Electron transport (and its failure) in energy materials

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Highly efficient photovoltaics could radically accelerate the transition to low-carbon electricity sources. One such high-efficiency concept is the intermediate band photovoltaic (IBPV), which can be made by taking pure semiconductors and adding new elements to create new materials able to absorb more of the solar spectrum. To find the best new materials, we must understand how much of that absorbed energy is lost to heat in a process called nonradiative recombination. The tools to describe these processes in IB materials do not yet exist. We will develop methods to predict nonradiative recombination in candidate materials. We will combine these results with simulations of functional devices in order to produce a roadmap for material properties that must be achieved to make high efficiency IBPV.