Collaborative Research: Photomechanical Behavior in Photovoltaic Semiconductors

合作研究：光伏半导体中的光机械行为

• 批准号: 2019473
• 负责人: Feng Yan
• 金额: $ 22.81万
• 依托单位: University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-10-01 至 2023-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2019473&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Photomechanical; Behavior; Photovoltaic

Photovoltaic semiconductors are capable of converting light into electricity. They are the principal components of solar cells that provide renewable energy from sunlight. These semiconductors tend to fail in a brittle manner, limiting their general use to small-scale applications. New evidence shows though that the mechanical behavior of photovoltaic semiconductors is sensitive to sunlight, exhibiting the potential of relative malleability under illumination. The mechanisms underlying such light-mechanical coupling effect remains elusive. This award supports fundamental research to elucidate how light-induced excitation controls the mechanical behavior of photovoltaic semiconductors. The new knowledge is expected to offer strategies to design highly stable and durable photovoltaic devices, such as solar cells, transistors, light-emitting diodes, and photodetectors, providing the basis for extensive engineering applications. This award will also offer education and training for graduate and undergraduate students in interdisciplinary areas of mechanics, materials science and engineering, and photophysics. The award will promote diversity by involving women and underrepresented minorities in research activities.The photomechanical behavior of photovoltaic semiconductors is determined by light-induced deformation mechanisms such as dislocation and twinning. In this project, a multiscale modeling and experimental framework will be used to accurately characterize the influence of photoinduced electron-hole excitation on the dislocation and twining mechanics in cadmium telluride, a prototype photovoltaic semiconductor. On the sub-atomic scale, advanced quantum mechanics simulations will be performed to determine the influence of electron-hole pair on the energy and force barriers of dislocation and twin nucleation, as well as dislocation mobility. On the atomic scale, the carrier concentration dependent mechanisms of the dislocation-dislocation and dislocation-twin interactions will be characterized using reactive force field based molecular dynamics simulations. On the mesoscale, the light-illumination effect on the stress-strain behavior will be quantified by developing an atomically-informed crystal plasticity model that incorporates dislocation slip and deformation twinning. Theoretical predictions will be validated through mechanical testing and materials characterizations using advanced experimental techniques, including nanoindentation, scanning probe microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction. This work will result in a new physical picture of the deformation mechanism of photovoltaic semiconductors under light illumination, and provide a comprehensive understanding of light-mechanical coupling effects in general photovoltaic materials.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.

光伏半导体能够将光转换为电。它们是太阳能电池的主要成分，可从阳光下提供可再生能量。这些半导体往往会以脆弱的方式失败，从而将它们的一般用途限制在小规模应用中。新的证据表明，光伏半导体的机械行为对阳光很敏感，这表现出照明下相对锻造性的潜力。这种轻度机械耦合效果的基础机制仍然难以捉摸。该奖项支持基础研究，以阐明光引起的激发如何控制光伏半导体的机械行为。预计新知识将提供设计高度稳定且耐用的光伏设备的策略，例如太阳能电池，晶体管，发光二极管和光电探测器，为广泛的工程应用提供了基础。该奖项还将为力学，材料科学和工程学以及光体物理学的跨学科领域的研究生和本科生提供教育和培训。该奖项将通过使妇女和代表性不足的少数民族参与研究活动来促进多样性。光伏半导体的光学行为取决于光诱导的变形机制，例如脱位和孪晶。在这个项目中，将使用多尺度建模和实验框架来准确表征光诱导的电子孔激发对原型光伏半导体镉的脱位和缠结力学的影响。在亚原子量表上，将进行先进的量子力学模拟，以确定电子孔对对位错和双核的能量和力屏障的影响以及脱位迁移率。在原子量表上，使用基于反应力场的分子动力学模拟，将表征脱位脱位和脱位相互作用的载体浓度依赖性机制。在中尺度上，将通过开发一种具有原子信息的晶体可塑性模型来量化对应力应变行为的光弹性效应，该模型结合了脱位滑移和变形孪生。理论预测将通过使用先进的实验技术进行机械测试和材料表征来验证，包括纳米凹痕，扫描探针显微镜，透射电子显微镜和电子反向散射衍射。这项工作将导致对光照明下光伏半导体的变形机制的新物理图，并在通用光伏材料中对轻型机械耦合效应提供了全面的理解。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的知识优点和广泛的criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia cripteria criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia rection。

项目成果

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

• 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: Li, Deng-Bing;Yao, Canglang;Yan, Feng
• 通讯作者: Yan, Feng

Solution-processed vanadium oxides as a hole-transport layer for Sb2Se3 thin-film solar cells

• DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2021.11.009
• 发表时间: 2022-01
• 期刊: Solar Energy
• 影响因子: 6.7
• 作者: Al-Robaidi Amin;Liping Guo;S. Vijayaraghavan;Dian Li;Xiaomeng Duan;Harigovind G. Menon;Jacob Wall;Subhadra Gupta;Mark Ming-Cheng Cheng-Mark-Ming-Cheng-Cheng-1399248973;Yufeng Zheng;Lin Li;Feng Yan