Fundamental research in electromagnetics, optics, bio-electromagnetics, multi-physics, and signal processing.

Key Members: (named alphabetically)

ZJUI: Mark Butala, Wenchao Chen, Huan Hu, Simon Hu, Erping Li, Yu Lin, Shurun Tan, Aili Wang

UIUC: Peter Dragic, Jean-Pierre Leburton, Jose E. Schutt-Aine

ZJU: Hongsheng Chen, Yang Du, Wei Sha, Yang Xu

Typical Research Projects:

Ubiquitous Sensing

·       Magenetotellurics: time series analysis / transfer function estimation / system identification (NSFC) - Mark Butala

·       Solar tomography: imaging / inverse problems - Mark Butala

·       Dynamic inverse problems: detection / estimation of switching dynamic linear systems - Mark Butala

·       Efficient methods for photonic band characterization, and electromagnetic scattering from bounded periodic structures and topological photonics (NSFC) - Shurun Tan

·       Novel microwave remote sensing systems based on signal of opportunity from Global Navigational Satellite Systems for environmental observation and precision agriculture - Shurun Tan

·       UAV based traffic monitoring and sensing - Simon Hu

·       CAV based cooperative traffic management and road sensing (a funded MoST project) - Simon Hu

·       Combined CAV and UAV based sensing for smart cities - Simon Hu

Future Communication

·       5G Communication antenna design - Erping Li

·       Artificial intelligence for 5G communication and electromagnetic compatibility - Erping Li

·       Effects of random surfaces and random volumes on high-speed wireless communication links - Shurun Tan

·       Semiclassical quantum electromagnetics model for nanoantennas (NSFC) - Wei Sha

Intelligent Chip

·       Artificial intelligence spiking neuromorphic chip and its associated electromagnetic integrity - Erping Li

Advanced Integration

·       Multiphysics processes and ultrafast response mechanisms in ballistic avalanche heterojunction (NSFC) - Wenchao Chen

1)    Cross-Scale Material Innovation Center (CSMIC)

跨尺度材料创新研究中心

2)     Key research focus

New materials have played a vital role in the progress of civilization, and they are crucial for advancements in science and engineering. Such new advanced materials should be multifunctional and adaptive to surrounding stimuli. Their complexity and richness of behavior require collective multi-disciplinary knowledge, methods, and tools for groundbreaking advances and discoveries. Thus, our vision is to perform an innovative research program to develop, study, and utilize advanced materials technology to address pressing global problems. To do this, we are focusing on three key areas:

 Design and manufacture of new nanomaterials and interfaces: The new advanced nanomaterials include nano-layered and nanocomposite coatings, wear-protective coatings with tailored surfaces, nano-membranes, and sensors. We use various fabrication techniques such as advanced sputtering, plasma-immersion ion deposition, advanced Nanofabrication using a heated AFM tip, and others.

Functional characterization and testing: Novel experimental techniques, such as advanced atomic force microscopy (AFM) nanoindentation is used for the evaluation of various objects, including biomaterials. We utilize advanced AFM technique, recently developed at ZJU, involving a specially designed tip to obtain measurements with much higher accuracy. In parallel, we use atomistic computer simulations to interpret the data and to study the interactions at interfaces. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy provide insights on nanostructures, while spectroscopy quantifies the composition of materials. Cell culture studies are used to study the biocompatibility of biomaterials.

Multiscale modeling:  Synergistic experiments and computational modeling guide designs of new nanocomposites and their characterization.

3)     Key members

Oleksiy Penkov, Huan Hu, Wee Liat Ong, Kemal Celebi, Binbin Li