Engineering New Nanostructured Materials for Tunable Light-Matter Interactions

工程新型纳米结构材料可调节光-物质相互作用

• 批准号: RGPIN-2017-06405
• 负责人: Kherani, Nazir
• 金额: $ 3.42万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=689467
• 关键词: Engineering; New; Nanostructured; Materials; Tunable

Nanomaterials engineering presents a rich venue for the development of new materials with unique functionalities amenable to a variety of applications computing, communications, sensing, and energy to name a few. This abundance of possibilities arises from the fact that at the nanoscale, size shape and structure play a significant role in determining material properties and associated phenomena - in addition to composition. One exciting field of study is that of light-matter interactions at the nanoscale, and in particular, lines of inquiry motivated by the objective of developing effective means of harnessing light energy.******Considering that the unremitting rays of the sun bathe the globe in light energy at an average power level of ~89,000 TW* some three orders beyond our present global energy consumption rate of ~20 TW and where the latter is principally comprised of depleting fossil fuels it clearly behooves us to develop the next generation of materials and devices that can effectively tap this light energy generating electricity and solar fuels, daylighting, heating and cooling and thus advancing the vision of realizing a sustainable society.******Dr. Kherani's research program is to develop new nanomaterials with a high degree of compositional, structural and size control that will enable the attainment of desired light-matter interaction in devices that harvest and control light energy, as well as allied emergent devices in the fields of sensing, imaging and photonics in general. Advances in tunable nanomaterials capable of enhanced interaction with visible, infrared, and mid-infrared radiation can lead to new paradigmsenabling effective conversion of solar and thermal radiation into electrical energy, and efficient utilization of light energy through facile control over the flow of visible and invisible light energy (for example, through windows). Further, rationally designed nanomaterials can also be applied for photoactive applications including smart photo-thermo-response optical devices, photocatalytic generation of solar fuels (for example, hydrogen and hydrocarbon fuels from solar energy) and artificial photosynthesis.******________________****While this is the total power flux, the technical potential of electricity generation is ~7,500 TW and that for solar fuels (hydrogen production) is ~2,500 TW; the latter estimates include 30% and 10% photovoltaic and photochemical conversion efficiencies, respectively. These figures also account for the generally inaccessible oceans and frigid poles.

纳米材料工程为开发具有独特功能的新材料提供了丰富的场所，适合计算、通信、传感和能源等各种应用。这种丰富的可能性源于这样一个事实：在纳米尺度上，除了成分之外，尺寸形状和结构在确定材料特性和相关现象方面也发挥着重要作用。一个令人兴奋的研究领域是纳米尺度的光与物质相互作用，特别是出于开发有效利用光能手段的目标而进行的探究。******考虑到太阳的不间断光线使地球沐浴在平均功率水平约为 89,000 TW* 的光能中，比我们目前约 20 TW 的全球能源消耗率高出约三个数量级，而后者主要由消耗化石组成。 显然，我们有必要开发下一代材料和设备，能够有效地利用这种光能发电和太阳能燃料、采光、供暖和制冷，从而推进实现可持续社会的愿景。 Kherani 的研究计划是开发具有高度成分、结构和尺寸控制的新型纳米材料，从而能够在收集和控制光能的设备以及传感、成像和光子学领域的相关新兴设备中实现所需的光与物质相互作用。能够增强与可见光、红外和中红外辐射相互作用的可调谐纳米材料的进步可以带来新的范例，使太阳和热辐射有效转换为电能，并通过轻松控制可见光和不可见光能的流动（例如通过窗户）来有效利用光能。此外，合理设计的纳米材料还可以应用于光敏应用，包括智能光热响应光学器件、太阳能燃料的光催化发电（例如，来自太阳能的氢和碳氢化合物燃料）和人工光合作用。****************虽然这是总功率通量，但发电的技术潜力约为 7,500 TW， 太阳能燃料（氢气生产）约为 2,500 TW；后者的估计分别包括 30% 和 10% 的光伏和光化学转换效率。这些数字还说明了通常难以到达的海洋和寒冷的极地。