Solar Cells from Silicon and Germanium Nanocrystals Inks

硅和锗纳米晶体墨水太阳能电池

• 批准号: 0756326
• 负责人: Uwe Kortshagen
• 金额: $ 28.5万
• 依托单位: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-04-15 至 2012-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0756326&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Solar; Cells; Silicon; Germanium; Nanocrystals

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.

CBET-0756326 Kortshagen硅基太阳能电池是占主导地位的光伏技术，在2005年生产的所有电池中占有约90%的市场份额。然而，来自太阳能电池的电力成本仍然比来自化石燃料的电力高出5-10倍。该项目的目标是进行所需的基础研究，以开发高效、低成本的太阳能电池，基于使用硅(Si)和锗(Ge)纳米晶体墨水从溶液中制造太阳能电池的新范例。通过诸如喷墨打印之类的已知打印技术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分之一的潜力。此外，纳米晶体具有令人兴奋的特性，如尺寸可调的吸收，以及只吸收一个光子就能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体材料制成的器件更高效的太阳能电池。硅和锗纳米晶的其他优点在于它们无毒、不会对环境造成危害、稳定性和丰度。几乎没有其他纳米晶体材料提供这种理想的属性。这项资助下的研究有四个方面：1)开发从Si和Ge纳米晶体墨水中溶液相组装导电薄膜的路线；2)Si和Ge纳米晶体薄膜的电掺杂及其电学性能研究；3)详细研究Si和Ge纳米晶体墨水及其溶液处理的导电膜的基本光学吸收性能；以及4)评估实际太阳能电池中Si和Ge纳米晶体薄膜的性能。这一项目的智力价值在于，将通过拟议的研究开发出从硅和锗纳米晶形成导电膜的新方法。该项目还将阐明如何实现硅和锗纳米晶薄膜的电掺杂，以及掺杂如何影响薄膜的电子和光学性质。最后，它将首次开发完全由硅和/或锗纳米晶体墨水制成的太阳能电池。该项目的更广泛影响是显著的。这项拟议的研究可能最终会使制造低成本纳米晶体太阳能电池的新方法成为可能，其效率可能会超过块状材料电池。NSF-IGERT为“纳米科学和工程”提供的杠杆作用将增加该项目支持的研究生的教育机会。研究生和少数族裔本科生的参与将促进研究和培训的整合，以及代表不足的群体的参与。与明尼苏达州科学博物馆的外展合作将向广大公众传播这项研究的结果。与行业合作伙伴的密切合作将确保向行业快速转移知识。