Inorganic Distributed Nanocrystal Heterojuntion Solar Cells

无机分布式纳米晶异质结太阳能电池

• 批准号: 0828703
• 负责人: Tobias Hanrath
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: Cornell University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-08-15 至 2012-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0828703&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Inorganic; Distributed; Nanocrystal; Heterojuntion; Solar

CBET-0828703HanrathWith surging interest in the development of cheaper and more efficient photovoltaic Materials semiconductor nanocrystals have emerged as a promising candidate potentially offering major benefits as light harvesting elements. These materials have a number of desirable characteristics. The electronic and optical properties of nanocrystals are size-tunable, which will allow optimal coverage of the solar spectrum by structures with large cross-sections. Their compatibility with solution environments and low-temperature processing are attractive for practical and cost-effective production. Beyond their potential to transform low-cost solar energy conversion technology, nanocrystal-based solar cells also have the potential for substantially increased efficiency, based on the recently-discovered process of efficient multi-exciton generation. In this process a single incident photon can generate multiple electron-hole pairs and thereby utilize the absorbed photon energy in excess of the band gap, which would otherwise be lost as heat.Progress in the development of nanocrystal-based solar cells is currently limited by the lack of molecular-level control over the electronic properties at the interface. Initial efforts in this field have focused on hybrid organic-inorganic devices based on blends of nanocrystals and conjugated polymers. This approach suffered from poor extraction of photogenerated carriers and illustrated that improved understanding and control over the interface properties are required to fully harness the unique photon harvesting properties of these materials. The project led by Engstrom and Hanrath leverages their expertise in surface science, nanocrystal synthesis and device fabrication to study fundamental principles of interface charge transfer and to integrate tailored nanocrystal interfaces into novel all-inorganic distributed heterojunction solar cells. The goals of their work are: (1) to understand and control the electronic structure and transport properties at nanocrystal interfaces and (2) to apply that knowledge to engineer optimized interfaces for the use of semiconductor nanocrystals in distributed heterojunction solar cells.Beyond the scientific activities, the project will engage a number of faculty and students involved in solar energy research in a workshop on research ethics. Solar energy, being on the frontier of research, is susceptible to practices that might lead to a number of undesirable outcomes. Educating the community about the proper conduct of research, ranging from the writing of and review of proposals to day-to-day activities in the lab will better foster a productive research environment. Finally, the project is closely integrated with a number of outreach and educational activities. We have aligned with the Cornell Institute for Physics Teachers to reach out to high school teachers and students and engage them in the exciting advances being made in the field.

CBET-0828703HANRATH，对更便宜，更有效的光伏材料半导体纳米晶体的发展激增，这已成为有希望的候选人，这可能会带来重大收获元素，从而带来重大益处。这些材料具有许多理想的特征。纳米晶体的电子和光学特性是可粘合的，这将允许通过具有较大横截面的结构对太阳光谱进行最佳覆盖。它们与解决方案环境和低温处理的兼容性对实用和成本效益的生产具有吸引力。除了改变低成本太阳能转化技术的潜力外，基于纳米晶体的太阳能电池还具有基于最近发现的有效多exciton生成的过程，还具有大幅提高效率。在此过程中，单个入射光子可以产生多个电子孔对，从而利用超过带隙的吸收光子能量，否则该光子将丢失，否则会丢失。在基于纳米晶体的太阳能电池的发展中，目前受到界面上电子特性缺乏分子水平控制的限制。该领域的最初努力集中在基于纳米晶体和共轭聚合物的混合物的混合有机无机设备上。这种方法遭受了光生载体的提取不良，并说明了对界面特性的理解和控制的改善，以充分利用这些材料的独特光子收集特性。由Engstrom和Hanrath领导的项目利用其在表面科学，纳米晶体合成和装置制造方面的专业知识来研究界面电荷转移的基本原理，并将量身定制的纳米晶体接口整合到新型的全无机分布式异质结式太阳能细胞中。他们的工作目标是：（1）在纳米晶界面上理解和控制电子结构和传输属性，（2）将这些知识应用于工程师优化的接口，以在分布式的杂型纳米晶体中使用分布式杂型纳米晶体中的纳米晶体。在研究的边界，太阳能容易受到可能导致许多不良结果的做法。教育社区的适当进行研究，从对建议的写作和审查到实验室的日常活动，将更好地培养有效的研究环境。最后，该项目与许多外展和教育活动紧密相结合。我们已经与康奈尔大学物理教师研究所保持一致，以与高中老师和学生联系，并参与该领域的激动人心的进步。