Xiaojuan (Judy) Fan, Ph.D

Physics Professor

Contact Information

Department of Math & Physics

Marshall University

Office: S256
Labs: S151/S150

One John Marshall Dr., Huntington, WV 25755

E-Mail: fan2@marshall.edu

Phone: 304-696-3757
Fax: 304-696-2949

Google Scholar Profile 

Marshall Digital Readership Record (1092 downloads from Marshall University as of 11/19/2024)

Ongoing recruiting for student researchers: If you want to join her group and conduct cutting-edge research activities, don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Fan at fan2@marshall.edu. 

New publication:

Xiaojuan Fan, “Advanced progress in metal halide perovskite solar cells: A review,” Materials Today Sustainability, 24 (2023) 100603, shared link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589234723002907?dgcid=author free access before Jan.9, 2024. 

News:
· Session Chair on Quantum Materials for AMO Applications at 2025 American Physics Society Global Summit Joint Meeting, Anaheim, CA, March 16-21, 2025.
· Awardee of the 2024 Air Force Research Lab Summer Faculty Fellowship at the Air Force Institute of Technology – Quantum Information and Photonics Laboratory.
· Co-PI on WV HEPC Research Challenge Grant: Data-Driven Autonomous Experiments for Energy Sciences: From First Principles to Machine Learning, $1.315,000, 2023-2027.
· Grantee of the 2022-2023 NASA WV Space Grant Consortium Research Initiation Grant. Project title: Multiple-layered coatings for thermal protection from elevated temperatures in space, $30,000.
· Awardee of the 2022 Air Force Research Lab Summer Faculty Fellowship at AFRL-Materials and Manufacturing. Project title: Sandwich Devices for Thermal Protection and Infrared Invisibility.
· 2022 John Marshall Summer Scholarship Award. Project title: Thermal-Photo-Electronic Hybrid Device for Energy Harvesting.
· Peer-reviewed Journal publication, Xiaojuan Fan, “Flexible dye-sensitized solar cells assisted with lead-free perovskite halide,” Journal of Materials Research, invited paper, vol. 37, issue 4 (2022) 866-875.
· Guest Editor: Nanomanufacturing, special issue on “Nanomanufacturing of photoactive materials: from synthesis to applications.” Now, call for paper with submission due on Jan. 1, 2023. Publisher: MDPI, Switzerland. Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nanomanufacturing. Click here to find more information
· NASA Research Initiation Awards proposal: “MemDiodes Based on Bio-Compatible Hybrid Materials for Neuromorphic Computing,” $299,999, 2025-2027, submitted and pending.
· NSF Engineering Research Initiation: Thermophotovoltaic Hybrid Devices for Energy Harvesting, $200,000, 2024-2026, unfunded, re-submission soon.
· NASA Mentorship and Opportunities in STEM with Academic Institutions for Community Success- Seed Funding: “NASA MOSAICS Proposal: Metal-Oxide Reinforced Polymer Hybrid Coatings for Thermal Protection,” $299,478, 2025-2027, to be submitted by Mar. 28, 2025.
· Frequent Panelist serving on multiple NSF Programs. Frequent reviewer for peer-reviewed Journals, such as J. of Material Research, J. of Alloys & Compounds, J. of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics, J. of Ceramics International, J. of Physical Chemistry, etc.

Current research interests:
· Nonlinear optical quantum materials and metasurfaces
· Infrared absorption and thermal protection Materials
· Microwave Absorbing Materials
· Thermoelectric Materials: Energy Conversion from Heat to Electricity
· Photovoltaics and photocatalysis· Electronic, photonic, and magnetic materials
· Nanoporous structure, nanotechnology, and contact printing
· Chemical sensing and biomaterial detection  

New Research Areas: 
*Infrared Absorption and Heat-Resistant Materials      
Infrared absorption and heat-resistant materials could significantly improve solar cell efficiency. Heat energy from sunlight is usually in the infrared spectrum, less than the energy band gap of a light-harvesting semiconductor in a typical solar cell. Infrared light and some visible light may waste as heat or pass through the solar panel. Using a designed surface coater to absorb or reflect infrared light will enhance solar cell quality and efficiency.

