DMREF: SusChEM: Collaborative Research: Rapid Design of Earth Abundant Inorganic Materials for Future PVs

DMREF：SusChEM：为未来PVS快速设计地球丰富的无机材料非-技术描述：电力是美国增长最快的行业之一，全球对电力的需求也在快速增长。对许多国家来说，他们的经济增长依赖于找到低成本和容易获得的电力供应。该项目中新的富含地球的半导体及其光电特性和低成本加工技术的识别将影响未来薄膜光伏(PV)的制造方式。该项目的成功研究成果将有助于在美国和世界其他地区广泛使用光伏作为可持续能源经济的丰富电力来源。研究和教育的综合性将培养和共同指导研究生和本科生的跨学科技能，这些技能对于开发创新解决方案至关重要，因为他们进入工作场所，并为美国在新兴能源领域的领导地位做出贡献。技术描述：该项目将发展基础科学知识，将导致识别和大规模使用由富含地球的元素组成的新型半导体材料，用于光伏(PV)。该项目的中心方面是其所有三项研究任务之间的紧密结合，以：(1)通过使用第一性原理计算进行计算筛选，对有希望的地球丰富的材料进行快速搜索和合理设计；(2)通过溶液相合成有希望的材料，通过化学方法提供精确的控制，并测量它们的材料和光电性能；以及(3)制造功能强大的太阳能电池，并在根据第一原理估计的性能与有助于电子应用材料的“反向设计”的器件性能之间建立科学关系。计算估计和实验测量的材料和电子性质之间的持续反馈将允许改进所有三个研究推进中的方法，从而从广阔的搜索空间中快速筛选大量材料。项目努力将确定最有希望的高效太阳能电池的富含地球的材料。

DMREF: SusChEM: Rapid Design of Earth Abundant Inorganic Materials for Future PVsNon-technical Description: Electricity is on of the fastest growing sectors in the U.S. and the worldwide demand for electricity is also on a rapid rise. For many countries, their economic growth is dependent on finding low-cost and readily available supply of electricity. Identification of new earth-abundant semiconductors along with their optoelectronic properties and low-cost processing technology in this project will influence how future thin-film photovoltaics (PV) are fabricated. The successful research outcome of the project will contrbute toward widespread use of PV as an abundant source of electricity for a sustainable energy economy in the U.S. as well as the rest of the world. The integrative nature of the research and education will train and co-mentor graduate and undergraduate students in cross-disciplinary skills that are essential for developing innovative solutions as they join the workplace and contribute to the U.S. leadership in the burgeoning field of energy. Technical Description: This project will develop the fundamental scientific knowledge that will lead to the identification and large-scale use of new semiconducting materials composed of earth-abundant elements for photovoltaics (PV). The central aspect of the project is a close coupling among all three of its research thrusts to: (1) conduct rapid search and rational design of promising earth-abundant materials through computational screening using first principles calculations; (2) synthesize promising materials by solution phase providing exquisite control through chemistry and to measure their material and optoelectronic properties; and (3) fabricate functioning solar cells and develop scientific relationship between the properties estimated from the first principles and device performance contributing toward 'inverse designs' of material for electronic applications. An ongoing feedback among computational estimates and experimentally measured material and electronic properties will allow refinement of the methods in all three research thrusts leading to rapid screening of large number of materials from a vast search space. Project efforts will identify the most promising earth-abundant materials for high efficiency solar cells.