Engineering Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials for the Conversion of Solar Energy

CBET-0854226 KaganHybrid有机-无机光致发光（PV）有望成为高效太阳能电池低成本制造的最佳架构之一，使未来的太阳能技术与传统能源相比具有成本竞争力。杂化材料联合收割机结合了有机材料的低成本、大面积加工显著性和纳米级无机材料中发现的可调谐、光学和电子性质。混合光伏的核心科学挑战不仅是了解组成特性，而且要探索有机和无机成分的基本相互作用，这些成分决定了影响太阳辐射转化为电能的电荷产生，分离和收集效率。该项目的目标是通过化学和电子手段操纵有机和无机组分及其界面和结构，以发展对混合半导体中能量和电荷流动的基本理解，并制造高性能，低成本的太阳能PV。该研究计划的重点是合成新的溶液可加工前体，以吸收红色，光稳定，高迁移率，有机半导体被设计成与半导体纳米晶体、纳米棒和纳米线混合，以通过低成本方法形成有机-无机混合物。光谱学，电学测量和电化学将用于探测有机和无机成分的基本电子和光学性质以及太阳能转换中重要的界面电子学。这些光电性能将与详细的结构研究以及制造的有机-无机太阳能电池的特性和效率相关。更广泛地说，拟议的研究计划将开发有机-无机复合材料的模型，这些模型是利用有机和纳米结构材料及其组合的独特，可调的物理和化学性质的关键，适用于一系列光学，电子和光电器件。除了支持跨学科的研究生博士教育外，该项目还将用于开发有机-无机混合光化学的本科实验室模块。本科高年级设计专业的学生将利用溶液加工混合材料的研究计划，通过开发喷墨打印太阳能电池来了解能源应用背景下的新材料和加工。由博士、硕士和本科生在实验室制作的太阳能电池将组装成演示品。这些演示将被带到当地的K-12，并作为套件提供给宾夕法尼亚大学RET项目的教师，以更广泛地分散到他们的教室，并教育社区科学和工程，更广泛地了解能源问题和可持续能源的技术解决方案。

CBET-0854226KaganHybrid organic-inorganic photovoltaics (PVs) promise one of the best architectures for the low-cost fabrication of high efficiency solar cells to make future solar technology cost-competitive with that of traditional energy resources. Hybrid materials combine the low-cost, large-area processing notable of organic materials and the tunable, optical and electronic properties found in nanoscale inorganic materials. The central scientific challenge to hybrid PVs, is to understand not just the constituents properties, but to explore the fundamental interplay of organic and inorganic components that dictates charge generation, separation, and collection efficiencies that impact the conversion of solar radiation into electricity. The objective of this proposal is to chemically and electronically manipulate the organic and inorganic components and their interface and architecture to develop the fundamental understanding necessary to tailor the flow of energy and charge in hybrid semiconductors and fabricate high-performance, low-cost solar PVs.This research program focuses on the synthesis of new solution processable precursors to red-absorbing, photostable, high-mobility, organic semiconductors that are designed to mix with semiconductor nanocrystals, nanorods, and nanowires to form organic-inorganic hybrids by low-cost methods. Optical spectroscopy, electrical measurements, and electrochemistry will be used to probe the fundamental electronic and optical properties of the organic and inorganic components and the interfacial electronics important in solar energy conversion. These optoelectronic properties will be correlated with detailed structural studies and with the characteristics and efficiency of fabricated organic-inorganic solar cells. More broadly, the proposed research program will develop models for organic-inorganic composites key to harnessing the unique, tunable physical and chemical properties of organic and nanostructured materials and their combinations that are applicable to a range of optical, electronic, and optoelectronic devices. In addition to supporting an interdisciplinary graduate PhD education, the project will be used to develop an undergraduate laboratory module on organic-inorganic hybrid photovoltaics. Undergraduate senior design students will take advantage of the research program in solution-processable hybrid materials to learn about new materials and processing in the context of energy applications by developing ink-jet printed solar cells. Solar cells fabricated by PhD, Masters, and undergraduate students in the lab will be assembled into demonstrations. The demonstrations will be taken to local K-12 and to provide as kits to teachers in Penn RET programs to disperse to their classrooms more widely, and to educate the community about science and engineering and more broadly about energy issues and technological solutions for sustainable energy resources.