*Nonlinear Photonic Quantum Materials      
In quantum mechanics, qubits can be entangled. A range of physical systems, such as photons, quantum dots, trapped atoms, and superconducting circuits, can be utilized to implement qubits. Photonic qubits are manipulated and transmitted effortlessly by ordinary optical elements, making them an ideal carrier of quantum information. Furthermore, photonic entanglement offers a high-security level, improved information capacity, and a less dependent environment for quantum communication. Due to the large size of light beams and limited mechanical durability, photonic qubit devices face incompatibilities with the trend of miniaturization of quantum information systems. Fortunately, the rapid advancement of metasurfaces has made a remarkable breakthrough and excellence in the precise manipulation of light’s amplitude, phase, and polarization. So far, most reported metasurfaces comprise artificial nanostructure arrays with subwavelength spatial resolutions made through sophisticated photolithography and high vacuum depositions. This research aims to develop a technology based on liquid capillary growth at ambient conditions to generate metasurfaces on nonlinear optical crystalline thin films. Produced metasurface structures include quantum dot arrays, monolayers, multilayers, rings, disks, and irregular shapes with a hundred nanometer to tens-micron size and sub-micron thickness, promising for possible anomalous reflection and refraction spectra to realize spatial tuning of spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) single photon sources potentially.  

*Thermoelectric Materials: Energy Conversion from Heat to Electricity      
Thermoelectric effects enable direct conversion between thermal and electrical energy. Such devices provide an alternative for power generation and refrigeration. Promising thermoelectric materials show simultaneously high electrical conductivity, high thermoelectric power, and low thermal conductivity. These properties define thermoelectric materials with large molecular weights, complex crystal structures, and liquid-like transports. A thermoelectric system is an environment-friendly energy conversion technology with the advantages of small size, high reliability, nonpolluting, and feasibility in a wide temperature range.           

Techniques and methods you will learn:
· Spin-coating organic/inorganic thin films
· Self-assembly and self-organizing
· Nanopatterning and thin film fabrication
· Optical and electronic property measurement
· Review optical physics and energy conversion principles 

· Dr. Fan’s research currently focuses on the design, growth, and characterization of novel materials, emphasizing nanoscale thin films. The project aims to develop a fast, easy, low-cost process to fabricate nanoporous metal oxide thin films and membranes for solar energy conversion, photocatalysis, and biomaterials detection. Dr. Fan is also interested in the optical, electronic, and magnetic properties of organic/inorganic hybrid systems and bulk materials for applications such as molecular memory and spintronic devices. I am exploring three new research fields: Infrared Absorption and Heat-Resistant Materials, nonlinear Optical and Quantum Materials, and Thermoelectric Materials for Energy Conversion from Heat to Electricity.  

Education
1982-1989, BS & MS in Applied Physics, Dept. of Physics, Anhui University, China
1996-1999, Ph.D  in Condensed Matter Physics, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China 

Research Experience                                                                                     
2007-Present, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Marshall University
2004-2007, Research Specialist, Dept. of Chemistry, University of California at Santa Cruz
2003-2004, Visiting Scholar, Dept. of Chemistry, State University of New York
2000-2002, Postdoc, Tokyo Institute of Technology & National Institute of Materials Science of Japan 

Professional Membership
American Physics Society, Materials Research Society, American Chemistry Society 

Research Projects
· Infrared Absorption and Heat-Resistant Materials
· Microwave Absorbing Materials
· Thermoelectric Materials: Energy Conversion from Heat to Electricity
· High Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells
· Porous Thin Films for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
· SAM-Based Molecular Junction Devices
· Contact Printing and Stamp Deformation
· Porous Doped Metal Oxides for Photocatalysis under Visible Light
· Diluted Magnetic Semiconductors