Enhanced Efficiency in Transparent Organic Photovoltaics Using Oxide Plasmonic Nanostructures

该项目涉及低成本光伏（PV）薄膜技术，可以提供将太阳能技术集成到建筑围护结构中的替代方法。将太阳能收集组件集成到建筑围护结构中是一种革命性的途径，可以捕获太阳能用于发电，同时降低有效的太阳能电池安装成本，提高建筑能源效率。这个基础研究项目涉及低成本的薄膜有机光伏技术，该技术在可见光光谱中是高度透明的，可以集成到窗户、玻璃系统和建筑围护结构的壁板上。该项目致力于基础研究，通过在器件中嵌入氧化物等离子体纳米粒子来增加近红外光的吸收，从而提高这些薄膜透明系统的功率转换效率。该研究将利用氧化等离子体纳米粒子在近红外波段的独特光学特性来提高光吸收和功率转换效率。该项目还将推进对氧化等离子体纳米粒子的基本理解，它有望在热管理和夜视设备等更广泛的应用中得到应用。这个项目的教育和推广部分将训练研究生和本科生的研究人员在纳米尺度上获得对光和物质的新层次的理解。现有的透明有机光伏电池由于使用了不到50%的入射近红外太阳光，效率很低。本项目的目的是确定和理解氧化等离子体纳米粒子的局部表面等离子体共振提高透明有机光伏电池的功率转换效率的机制。氧化等离子体纳米粒子具有低浓度的自由电子和近红外区域的局部表面等离子体共振，将增强有机薄膜对近红外光的吸收和透明有机光伏电池中的光电流转换，同时保持器件的视觉透明度。具体研究目标包括：(1)合成并表征支持近红外局部表面等离子体共振的氧化等离子体纳米粒子；(2)探测有机薄膜和氧化等离子体纳米粒子界面上的电子和能量传递；(3)研究氧化等离子体纳米粒子对透明有机光伏器件效率的增强作用。该项目将推进氧化等离子体纳米粒子和透明有机光伏光电子领域的基础知识。

This project addresses low-cost photovoltaic (PV) thin film technology that can offer alternative methods to integrating solar energy technology into building envelops. The integration of solar-harvesting components into the building envelope is a transformative route to capturing solar energy for electricity generation while lowering effective solar cell installation costs and improving building energy efficiency. This fundamental research project addresses low-cost thin-film organic photovoltaic technology that is highly transparent in the visible light spectrum enabling integration onto windows, glazing systems, and siding in the building envelope. This project addresses fundamental research to increase the power conversion efficiency of these thin-film transparent systems by increasing absorption of near infrared light using oxide plasmonic nanoparticles embedded in the device. The research will exploit unique optical properties of oxide plasmonic nanoparticles in the near-infrared regime to enhance light absorption and power conversion efficiency. The project will also advance the fundamental understanding of oxide plasmonic nanoparticles, which are promising for a wider range of applications such as thermal management and night vision devices. The educational and outreach component of this project will train graduate and undergraduate researchers to gain a new level of understanding of light and matter at the nanometer scale.Existing transparent organic photovoltaics have low efficiency due to the use of less than 50% of incident near-infrared sunlight. The objective of this project is to identify and understand mechanisms by which localized surface plasmon resonances of oxide plasmonic nanoparticles enhance the power conversion efficiency of transparent organic photovoltaics. With their low-concentrated free electrons and localized surface plasmon resonances in the near-infrared regime, oxide plasmonic nanoparticles will enhance near-infrared light absorption by organic thin films and the photon-current conversion in transparent organic photovoltaics while retaining visual transparency of the devices. The specific research aims include: (1) synthesize and characterize oxide plasmonic nanoparticles that support near-infrared localized surface plasmon resonances, (2) probe electron and energy transfer at the interfaces of organic thin films and oxide plasmonic nanoparticles, and (3) investigate efficiency enhancement of transparent organic photovoltaic devices that incorporate oxide plasmonic nanoparticles. The project will advance fundamental knowledge in the field of optoelectronics of oxide plasmonic nanoparticles and transparent organic photovoltaics.