Projects
Projects: Projects for Investigator |
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| Reference Number | EP/F062095/1 | |
| Title | Biomimetic hybrid semiconductor photovoltaic devices | |
| Status | Completed | |
| Energy Categories | Renewable Energy Sources(Solar Energy, Photovoltaics) 100%; | |
| Research Types | Basic and strategic applied research 100% | |
| Science and Technology Fields | PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Physics) 100% | |
| UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation | Not Cross-cutting 100% | |
| Principal Investigator |
Dr LR Wilson No email address given Physics and Astronomy University of Sheffield |
|
| Award Type | Standard | |
| Funding Source | EPSRC | |
| Start Date | 01 April 2008 | |
| End Date | 30 September 2009 | |
| Duration | 18 months | |
| Total Grant Value | £157,679 | |
| Industrial Sectors | Electronics; Energy | |
| Region | Yorkshire & Humberside | |
| Programme | Energy Multidisciplinary Applications, Energy Research Capacity | |
| Investigators | Principal Investigator | Dr LR Wilson , Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield (99.998%) |
| Other Investigator | Professor DG Lidzey , Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield (0.001%) Dr TH Richardson , Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield (0.001%) |
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| Web Site | ||
| Objectives | ||
| Abstract | There is sufficient solar radiation striking the surface of the earth to provide all of our energy needs. The most direct way to convert this solar energy to electricity is to use a photovoltaic solar cell. Whilst there has been considerbale success in developing these devices, one major problem with present-day photovoltaic cells is that when a photon of light is absorbed about 50 per cent of the energy is lost as heat. The use of nanometre-scale semiconductors (quantum dots) offers a solution to this problem. It has been shown that absorption of short wavelength light quantum dots results in the creation of up to 7 electron-hole pairs from each photon. This is because the high energy carriers lose energy more effectively by creating extra carriers than by producing heat as in conventional, bulk semiconductors. So far it has not been possible to exploit this effect, although the prospect of quantum dot-based solar cells with 60 per cent efficiencies continues to drive significantefforts in this direction. The most common approach for quantum dot solar cells is to disperse the dots in a polymer to create a hybrid device and rely on charge transfer and separation for photovoltaic operation. However, these devices have very modest efficiencies of just a few per cent and are limited by poor carrier transport properties in the same way that all-polymer solar cells are.In our proposed work we will investigate a radically new strategy to bypass these problems, which has thepotential to create a completely new class of hybrid semiconductor photovoltaic device based on energy transfer, rather than the usual charge transfer in present-day hybrids. Inspired by photosynthetic systems, our biomimetic approach incorporates a highly efficient quantum dot-based light harvesting region from which energy is transferred non-radiatively to a semiconductor device where charge separation (photocurrent generation) occurs. Whilst challenging, the development of our proposed hybrid devices would represent a major step forward in solar cell research, allowing for the first time the full benefits of quantum dots to be exploited. The hybrid solid-state architecture is robust, and takes advantage of the unique properties of semiconductor nanocrystals quantum dots for harvesting sunlight (e.g. multiple carrier generation from a single photon), highly efficient non-radiative energy transfer between the hybrid constituents and the excellent electronic properties of inorganicsemiconductors. The near unity efficiency of the proposed energy transfer process provides a new way to realise the predicted 40 per cent improvement in quantum efficiency for quantum dot-based solar cells relative to bulk semiconductor devices. By demonstrating the feasibility of our energy transfer scheme we therefore have the potential to approach the predicted power conversion efficiencies for quantum dots of 42% (unconcentrated) and 58% (using a concentrator), vastly improving the values of 31% and 38% predicted for conventional single junction photovoltaic solar cells under the same conditions | |
| Publications | (none) |
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| Final Report | (none) |
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| Added to Database | 19/02/08 | |
