CAREER: Photovoltaic Devices with Earth-Abundant Low Dimensional Chalcogenides

职业：具有地球丰富的低维硫属化物的光伏器件

• 批准号: 1944374
• 负责人: Feng Yan
• 金额: $ 50万
• 依托单位: University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-07-01 至 2024-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1944374&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Photovoltaic; Devices; Earth; Abundant

Nontechnical:The sun provides abundant sources of renewable energy such as wind, solar, and hydro power. Solar cells, also known as photovoltaic devices, directly convert sunlight into electricity. Dramatic efficiency improvements and cost reductions have led to widespread adoption of solar power. There are still problems that limit further adoption. These include incorporation of expensive or toxic raw materials as well as the need for energy intensive, high temperature production processes. This project will investigate an emerging solar technology based on low dimensional chalcogenides as light absorbers. These materials are earth abundant, non-toxic and stable upon exposure to sunlight under ambient conditions. They can also be processed at relatively low temperatures with fewer raw materials consumption and less carbon footprint, making this emerging solar technology potentially cost-competitive and sustainable. This project aims to significantly improve the efficiency of solar cells based on low-dimensional chalcognides through advanced device engineering. The aim is to pave the way to commercialize this newly developed solar technology to provide more affordable solar electricity. This project will impact the community through a long-term partnership with local elementary schools. The PI will reach out to young students to introduce and foster clean energy concepts and solar technologies. The PI will also participate in an on-campus material summer camp for the local secondary school teachers, giving introduction lectures and providing hands-on demonstrations of solar technologies. Teachers can then implement these lessons in their home schools to attract more students, especially those from minority and underrepresented groups, to pursue science and engineering careers. This project is jointly funded by the Electronics, Photonics, and Magnetic Devices program of the Division of Electrical, Communications, and Cyber Systems and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program of the Office of Integrative Activities.Technical:The objective of this project is to understand the electronic and photonic properties of a new class of thin-film photovoltaic (PV) devices based on earth-abundant low-dimensional noncubic chalcogenide absorbers to achieve highly efficient, sustainable, and affordable solar energy. Polycrystalline low dimensional chalcogenide absorbers possess anisotropic atomic chains and intrinsically benign grain boundaries, which provide unique anisotropic carrier transport behaviors and great grain boundary defect tolerance. Considerable fundamental material and device challenges will be addressed in this project to achieve high-performance low dimensional chalcogenides based PV devices. The following four tasks with a combination of device-level characterization will be carried out: (1) understand the anisotropic growth mechanisms of the low dimensional chalcogenide absorbers layer, and how they impact the carrier transport in the atomic chains and device performance; (2) tailor bandgap of low dimensional chalcogenide absorbers by the alloying approach to maximize the photovoltage with optimized bandgap and minimize the photocurrent loss; (3) engineer defects and interfaces in the low dimensional chalcogenides based PV devices to reduce the carrier recombination sites and increase carrier extraction with a guide of theoretical prediction using first-principle density functional theory calculation; (4) conduct extrinsic doping engineering to increase the photogenerated carrier density and carrier lifetime of the low dimensional chalcogenides based PV devices. Fundamentally, this project will elucidate the relationship between absorbers material microstructure, photogenerated carrier transport properties, and device performance in low dimensional chalcogenide-based PV devices. Eventually, this proposed project will pave the way for the future development of next-generation high-efficiency low-cost thin film PV technologies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

