Solar Cells from Silicon and Germanium Nanocrystals Inks

硅基太阳能电池是占主导地位的光伏技术，2005年生产的所有电池的市场份额约为90%。 然而，太阳能电池的电力成本仍然比化石燃料的电力成本高出5-10倍。 该项目的目标是进行开发高效，低成本太阳能电池所需的基础研究，该研究基于使用硅（Si）和锗（Ge）油墨从溶液中制造太阳能电池的新范式。 通过已知的印刷技术（例如喷墨印刷）对太阳能电池进行溶液处理被认为具有将太阳能电池制造成本降低高达十倍的潜力。 此外，纳米晶体具有令人兴奋的特性，例如尺寸可调的吸收和仅吸收单个光子就有效地产生多个电子-空穴对的能力，这最终可能导致比由块状材料制成的器件更有效的太阳能电池。 Si和Ge纳米晶体的其他优点在于它们的无毒、无环境危害、稳定性和丰富性。 该基金的主要研究方向有四个：（1）发展由硅和锗导电油墨溶液相组装导电薄膜的途径;（2）硅和锗导电薄膜的电掺杂及其电性能的研究;（3）硅和锗导电薄膜的电性能的研究;（4）硅和锗导电薄膜的电性能的研究;（5）硅和锗导电薄膜的电性能的研究;（6）硅和锗导电薄膜的电性能的研究。3）详细研究了Si和Ge纳米油墨及其溶液处理导电膜的基本光吸收特性;（4）实际太阳电池中Si和Ge薄膜的性能评价。该项目的智力价值在于通过拟议的研究开发出从Si和Ge纳米晶体形成导电膜的新方法。 本项目还将阐明如何实现Si和Ge薄膜的电掺杂以及掺杂如何影响薄膜的电子和光学性质。 最后，该公司将首次开发完全由硅和/或锗纳米线制成的太阳能电池，该项目的广泛影响是重大的。 拟议的研究可能最终实现一种制造低成本太阳能电池的新方法，其效率可能超过大块材料电池。由NSF-IGERT为“纳米粒子科学与工程”提供的杠杆将提高本项目支持的研究生的教育机会。 研究生和少数民族本科生的参与将促进研究与培训的结合，以及代表性不足群体的参与。 与明尼苏达科学博物馆的外联合作将向广大公众宣传这项研究的结果。 与工业合作伙伴的密切合作将确保快速向工业转移知识。

CBET-0756326 KortshagenSilicon-based solar cells are the dominant photovoltaic technology with a market share of ~90% of all cells manufactured in 2005. However, the cost of electricity from solar cells is still by a factor of 5-10 higher than that of electricity from fossil fuels. The goal this project is to perform the basic research required to develop efficient, low-cost solar cells based on a new paradigm of manufacturing solar cells from solution using silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge) nanocrystal inks. Solution processing of solar cells by known printing techniques such as ink-jet printing is believed to have the potential to lower the solar cell manufacturing cost by up to a factor of ten. Moreover, nanocrystals have exciting properties such as size-tunable absorption and the ability to efficiently generate multiple electron-hole pairs on absorbing only a single photon, which may ultimately lead to more efficient solar cells than devices made from bulk material. Additional advantages of Si and Ge nanocrystals lie in their non-toxicity, lack of environmental hazard, stability, and abundance. Hardly any other nanocrystal material offers this range of desirable attributes.Research under this grant has four thrusts: 1) The development of routes for the solution-phase assembly of conductive films from Si and Ge nanocrystal inks; 2) the electrical doping of Si and Ge nanocrystal films and the study of their electrical properties; 3) the detailed investigation of the basic optical absorption properties of Si and Ge nanocrystal inks and of solution-processed conducting films thereof; and 4) the evaluation of the properties of Si and Ge nanocrystal films in actual solar cells. The intellectual merit of this project lies in new methods to form conductive films from Si and Ge nanocrystals that will be developed through the proposed research. This project will also elucidate how electrical doping of Si and Ge nanocrystal films can be achieved and how doping affects the electronic and optical properties of the films. Finally it will develop, for the first time, solar cells made exclusively from Si and/or Ge nanocrystal inks.The broader impacts of this project are significant. The proposed research may ultimately enable a new approach to the manufacture of low-cost nanocrystal solar cells, whose efficiencies may potentially exceed those of bulk material cells. Leverage provided by an NSF-IGERT for "Nanoparticle Science and Engineering" will enhance educational opportunities for graduate students supported by this project. The involvement of graduate students and minority undergraduate students will foster the integration of research and training, and the participation of underrepresented groups. Outreach collaboration with the Science Museum of Minnesota will communicate results of this research to a broad public. A close collaboration with an industrial partner will ensure rapid knowledge transfer to industry.