CAREER: Statistical Design of Hierarchical Metal Structures for High Performance, Flexible Solar Cells

【摘要】非技术：本学院早期职业发展（Career）项目旨在设计新的金属结构，制成柔性薄晶硅，以实现高效率、低成本的太阳能电池。这项工作将开发新的统计技术来设计跨多个长度尺度的金属结构，使其成为高性能透明导体。后续工作将评估如何将这些结构整合到柔性薄膜晶体太阳能电池中，以提高效率和降低成本。预计这项工作将对促进太阳能的广泛采用，减少美国的碳排放产生重要影响。美国对化石燃料的依赖，加强便携式能源。该项目将为将金属结构结合到传感器、光电探测器和智能表面提供更多的机会。PI将以他与匹兹堡多元化办公室的长期合作关系为基础，为INVESTING NOW暑期项目和移动科学实验室开发新的K-12活动。新的真人和虚拟（谷歌街景式）游览将在PI？匹兹堡纳米制造和表征设施。PI将开发一个新的？材料的统计设计？研究生课程。本科生（以少数族裔为重点）将有机会通过马斯卡罗可持续创新中心进行研究。技术：该学院早期职业发展（Career）项目的目标是开发新的统计技术，了解分层金属的结构“属性”过程关系，以便将其系统地设计成柔性薄晶硅，以实现高效，低成本的太阳能电池。该项目将研究受生物启发的分层金属结构，这需要跨多个长度尺度的物理集成。这些结构将在与白天太阳在天空中的运动相对应的大范围入射光角度上进行评估。将开发新的统计方法来处理跨多个长度尺度的物理，并将其集成到模拟和实验框架中。这种模式将导致新的统计模型，使创新应用的快速材料设计成为可能，如透明导体、柔性电子产品和太阳能电池。PI将探索透明导体的分层金属结构的性能极限。随后，将分层金属结构设计到柔性晶体硅薄膜的顶部和底部，用于等离子体光捕获和载流子收集。这项研究将为一种新的柔性、轻量级、高效率的太阳能电池技术铺平道路，这种技术的效率将超过传统的、刚性的、大块硅太阳能电池。

AbstractNon-Technical:This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project seeks to design new metal structures into flexible thin crystalline silicon to achieve high efficiency, low cost solar cells. This work will develop new statistical techniques to design metal structures across multiple length scales into high performance transparent conductors. Subsequent work will evaluate how these structures may be incorporated into flexible thin film crystalline solar cells to increase efficiencies and lower cost. The proposed work is expected to have important implications in promoting the widespread adoption of solar, decreasing the U.S.?s dependence on fossil fuels, and enhancing portable energy sources. This project will allow for additional opportunities in incorporating metal structures into sensors, photodetectors, and smart surfaces. The PI will build upon his long relationship with the Pittsburgh Office of Diversity and develop new K-12 activities for the INVESTING NOW summer program and Mobile Science Lab. New in-person and virtual (Google Street View-like) tours will be implemented for the PI?s lab and the Pittsburgh Nanofabrication and Characterization Facility. The PI will develop a new ?Statistical Design of Materials? graduate course. Undergraduates (with an emphasis on minorities) will have opportunities to pursue research through the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation.Technical:The objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project is to develop new statistical techniques that understand the structure "property" process relationships of hierarchical metals so they may be systematically designed into flexible thin crystalline silicon to achieve high efficiency, low cost solar cells. This project will investigate biologically inspired hierarchical metal structures, which require the integration of physics across multiple length scales. These structures will be assessed over a wide range of incident light angles corresponding to the movement of the sun through the sky during the day. New statistical methodologies will be developed to handle physics across multiple length scales and integrated into a simulation and experimental framework. This paradigm will lead to novel statistical models that enable fast throughput materials design of innovative applications such as transparent conductors, flexible electronics, and solar cells. The PI will explore the performance limits of hierarchical metal structures for transparent conductors. Subsequently, hierarchical metal structures will be designed into both the top and bottom of flexible crystalline silicon thin films for plasmonic light trapping and carrier collection. This research will pave the way to a new flexible lightweight, high efficiency solar cell technology that exceeds the efficiency of conventional, rigid, bulk silicon solar cells.