非技术性：太阳提供丰富的可再生能源，如风能、太阳能和水力发电。太阳能电池，也称为光伏器件，直接将太阳光转化为电能。效率的显着提高和成本的降低导致了太阳能的广泛采用。仍然存在限制进一步采用的问题。其中包括使用昂贵或有毒的原材料以及需要能源密集型的高温生产工艺。该项目将研究一种基于低维硫属化物作为光吸收剂的新兴太阳能技术。这些材料在地球上储量丰富、无毒并且在环境条件下暴露于阳光下时稳定。它们还可以在相对较低的温度下进行加工，从而减少原材料消耗和碳足迹，使这种新兴的太阳能技术具有潜在的成本竞争力和可持续性。该项目旨在通过先进的器件工程显着提高基于低维硫族化物的太阳能电池的效率。目的是为这项新开发的太阳能技术的商业化铺平道路，以提供更实惠的太阳能电力。该项目将通过与当地小学的长期合作关系影响社区。 PI 将向年轻学生介绍和培养清洁能源概念和太阳能技术。 PI还将参加为当地中学教师举办的校内材料夏令营，进行介绍讲座并提供太阳能技术的实践演示。然后，教师可以在自己的学校中实施这些课程，以吸引更多学生，特别是来自少数族裔和弱势群体的学生，从事科学和工程职业。该项目由电气、通信和网络系统司的电子、光子和磁性器件项目以及综合活动办公室的刺激竞争研究既定项目（EPSCoR）项目共同资助。技术：目标该项目旨在了解基于地球丰富的低维非立方硫族化物吸收器的新型薄膜光伏（PV）器件的电子和光子特性，以实现高效、可持续、和负担得起的太阳能。多晶低维硫族化物吸收剂具有各向异性原子链和本质良性的晶界，从而提供独特的各向异性载流子传输行为和良好的晶界缺陷容限。该项目将解决相当大的基本材料和器件挑战，以实现基于高性能低维硫属化物的光伏器件。将进行以下四项与器件级表征相结合的任务：（1）了解低维硫族化物吸收层的各向异性生长机制，以及它们如何影响原子链中的载流子传输和器件性能； （2）通过合金化方法定制低维硫族化物吸收体的带隙，以优化带隙来最大化光电压并最小化光电流损失； （3）利用第一原理密度泛函理论计算的理论预测指导，设计低维硫族化物光伏器件中的缺陷和界面，以减少载流子复合位点并增加载流子提取； (4)进行外在掺杂工程以增加基于低维硫属化物的光伏器件的光生载流子密度和载流子寿命。从根本上讲，该项目将阐明低维硫族化物光伏器件中吸收材料微观结构、光生载流子传输特性和器件性能之间的关系。最终，该拟议项目将为下一代高效低成本薄膜光伏技术的未来发展铺平道路。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过利用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的评估进行评估，认为值得支持。影响审查标准。

项目成果

Stable and efficient Sb2Se3 solar cells with solution-processed NiOx hole-transport layer

具有溶液处理 NiOx 空穴传输层的稳定高效 Sb2Se3 太阳能电池

• DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2021.02.063
• 发表时间: 2021-04-01
• 期刊: Solar Energy
• 影响因子: 6.7
• 作者: Liping Guo;S. Vijayaraghavan;Xiaomeng Duan;Harigovind G. Menon;Jacob Wall;Lingyan Kong;Subhadra Gupta;Lin Li;Feng Yan
• 通讯作者: Feng Yan

Electrospun Cadmium Selenide Nanoparticles-Loaded Cellulose Acetate Fibers for Solar Thermal Application

用于太阳能热应用的电纺硒化镉纳米粒子负载醋酸纤维素纤维

• DOI: 10.3390/nano10071329
• 发表时间: 2020-07-01
• 期刊: Nanomaterials
• 影响因子: 5.3
• 作者: Nicole Angel;S. Vijayaraghavan;Feng Yan;Lingyan Kong
• 通讯作者: Lingyan Kong

Low-temperature and effective ex situ group V doping for efficient polycrystalline CdSeTe solar cells

用于高效多晶 CdSeTe 太阳能电池的低温有效异位 V 族掺杂

• DOI: 10.1038/s41560-021-00848-z
• 发表时间: 2021-06-24
• 期刊: Nature Energy
• 影响因子: 56.7
• 作者: Dengbing Li;Canglang Yao;S. Vijayaraghavan;R. Awni;K. Subedi;R. Ellingson;Lin Li;Yanfa Yan;Feng Yan
• 通讯作者: Feng Yan

Interfacial engineering with NiOx nanofibers as hole transport layer for carbon-based perovskite solar cells

以 NiOx 纳米纤维作为碳基钙钛矿太阳能电池空穴传输层的界面工程

• DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2021.10.039
• 发表时间: 2021-12-01
• 期刊: Solar Energy
• 影响因子: 6.7
• 作者: S. Vijayaraghavan;Jacob Wall;Harigovind G. Menon;Xiaomeng Duan;Liping Guo;A. Amin;Xiao Han;Lingyan Kong;Yufeng Zheng;Lin Li;Feng Yan
• 通讯作者: Feng Yan

Enhanced Efficiency and Stability in Sb 2 S 3 Seed Layer Buffered Sb 2 Se 3 Solar Cells

提高 Sb 2 S 3 籽晶层缓冲 Sb 2 Se 3 太阳能电池的效率和稳定性

• DOI: 10.1002/admi.202200547
• 发表时间: 2022-05
• 期刊: Advanced Materials Interfaces
• 影响因子: 5.4
• 作者: Amin, Al;Li, Dian;Duan, Xiaomeng;Vijayaraghavan, S. N.;Menon, Harigovind G.;Wall, Jacob;Weaver, Mark;Cheng, Mark Ming‐Cheng;Zheng, Yufeng;Li, Lin;et al
• 通讯作者: et al