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

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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.