Objective
"The displacement of CO2 emissions by renewable sources of energy critically depends upon the development of low-cost and widely accessible routes to clean energy generation. Of all the renewable energy sources, solar energy has the greatest potential as a world power source. However, the inorganic solar cells available on the market now are too expensive to compete with conventional power sources. Hybrid solar cells are an emerging solar cell technology with a great potential for cheap fabrication. They usually consist of a nanostructured junction of inorganic and organic semiconductors and therefore combine cheap and abundant organic materials with the advantages of inorganic materials in terms of stability and charge transport. Power conversion efficiencies exceeding 3 % have been obtained and there is a large potential for further efficiency improvements. In order to achieve these, a detailed understanding of the working mechanism of hybrid solar cells is of crucial importance. In this project, we therefore aim to carry out an in-depth characterization of hybrid solar cells using a variety of advanced spectroscopic and microscopic techniques and a multidisciplinary approach. The project will consist of three phases: In the first phase, a state-of-the-art hybrid CdS/polymer system will be characterised in order to gain a better understanding of the working mechanism of the solar cells. Following this, hybrid solar cells consisting of different materials and prepared by different methods will be compared and loss processes in the solar cells will be identified. In the final phase of the project, the gained knowledge will be used to propose new materials combinations, which will lead to the construction of more efficient hybrid solar cells. The proposed project will therefore aim to develop a scientific framework that will enable the custom design of hybrid inorganic – organic heterojunctions for high performance solar cells."
Fields of science
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IEF
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)Coordinator
SW7 2AZ LONDON
United Kingdom