I would like to thank my supervisor, Prof. Luo Xiaobing, and all the teachers of ICARE for their help and care for my exchange abroad, and I am also very grateful to the China Scholarship Council (CSC) for supporting me to go to the University of Northumbria at Newcastle, UK for a 5-month study exchange.

My research topic is related to thermophotovoltaic experiments, but since my focus was on theoretical simulations and calculations when I was in China, I hope to learn the basic experimental skills in the field of photovoltaics through this study and exchange activity to provide a foundation and preparation for my future research back in China. After careful communication with Prof. Ian Forbes, he was very supportive of my idea and introduced me to the lab-related equipment and contacted experiments together.

Since my domestic subject mainly focuses on numerical calculations and rarely involves experiments, I need to learn the basic experimental skills of photovoltaics from scratch here. Most of the labs are communal, which means that experiments need to be completed in other people's free time, and after being taught once by the teacher I need to think about what other points can be explored subsequently by myself in time. After mastering the basic photovoltaic property measurement method, I started to try to repeat and imitate the work of other papers so that I could have a systematic understanding of the experimental method of my topic. It is difficult to do this work by myself alone, and I need to actively communicate and discuss with other teachers and technicians so that I can come up with a faster and better experimental solution. For example, when I need to make a multilayer thin film structure, I will ask my teacher which deposition method to use, atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, or using sputtering spray. The lab technician will introduce the characteristics of the experimental apparatus and analyze the structure and objectives together, thus reducing trial and error time. After learning the basic experimental skills and reproduction work, there was not much time left, so I brought some of the prepared samples and experimental data back home so that I could continue to refine them.

From the beginning of renting an apartment to the final arrangements for my trip back home, I had to make almost all the arrangements for food, clothing, housing and transportation by myself, and I spent almost every aspect of my life by myself. The happiness and difficulties that I encountered were mixed, but I had to solve them all by myself. Living alone in a foreign country is indeed a challenge, but afterward, I feel that my abilities and mentality have been honed and I have become mature. I would like to thank Ian Forbes for his hospitality. He loves Chinese culture and has been to Kaifeng, Changsha and Xi'an, in addition to teaching in Wuhan, and almost every Friday before work he would meet a Chinese teacher and me for a drink and a chat. He and his family have also warmly invited me to visit famous local historical and cultural sights and exhibitions.

I sincerely thank ICARE for the excellent platform and valuable opportunity, my Chinese supervisor for his full support and careful care for my trip, and my British supervisor and classmates for their care and help. This exchange study allowed me to go out of the country, understand and learn new energy technology abroad; it also allowed me to open my eyes and improve my comprehensive ability. I hope I can turn this study in the UK into a valuable experience in my life, and keep moving forward. I also wish that ICARE will be better and better and that more students will have a more wonderful life through the platform of ICARE.