On September 15, the 16th Jingde Forum Distinguished Lecture was held in Lecture Hall 217, Zone 3, West Main Building. Professor Michael Grätzel, Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Professor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), was invited to visit and deliver a distinguished academic lecture on wide-bandgap perovskites and high-efficiency multi-junction tandem photovoltaic cells. More than 160 participants attended the event, including Zheng Zedong, Secretary of the CPC Committee of the Department of Electrical Engineering; Huang Songling, Professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering; Yi Chenyi and Li Shisong, Associate Professors of the Department of Electrical Engineering; Hua Ruimao, Professor of the Department of Chemistry; Ma Dongxin, Associate Professor of the Department of Chemistry; Lin Hong, Professor of the School of Materials Science and Engineering; Xiao Lixin, Professor at Peking University; and faculty members, students, and scholars from Tsinghua University, Peking University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing Institute of Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and other universities and research institutions. The lecture was chaired by Yi Chenyi, Associate Professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering.

At the beginning of the event, Yi Chenyi introduced the purpose of the Jingde Forum and outlined Professor Grätzel's major academic achievements and pioneering contributions to mesoscopic photovoltaics, dye-sensitized solar cells, and perovskite photovoltaics. Zheng Zedong presented Professor Grätzel with a commemorative certificate and a souvenir from the Jingde Forum.

Professor Zheng Zedong Presenting Professor Michael Grätzel with a Commemorative Certificate from the Jingde Forum

Professor Grätzel delivered an academic lecture entitled “Wide-Bandgap Perovskites and Multi-Junction Tandem Photovoltaic Cells with Efficiencies Exceeding 33%.” Against the backdrop of continued growth in global electricity demand and the development of renewable energy, he explained that multi-junction perovskite solar cells represent an important technological pathway to improving solar energy conversion efficiency, and that the photoelectric conversion efficiency and operational stability of wide-bandgap perovskite top cells are critical to achieving higher performance in tandem solar cells.

Professor Michael Grätzel Delivering an Academic Lecture at the Jingde Forum

Following the lecture, faculty members and students engaged in discussions with Professor Grätzel on topics including the stability of wide-bandgap perovskite materials, efficiency improvements in multi-junction tandem devices, and the development and application of related technologies. Professor Grätzel responded to each question by drawing on his own research experience, prompting an in-depth and lively exchange.

Q&A Session

The lecture showcased cutting-edge advances in wide-bandgap perovskites and multi-junction tandem photovoltaic technologies, providing participants with an opportunity to exchange ideas and gain deeper insights into future directions in the development of high-efficiency solar cells.

Group Photo of Participants

About the Jingde Forum

Gao Jingde was a renowned Chinese expert in electrical power engineering, an outstanding educator, a Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, former President of Tsinghua University, founder of the State Key Laboratory of Power System and Generation Equipment Safety Control and Simulation, and an IEEE Fellow.

The Jingde Forum aims to uphold the fine traditions of the Department of Electrical Engineering, commemorate distinguished predecessors of the department, including President Gao Jingde, and carry forward their commitment to rigorous scholarship and innovation. The forum primarily invites influential experts and scholars from China and abroad in electrical engineering, energy, higher education, and related fields to deliver lectures on topics such as cutting-edge scientific and technological advances, major strategic plans, talent development models, and innovations in educational philosophy.

About the Guest Speaker

Michael Grätzel is a Swiss physical chemist who holds the Chair of Physical Chemistry at EPFL and serves as Director of the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces. He is a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a Foreign Member of the Royal Society, a member of the Academia Europaea, a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, a member of the National Academy of Inventors in the United States, a member of the Royal Academy of Engineering of Spain, and a member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences. He is an international pioneer in mesoscopic photovoltaics and a key founder of the field of perovskite photovoltaics. He has earned widespread international recognition for pioneering research into dye-sensitized solar cells and has long been engaged in research on mesoscopic photoelectric conversion, perovskite photovoltaics, and artificial photocatalysis. Professor Grätzel has received 17 honorary doctorates from universities in Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa. He has published more than 1,800 papers and received numerous international honors, including the European Millennium Prize for Innovation, the Balzan Prize, the Marcel Benoist Prize, the Royal Society of Chemistry's Centenary Prize, Russia's Global Energy Prize, and the Albert Einstein World Award of Science.