The 2010 Korea-China Joint Research Program, “New Photovoltaic Polymers and Advanced Flexible Plastic Solar Cells”, has been officially initiated on April 15-16, 2010 at the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT), Chinese Academy of Sciences. This Project will be co-directed by Dr. YANG Renqiang, group leader of the Advanced Organic Functional Materials of the QIBEBT, and Dr. Woo Han Young, associate professor of Department of Nanomaterials Engineering at Pusan National University, Korea.

The Korean and Chinese scientists discuss the detailed cooperative plan, and clarify the scientific focal that will be worked out in the very near future for the Project. They also reach consensus on the academic exchange, joint training of postgraduate and young scientists, and sustainable collaboration. After the meeting, Professor Woo visited the Chemical Platform and Large Instrument Platform of the open laboratory at the QIBEBT, and give an invited lecture to related researcher and postgraduates with the topic of “Conjugated polymers for photovoltaic cells and FRET biosensors”. Both parties express the wishes to deepen and enhance the exchange and cooperation from this Project startpoint and show the confidence to achieve the objectives and outcome of the proposed project.

With beneficial complementary, the partners will focus on design and synthesis of  novel active layer materials and construction of new device structures of flexible plastic solar cells. The objectives of this cooperative work are to enhance the energy conversion efficiency and improve device stability of plastic solar cells.

The Korea-China Joint Research Program is co-funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Korea with the aim to promote the tangible and high-efficiency cooperation between the two countries and to push the high-level joint research between the research organizations and high-tech enterprises of both countries. The New Materials and Nanomaterials is one of the prior fields to support in 2010.