An FTIR Spectrometer for the Development of Nanostructured Solar Cells and Novel Fuel Cell Materials

0966904Law本项目将探索使用傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱探测纳米晶太阳能电池材料和燃料电池电极表面的新方法。这种FTIR的独特功能，包括远红外、原位漫反射和原位可变角度硅和钻石衰减全反射(ATR)光谱，将加强对燃料电池阴极的开发，使其具有更快的氧还原动力学，以及适合高效太阳能电池的具有长载流子扩散长度的坚固纳米晶体固体。纳米晶体工作将利用电子耦合纳米晶体薄膜中发生的有机和无机配体交换、分子键、表面扩散、氧化、掺杂和其他表面过程的应用研究。燃料电池的工作将利用该仪器独特的现场能力来探索固体氧化物阴极在运行条件下的极化过程。智能优点使用FTIR探测纳米晶太阳能电池材料和燃料电池电极的表面，将回答有关这些材料的表面组成和界面动力学的重要问题。例如，胶体纳米晶固体是一类新型的有机/无机杂化材料，在光电子学方面具有巨大的技术潜力，但人们对这些材料的电子性质如何依赖于吸附在其大内表面上的原子和分子物种知之甚少。FTIR将有助于阐明开发基于纳米晶体的设备所需的结构-性能关系，特别是用于大规模电力转换的廉价和高效的太阳能电池。更广泛的影响该项目将资助购买PerkinElmer Spectrum 400傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱仪，以支持加州大学欧文分校物理科学和工程系两名助理教授在纳米结构太阳能电池和燃料电池领域正在进行的和未来的研究项目。除了为替代能源和其他领域的研究开辟新的途径外，收购拟议的仪器还将极大地提高UCI的教学和培训能力。博士后、研究生和本科生研究人员将使用该仪器来解决他们研究中的关键问题。在头两年，不少于16名化学和材料科学与工程专业的学生将使用该仪器。在仪器的整个生命周期内，至少有100名学生将受益于在他们的研究中使用先进的FTIR技术。FTIR将用于太阳能中心为当地高中生举办的暑期研究项目，学生们在暑假期间在几个化学和材料科学实验室开展项目，并在奥兰治县科学博览会以及加州州立数学与科学暑期学校(COSMOS-UCI)展示关于他们研究的海报，这是一个为期一个月的暑期课程，部分资金由国家科学基金会资助。该仪器每年还将由至少一名少数族裔本科生研究人员使用，作为加州少数族裔参与联盟(CAMP)夏季学者计划的一部分。

0966904LawThis project will explore new ways to probe the surfaces of nanocrystalline solar cell materials and fuel cell electrodes using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry. The unique capabilities of this FTIR, including far-IR, in situ diffuse reflectance, and in situ variable-angle silicon and diamond attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy will enhance efforts to develop fuel cell cathodes with much faster kinetics for oxygen reduction, as well as robust nanocrystal solids with long carrier diffusion lengths suitable for high-efficiency solar cells. The nanocrystal work will utilize applied studies of organic and inorganic ligand exchange, molecular bonding, surface diffusion, oxidation, doping and other surface processes occurring in electronically-coupled nanocrystal films. The fuel cell work will leverage the instrument's unique in situ capabilities to explore the polarization processes of solid oxide cathodes under operating conditions. Intellectual MeritThe use of FTIR to probe the surfaces of nanocrystalline solar cell materials and fuel cell electrodes will answer important questions concerning the surface composition and interfacial dynamics of these materials. For example, colloidal nanocrystal solids are a novel class of hybrid organic/inorganic materials with great technological potential in optoelectronics, but little is known about how the electronic properties of these materials depend on the atomic and molecular species that are adsorbed on their large internal surface. FTIR will help to elucidate the structure-property relationships needed to develop nanocrystal-based devices, particularly cheap and efficient solar cells for large-scale power conversion. Broader ImpactsThis project will fund the acquisition of a PerkinElmer Spectrum 400 Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer to support ongoing and future research projects in the areas of nanostructured solar cells and fuel cells by two assistant professors in the Physical Sciences and Engineering at UC Irvine. In addition to opening new avenues for research in alternative energy and other areas, acquisition of the proposed instrument will greatly enhance teaching and training capabilities at UCI. The instrument will be used by postdocs, graduate students and undergraduate researchers to address vital questions in their research. No fewer than 16 Chemistry and Materials Science and Engineering students will utilize the instrument in the first two years. At least one hundred students will benefit from employing advanced FTIR techniques in their research over the lifetime of the instrument. The FTIR will be used in summer research programs for local high school students run by the Center for Solar Energy, in which students pursue projects in several chemistry and materials science labs over the course of the summer and present posters about their research at the Orange County Science Fair, as well as the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS-UCI), a month-long summer session funded in part by the National Science Foundation. The instrument will also be used by at least one minority undergraduate researcher every year as part of the California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) Summer Scholars Program.