P-N and P-i-N junction silicon microwire arrays for solar energy conversion

用于太阳能转换的 P-N 和 P-i-N 结硅微线阵列

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-04965
• 负责人: Oliver, Derek
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: University of Manitoba
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=661186
• 关键词: junction; silicon; microwire; arrays; solar

Annual global energy demands are projected to rise by roughly a quarter between now and 2040 (International Energy Outlook, Sept 2017, Dept. of Energy, USA). Renewable energy sources and reliable energy storage are critical to meeting these energy needs in northern, remote areas of Canada and worldwide. Alternatives to renewing or building costly infrastructure, especially nuclear installations, are desirable. Sunlight is the principal renewable energy resource - in a handful of hours the total solar energy incident on the globe exceeds our annual energy demands. Despite great strides in photovoltaic and battery technology, increasing energy storage density and reducing cost remain challenges. In addition, the raw materials for these technologies rely heavily on highly-restricted supply chains. Harnessing and storing solar energy in chemical bonds represents a compelling quest that resolves the issue of energy storage density. Using earth-abundant materials to capture solar energy enacts the most basic tenets of resource stewardship while benefitting remote (northern) and developing communities.******The research in this proposal will develop key technologies for solar-based fuel generation: storing energy in the simplest chemical bond (hydrogen) or converting carbon dioxide into a useable fuel. Using a variant of chemical vapor deposition, earth-abundant silicon will be used to fabricate high-fidelity single-crystal microwires with excellent performance characteristics at low cost. My team will fabricate multicomponent silicon microwires that incorporate a transition from a boron-doped region to a phosphorus-doped region. The electrical characteristics of this transition region will open up new design pathways for prototype solar fuel generation components. When integrated into a solar collector, these new silicon microwires will absorb energy from sunlight and drive a chemical reaction, such as splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen gas or reducing carbon dioxide into a carbon fuel. Ultimately, these new solar-powered fuel generating devices will address critical energy needs, particularly in developing and remote communities.

从现在到 2040 年，全球每年能源需求预计将增长约四分之一（《国际能源展望》，2017 年 9 月，美国能源部）。可再生能源和可靠的能源存储对于满足加拿大北部、偏远地区和全球的能源需求至关重要。更新或建造昂贵的基础设施（尤其是核设施）的替代方案是可取的。阳光是主要的可再生能源——在短短几个小时内，全球太阳能发电总量就超过了我们每年的能源需求。尽管光伏和电池技术取得了巨大进步，但提高储能密度和降低成本仍然是挑战。此外，这些技术的原材料严重依赖于受到严格限制的供应链。在化学键中利用和存储太阳能是解决能量存储密度问题的迫切追求。使用地球上丰富的材料来捕获太阳能，体现了资源管理的最基本原则，同时使偏远（北方）和发展中社区受益。******本提案中的研究将开发太阳能燃料发电的关键技术：以最简单的化学键（氢）存储能量或将二氧化碳转化为可用燃料。通过化学气相沉积的变体，地球上储量丰富的硅将用于以低成本制造具有优异性能特征的高保真单晶微线。我的团队将制造多组分硅微线，其中包含从硼掺杂区域到磷掺杂区域的过渡。该过渡区域的电气特性将为原型太阳能燃料发电组件开辟新的设计途径。当集成到太阳能收集器中时，这些新型硅微线将吸收阳光中的能量并驱动化学反应，例如将水分解成氢气和氧气或将二氧化碳还原成碳燃料。最终，这些新型太阳能燃料发电设备将满足关键的能源需求，特别是在发展中国家和偏远社区。