CAREER: Electron Injection in Nanostructured Materials: New Paradigm of Transparent Conducting Oxides

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。技术：这个CAREER项目包括综合研究和教育活动。该研究探索了新型纳米复合材料，这种材料可以独立控制载流子浓度和透明导电氧化物的迁移率，用于潜在的光电应用。这将通过在高迁移率透明导电氧化物材料中自组装高载流子浓度的金属纳米粒子来实现。该项目研究了嵌入纳米颗粒的微观结构和形态如何影响这种系统的电学和光学特性，并确定了提高导电性的基本机制。研究活动的目标是：1)建立纳米复合材料基透明导电氧化物的基本物理性质与改善电导率和透明度的实验观察之间的基本相关性；ii)对嵌入具有不同电子和光学性质的透明导电氧化物基质中的金属纳米颗粒的电子离域有了基本的了解；iii)阐明固体离子相互作用对嵌入透明导电氧化膜的纳米颗粒的成核、生长和随后结晶的影响。非技术：本项目在材料科学的一个具有高技术相关性的主题领域中研究基本的电子/光子材料研究问题。透明导电氧化物导电性的改进有可能提高太阳能电池的能量转换效率，以及提高光电器件的速度和能量效率。该职业奖的教育部分预计将加强匹兹堡大学可再生能源研究的基础设施。PI计划开设一门新课程，纳米结构材料的能源应用，重点关注太阳能和纳米材料之间的关系。该课程预计将与匹兹堡大学新的纳米技术证书相结合，这将使该大学的材料科学与工程项目在纳米科学和可持续发展教育中更加引人注目。此外，通过研究活动获得的成果将用于开发太阳能电池的原型，以推广到高中生，重点是代表性不足的群体。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Technical: This CAREER project includes integrated research and education activities. The research explores novel nanocomposite materials that allow independent control of the carrier concentration and mobility of transparent conducting oxides for potential electro-optical applications. This will be accomplished through the self-assembly of high carrier concentration metallic nanoparticles in high mobility transparent conducting oxide materials. The project examines how microstructure and morphology of embedded nanoparticles influence the electrical and optical properties of such systems and determines the fundamental mechanisms responsible for the improved conductivity. The goals of the research activities are: i) Establishment of fundamental correlations between basic physics of nanocomposite based transparent conducting oxides and experimental observations of improved electrical conductivity and transparency; ii) Development of a basic understanding of the electron delocalization of metal nanoparticles embedded in a transparent conducting oxide matrix with different electronic and optical properties; and iii) Elucidation of the influence of solid-ion interactions on the nucleation, growth, and subsequent crystallization of nanoparticles embedded transparent conducting oxide films.Non-technical: The project addresses basic electronic/photonic materials research issues in a topical area of materials science with high technological relevance. Improvements in transparent conducting oxide conductivity have the potential to increase the energy conversion efficiencies of solar cells as well as increase the speed and energy efficiency of optoelectronic devices. The educational component of this CAREER award is expected to enhance the infrastructure of the renewable energy research at the University of Pittsburgh. The PI plans to develop a new course, Energy Applications of Nanostructured Materials, focusing on the correlation between solar energy and nanomaterials. This course is expected to be integrated with a new Nanotechnology Certificate at the University of Pittsburgh, which should make the Materials Science and Engineering program at the University more visible in nanoscience and sustainability educations. In addition, the results obtained through research activities will be utilized to develop a prototype solar cell for outreach to high school students with an emphasis on under-represented groups.