Scalable Manufacturing of Novel Hydrogen Storage Materials with Control at Nanometer Length Scales

这项拨款为数字工具和纳米制造工艺的发展提供资金，用于表征硅薄膜上纳米球涂层的结构-工艺-性能关系。这些涂层不仅有可能在不引入额外表面复合的情况下提高太阳能效率，而且还可以减少制造过程和成本。开发的数值工具将确定提高效率的最佳结构，同时考虑有序和无序结构。详细的模拟将在最佳结构上进行，以确定散射和低语通道模式的作用，以及确定涂层太阳能电池的角度性能和评估传输特性。可扩展的、廉价的自旋涂层方法将用于了解如何将纳米球涂层组装到硅薄膜光伏电池上。制造的样品将在结构、光学和电子上进行表征，以验证模拟。这项研究的结果将导致下一代太阳能电池设计的改进。这也可能对其他利用低语通道模式的纳米光子应用产生深远的影响，如光学滤光器和生物传感器。在太阳能电池、拓扑优化和纳米制造领域预计会产生广泛的影响。该项目还将通过开源软件开发、引入各种教育模块，以及参与皮特多元化办公室的“投资现在”暑期项目，对下一代工程师进行教育和推广。

This grant provides funding for the development of numerical tools and nanomanufacturing processes for characterizing the structure-process-performance relationships of nanosphere coatings on silicon thin films. These coatings have the potential to not only enhance solar efficiencies without introducing additional surface recombination, but also reduce manufacturing processes and costs. The developed numerical tools will determine optimal structures for enhanced efficiencies while considering both ordered and disordered structures. Detailed simulations will be performed on optimal structures to determine the role of scattering and whispering gallery modes as well as to determine the angular performance of coated solar cells and evaluate transport characteristics. Scalable, inexpensive spin coating methods will be used to understand how nanosphere coatings may be assembled onto silicon thin film photovoltaics. Manufactured samples will be characterized structurally, optically, and electronically to validate simulations.The results of this research will lead to improvements in the design of next-generation solar cells. This could also have a profound impact on other nanophotonic applications that make use of whispering gallery modes such as optical filters and biosensors. A broad impact is envisioned in the areas of solar cells, topology optimization, and nanomanufacturing. This project will also educate and outreach to next-generation engineers through open source software development, the introduction of various education modules, and involvement with the Pitt Office of Diversity's INVESTING NOW summer program.