EAGER: Bioinspired Electrets for Solar-Energy-Conversion Applications

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).0935995VullevThis project will undertake basic research aimed at controlling how electrical charge moves through photovoltaic devices. The objective is to produce synthetic electrets - non-conductive materials that are the electrostatic equivalent of magnets. Electrets can be designed to improve the flow of charges, and thus make solar cells more efficient and, therefore, cost-effective. Intellectual Merit: Through this EAGER exploratory project, we will adopt a new way of designing molecular electrets. The designs will be based on molecules found in nature, but the synthetic electrets will have superior electronic properties, in comparison with their biological counterparts. As such, they will prove immensely beneficial for solar-energy-conversion applications. Experimental and computational investigation of a series of newly designed electrets will reveal their electronic properties. Ultrafast time-resolved spectroscopic studies will allow us to characterize how well they control the movement and direction of electrons. We will select the molecular electrets with the most promising performance and implement them into devices. Comparative studies of such devices will allow us to determine the feasibility of the synthetic electrets for solar-cell applications. In the past, researchers have attempted to manufacture electrets by mimicking biological processes. This project represents a shift from such biomimetic approaches to bio-inspired synthesis. This bioengineering approach to the need for better electrets represents the transformative nature of the project, and the significance it can have on the development of affordable and efficient photovoltaic energy sources. Broader Impacts: The project will advance the state of technology in solar-to-electrical energy conversion. The findings from the work on bioinspired electrets as rectifying nanosystems will broaden the development not only of photovoltaic devices, but also of novel types of organic electronics essential for energy-conversion applications. This project will support one graduate student, and it will provide a research basis for undergraduate student participation via an NSF-funded program (DBI 0731660). Using our experience with outreach and educational activities with local high schools and middle schools, we will involve a high-school student and a science teacher in summer research. Solar-energy-conversion topics that provide liaison between basic science and applied engineering are immensely instrumental for recruiting and training students with diverse background and interests.