Engineering Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials for the Conversion of Solar Energy

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CBET-0854226KaganHybrid organic-inorganic photovoltaics (PVs) promise one of the best architectures for the low-cost fabrication of high efficiency solar cells to make future solar technology cost-competitive with that of traditional energy resources. Hybrid materials combine the low-cost, large-area processing notable of organic materials and the tunable, optical and electronic properties found in nanoscale inorganic materials. The central scientific challenge to hybrid PVs, is to understand not just the constituents properties, but to explore the fundamental interplay of organic and inorganic components that dictates charge generation, separation, and collection efficiencies that impact the conversion of solar radiation into electricity. The objective of this proposal is to chemically and electronically manipulate the organic and inorganic components and their interface and architecture to develop the fundamental understanding necessary to tailor the flow of energy and charge in hybrid semiconductors and fabricate high-performance, low-cost solar PVs.This research program focuses on the synthesis of new solution processable precursors to red-absorbing, photostable, high-mobility, organic semiconductors that are designed to mix with semiconductor nanocrystals, nanorods, and nanowires to form organic-inorganic hybrids by low-cost methods. Optical spectroscopy, electrical measurements, and electrochemistry will be used to probe the fundamental electronic and optical properties of the organic and inorganic components and the interfacial electronics important in solar energy conversion. These optoelectronic properties will be correlated with detailed structural studies and with the characteristics and efficiency of fabricated organic-inorganic solar cells. More broadly, the proposed research program will develop models for organic-inorganic composites key to harnessing the unique, tunable physical and chemical properties of organic and nanostructured materials and their combinations that are applicable to a range of optical, electronic, and optoelectronic devices. In addition to supporting an interdisciplinary graduate PhD education, the project will be used to develop an undergraduate laboratory module on organic-inorganic hybrid photovoltaics. Undergraduate senior design students will take advantage of the research program in solution-processable hybrid materials to learn about new materials and processing in the context of energy applications by developing ink-jet printed solar cells. Solar cells fabricated by PhD, Masters, and undergraduate students in the lab will be assembled into demonstrations. The demonstrations will be taken to local K-12 and to provide as kits to teachers in Penn RET programs to disperse to their classrooms more widely, and to educate the community about science and engineering and more broadly about energy issues and technological solutions for sustainable energy resources.