Phase segregated inorganic heterstructures for low cost, high efficiency photovoltaics

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)资助的。总结：可持续能源解决方案的开发将满足世界人口增长的需求，同时减少温室气体排放，将在很大程度上依赖可再生能源。全球辐射通量为174,000太瓦，太阳能是一种可再生资源，有潜力为世界提供充足的能源。然而，目前的太阳能电池设计过于昂贵，无法大规模应用。因此，迫切需要新的材料和设计用于光伏发电。人们越来越感兴趣的一种设计是具有交叉半导体层的纳米或微米级异质结设计，其中光吸收路径长度可以从载流子扩散路径到器件结去耦合，以便最大化器件效率。然而，使用目前任何可用的方法制造这种纳米或微型结构的困难将推高太阳能电池的成本，可能会抵消效率的任何提高。该项目建议研究一种新的制造技术和材料系统，使太阳能转换的纳米结构或微结构设计能够以较低的成本进行。具体地说，将对引导自组装过程进行基础研究，在该过程中，选定的无机混合物被诱导自组织成所需的异质结构。将沉积一种多组分混合物的薄膜，在生长过程中或通过第二个简单的热或化学过程，通过自组装将其转化为三维纳米结构。这项研究将研究材料体系的选择，以形成两个具有最佳能带和界面性质的相反极性的半导体，并将探索引导组装过程进入所需光伏结构的方法。预计材料科学中对引导自组装的理解将取得根本性进展。此外，这项研究不仅有可能影响光伏领域，而且还可能影响广泛的纳米科学研究。更广泛的影响：这项研究承诺引入一种制造光伏的新方法，如果成功，可能会对全球产生重大影响。我们的方法有可能以与廉价窗户玻璃涂层相当的成本提供高效太阳能电池，使太阳能发电与煤炭发电具有竞争力，并大幅减少温室气体排放。此外，拟议的计划将在几个关键方面产生更广泛的影响：(1)教学和培训；(2)扩大代表性不足群体的参与；(3)广泛传播研究成果，以增进对科学和技术的了解；(4)向公众推广。拟议的项目将继续建立在私人投资促进机构开展的培训研究生和本科生的重要基础上。目前，他们研究小组中的许多学生都是少数民族或女性。此外，PIS还建议通过专业发展暑期计划，在实验室聘请一名来自当地少数族裔服务学校的高中教师参与这一项目，为期两个夏天。

0930098BentThis award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).SummaryIntellectual Merits: The development of sustainable energy solutions that will meet the needs of a growing world population, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, will rely in large part on renewable energy sources. With a global radiation flux of 174,000 TW, solar energy is a renewable resource that has the potential to provide more than enough energy to power the world. However, current solar cell designs are too expensive to be adopted for large scale application. Hence, new materials and designs for photovoltaics are urgently needed. One design that is of growing interest is a nano- or microscale heterojunction design with interdigitated semiconductor layers, in which the light absorption path length can be decoupled from the carrier diffusion path to the device junction in order to maximize the device efficiency. However, the difficulty of making such nano- or microstructures using any currently available method will drive the cost of the solar cells up, likely negating any increase in efficiency. This project proposes to investigate a novel fabrication technique and materials system that will allow nanostructured or microstructured designs for solar energy conversion to be made at lower cost. Specifically, fundamental studies into a guided self-assembly process in which selected inorganic mixtures are induced to self-organize into the desired heterostructures will be conducted. A thin film of a multicomponent mixture will be deposited that will be converted during growth or through a second simple thermal or chemical process to a three-dimensional nanostructure via self-assembly. This study will investigate the choice of materials system that will form two semiconductors of opposite polarity with optimal band and interfacial properties and will explore methods to guide the assembly process into the desired photovoltaic structure. It is expected that fundamental advances to the understanding of guided self-assembly in materials science will be made. In addition, the research has significant potential for influencing not just the photovoltaic field but also a broad range of nanoscience studies. Broader Impacts: The research promises to introduce a new approach to making photovoltaics which, if successful, could have a significant worldwide impact. Our approach has the potential to provide high-efficiency solar cells at a cost comparable to cheap window glass coating, allowing solar electricity to be competitive with that produced from coal and leading to significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the proposed program will achieve broader impacts in several key ways: (1) Teaching and training; (2) Broadening participation of underrepresented groups; (3) Disseminating research results broadly to enhance science and technological understanding; (4) Outreach to the public. The proposed project will continue building upon the important foundation of training both graduate and undergraduate students carried out by the PIs. Currently many of the students in their research groups are minority or female. Moreover, the PIs propose to engage a high school teacher from local minority-serving schools on this project in the laboratory for two summers through the Summer Program of Professional Development.